Food & Drinks

Sweet Sunday

The apple pie, it remains a bit of an underrated bake among people who really love to bake. It doesn't feel like a cake to impress at a birthday, because anyone can basically bake an apple pie. But gosh, I had momentarily forgotten how delicious a good apple pie is. Firm crust, slightly sour apple juicy inside with a hint of cinnamon. A bit of whipped cream with every bite. My mouth is watering again.

I have recently delved deeply into the Dutch apple pie and various recipes. For example, I made one from Holtkamp's cookbook. Kees Holtkamp adds both raisins and currants to his filling, and between the apple and the dough goes a layer of almond paste. Kees can almost never go wrong for me, but that last part was a bit too much for me personally. I prefer my apple pie simple, without culinary frills, just like a grandma would bake it. That's how I ended up with a recipe from Miljuschka. Her pie recipes are often indescribably rich, but from the ingredients of the apple pie recipe, I could already see that this might just appeal to me.

The dough

  • 125 g butter at room temperature
  • 350 g flour
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 250 g sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk

The filling

  • 1.5 kilos of apples, a mix of Goudreinet and Jonagold in cubes but unpeeled (I personally went for a mix of Goudreinet and Granny Smith for an extra tartness)
  • 75 g brown sugar (in my opinion, only a good idea for the real sweet tooth)
  • 1 tbsp cookie spices or cinnamon (I always choose cinnamon, it gives a purer taste)

No fuss between the ingredients, although you can always choose to add some raisins or nuts to the filling if you like. I got to work and chose to make two small versions instead of one large one. In the first, I added the brown sugar to the filling, and in the second, I left it out. The sweet dough and the apples that become sweeter during baking don't need extra brown sugar in my opinion. The flavors can contradict each other a bit. With a filling that is too sweet, it quickly becomes a rather monotonous sensation in the mouth.

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees.
  2. Cut the apples however you like. I cut cubes and strips and went for a mixed texture. Don't be neat, that's unnecessary. Add the cinnamon to the apples and if you want to add the brown sugar, this is the moment to mix it with the apples.
  3. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. Then mix in the eggs and butter and knead it all into a dough. Make two balls and place each ball between two layers of plastic wrap. Roll out into a thin sheet (the wrap prevents sticking and thus frustration).
  4. Put the sheets away in the freezer for a bit (for the same reason).
  5. Peel off one side of the plastic wrap and place it in the mold, then peel off the other layer (see how easy that goes now?).
  6. Fill with the apples.
  7. Make the top from the other layer of dough. I went for chunky pieces for a rustic effect, but you can also make a nice and neat old-fashioned lattice. It's just what you're in the mood for.
  8. Brush your pie with egg yolk and sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar. Do use the brown sugar here, as it is more for a nice visual effect.
  9. Bake the pie for an hour in the preheated oven and serve with unsweetened whipped cream (possibly with a bit of fresh vanilla mixed in) or vanilla ice cream. Just what makes you happy.