Apple pie in the Aga

A lady called Una contacted me to ask how to cook an apple pie in the Aga as she could not find a recipe online. Well I do love apple pie, it definitely ranks up there as yet one more of my favourites ( well I like my food, so there are a lot of favourites).  So as soon as I was given some apples by a friend I made this and have now finally got around to blogging about it so hopefully rectifying Una’s dilemma.

Apple pies, in my opinion, need a shortcrust pastry and a good cooking apple – preferably a Bramley.  Now I like my apple pie to be on the tart side of things so I am more sparing with the sugar, if you prefer yours a little sweeter then add another 25g (1 oz) of sugar.  You can make shortcrust with all butter, but I do like it with half butter/ half shortening or lard.  Make sure both are straight from the fridge and that your hands are cool, as warm pastry is not a good thing.

50g (2oz) vegetable shortening or lard
50g (2oz) butter
225g (8oz) plain flour
203 tbsp of cold water

2-3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
50-75g (2-3oz) granulated sugar

Method

If you are using a food processor then tip the flour into the bowl of the processor, add the diced butter and shortening/lard and pulse for a few seconds until the fat is incorporated into the flour and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Add 2 tbsp of water and pulse again (you may need a little extra water or not quite that much) until the mixture starts to come together.  Try not to over process, you need to stop as soon as it starts to come together. Remove the blade and form the mixture into two flattened discs. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

If you aren’t using a food processor then make sure your hands are cool by running cold water over them.  Then place the flour and the diced fat into a bowl and using the tips of your fingers rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Add the water and then mix using a pallet knife at first and then your hands until it is a smooth dough.  Try to handle it as little as possible.  Divide into two flattened discs and cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

You will need a pie dish or plate. Mine is 20cm in diameter and 3cm deep.

Remove the pastry from the clingfilm and lightly flour the worktop and your rolling-pin. Roll the first disc of pastry until it is big enough to cover the bottom and the sides of the dish. Press it carefully into the dish.  Place your chopped apples into the dish and sprinkle with the sugar.  Roll the second disc until it is large enough to cover the dish. Brush a little milk around the edges of the pastry and place the lid of pastry on top and crimp around the edge to form a seal with two fingers.  Cut off any excess pastry. You can brush the top with milk too.

Place the pie on the floor of the roasting oven of the Aga for about 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden. In a conventional cooker, place in a preheated oven at 220°c for about the same amount of time. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying warm with lashings of cold double cream or custard. My mouth is watering at the very thought.

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21 thoughts on “Apple pie in the Aga”

  1. Oh Kath my mouth is watering too.

    I am totally with you that the crust on an apple pie. It just has to be shortcrust, something comforting about its texture against the sharp twang of tart apples.

    So much liking you little apple touch on the top too.

  2. You wouldn’t think there were so many ways to make an apple pie. Yours looks and sounds delicious of course – am with you on the shortcrust and impressed by your artful apple. Weirdly and it’s very weird for me to be making pies, cos I hate making pastry, I made an apple pie this weekend too. Scrumilicious!

    1. Choclette, I would have had you down as a pastry girl. Well, for me there is only one way to make an apple pie and that’s this way, which is how my mum makes apple pies. I like making pastry and it tastes good, but there is still a lot of practice needed to make my pastry look neat or even not a mess. Oh well, practice makes perfect.

  3. Perfect Apple Pie weather in our part of the world, too. Your recipe is simple and straightforward–just right! The crust is The Thing–plus the quality of apple. I am not familiar with the Bramley, but around here, the Granny Smith is a very good, tart cooking apple. great inspiration to bake, thanks Kath!

  4. Thank you so much for this aga recipe I’ve got two aga books and neither has an apple pie recepe. I am looking forward to making this hope it looks as good as yours.

  5. Hi, this recipie is just what I am looking for. I am completely new to using an aga. We inherited it with our new house. I’m not sure if this is a stupid question but what setting does the aga need to be on to cook the pie? I have a dial near the pilot light with numbers 1-6 on it. Do I need to adjust this at all to bake?

    1. Hi Hannah,
      It’s not a stupid question. Agas can take a bit of getting used to. If the mercury is on the middle black line then your Aga is at the right temperature. Once you have got this right then there is no need for further adjustment when you cook. Just cook away. If you are cooking a lot or if it is heating radiators or the water in your house then you will notice the mercury starting to fall to the black. If it does this and you have a sunday dinner to cook or a day of baking planned then you will need to turn it up on the dial to get it back to temperature, then once you have finished the cooking remember to turn it back to the number it is normally happy on. My Aga for example is happiest on 4. I very rarely need to turn it up because if it does drop down during a big cook, it soon recovers. My aga runs on kerosene. However, another family member has an Aga which heats her water and if she is doing a sunday lunch then she has to turn it up half a point the dial (so from 4to 4.5) a few hours before cooking to make sure it can cope with the demands. My mum’s Aga is happiest on 3 on the dial. So all Agas are different, it is just a matter of getting to know yours. You will soon get to know your Aga and wonder how you cooked in an ordinary oven. I hope all this helps. If you have any other questions let me know. Oh, and enjoy the pie. Best wishes Kath

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