Apple Pie Guide

The most common type of pie with an apple filling. It is one of the main dessert dishes in various European countries.

History of Appearance and Proliferation

Apple pies have been known since the Middle Ages. In the fourteenth century, the pies made were very different from those made today. Back then, cooks had no sugar or yeast dough in use. Apples were baked in moulds.

In the Middle Ages, apple pies were usually baked after the apples had ripened, towards autumn. This period was associated with the harvest festival and the imminent arrival of autumn. Nowadays, because of the easy accessibility of apples and the variety of ways to store them, you can make such a pie all year round. It is even made in regions where apples have never existed, such as North and South America.

Before the first settlers from the European continent arrived in the Americas, nothing was known about apples. It was decades before the trees were planted in this country, the apples appeared, and the ways of storing and using them were known. By that time, almost all countries of Europe had already adopted apple baking recipes. Emigrants to America had also brought them with them. These are well-known ones such as Tarte Tatin from France, sharlotka and apple strudel from Germany and Austria, kramble from England, etc.

In 1390 a cookbook appeared. It consisted of recipes from the cooks of King Richard II of England. It contains the first recorded recipe for apple pie.

In Western countries, this pie is often served à la mode, meaning it is finished off with ice cream. In another version, a slice of sharp cheddar cheese is placed on top of or next to a piece of cooked pie.

Apple pie with cheddar cheese is popular in the American Midwest and New England, and especially in Vermont, where it is considered a state dish. In the north of England, Wensleydale cheese is often used.

One of the simplest and most common European apple pie recipes is apple quiche.

In the USA, the pie is one of the national symbols (especially in the state of Virginia).

The origin of apple pie is still contested by several countries – Russia, America, England and France. Each of these countries has its own secrets for making it.

Ingredients

Several types of dough are used to make this cake:

● yeast,

● sandy,

● puff pastry,

● cottage cheese,

● honey,

● sour cream,

● extraction, etc.

The ingredients for the dough include eggs, butter and flour.

A traditional apple pie has two crusts: a top and a bottom. The top can be lattice-shaped or make several ventilation slits to allow steam to escape during baking.

Apples for pie filling vary in variety, preparation and preparation. There can be raw apples in slices or wedges, grated raw apples, tinned apples, apple jam or marmalade, stewed or dried apples.

Apples can be topped with sultanas, nuts, dried fruit, jam, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon and ginger. Other additions include creams, cottage cheese, jam, marzipan and pralines.

A tender and fluffy apple pie is made with yeast dough.

He can be:

● open,

● semi-open,

● closed.

American pie is traditionally made with apple filling, but there are variations and the most popular is with cherries.

Cooking

1. First knead the pie dough.

● Cut the room temperature butter into small cubes.

● Sieve the flour with the salt.

● Add the butter and knead until crumbly.

● Mix the water with the lemon juice and add to the dry mixture in small batches.

● Roll the dough into a ball.

● Cover with clingfilm and leave for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator.

2. Preparing the stuffing.

● Clean the apples of their peel and guts.

● Cut each half into 5 pieces.

● Pour a little lemon juice over them.

Add the sugar and starch. Stir.

3. Pie shaping.

● Divide the dough into two parts – one larger, one smaller.

● Roll out most of it.

● Transfer to a mould (22 cm) and prick the bottom with a fork all over.

● Place the apples.

● Roll out the second piece of dough and cover the apples with it.

● Twist the edges of the cake together.

● Make a hole in the centre.

● Brush the top of the cake with lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.

4. Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 °C (356 °F).

5. Let the cake cool before serving so that the filling does not leak out.

Varieties of Apple Pie and their Features

There are many varieties of apple pie.

In addition to American pie recipes, there have been Dutch, English, Swedish, Austrian, German, Italian, Japanese and other recipes since ancient times.

Swedish

The easiest recipe to make a pie. Place nicely sliced apple slices on top of a plain pie and bake the whole thing together.

French – Tarte Tatin

According to one of the legends about the origins of the pie, Stephanie Taten (one of the owners of a French hotel and restaurant) was once in a hurry on her own business that she forgot to put the crust on the bottom of the mould. She simply covered the caramelised apples on top so as not to have to redo the pastry. After baking, the cake had to be placed upside down on a plate. Her customers loved this dish. They started ordering it again and again. This is how Tarte Tatin came to be known far beyond the borders of France.

Baking apples indoors keeps the temperature even, the apples are not dried out by the heat, but languish in their own juices, butter and sugar. The juicy, large apple pieces soak up the caramel. And by turning the dough upside down, it soaks up the juice.

The authentic Tarte Tatin combines flavours: thin puff pastry on which juicy, sweet syrup-soaked apples are arranged in a crispy crust of slightly bitter caramel.

English – Crumble

During the Second World War, due to shortages of flour, butter and sugar, local cooks began to cover the fruit in crumbs of dough rather than a whole crust. This became a feature of English apple pie. To this day, kramble is still very popular.

Dutch

The Dutch cake has a bottom layer of pastry and no top crust for the streusel filling (a pastry crumb made from sugar, flour and butter).  This crumble is scattered over the filling and baked until golden brown. The apple crust is crispy, crumbly and sweet. Nuts, sultanas and other favourite additions can be added to the apple filling for more flavour and taste.

Streuselike pie is popular all over America.

The following points must be taken into account when making such a cake:

1. The apples should be Granny Smith – they retain their shape when baked and have a tart, slightly sour flavour, which works well with the sugar. You can replace them with Cortland, Fuji apples.
2. Refrigerate the streusel filling. Put it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. This will allow the butter to firm up and help the pieces of streusel to hold together during baking.
3. Be sure to chill the cake for at least 2 hours before serving and slicing. The filling will leak out of the hot pie when sliced.

Vienna Apple Strudel (Austrian)

This is not a traditional pie or cake, but a roll. To roll it up with the finely chopped apple slices, flour with a high gluten content is used to make the dough elastic. This is the kind of dough that needs to be rolled out very thinly for the roll.

Strudel is made with extracted or puff pastry.

German – Apfelkuchen

Germans love their apple pie. There are many different versions of them. Some refer to different regions of Germany. Apfelkuchen with and without streusel, with crust, filled with custard, heavy for liquid dough, light for pastry, loaded with apples. Sliced apples on top, layered apples in the middle. Apple cakes with or without spices. Large, flat, delicate puff pastry crusts.

American – American Apple Pie

The cake consists of two shortcrust pastry layers made with a simple shortcrust pastry. Place the bottom crust on the bottom and sides of the fluted tin. For the filling, lay a thick layer of apples cut into thin slices or small strips.

Cinnamon should definitely be added, but nutmeg, lemon juice or other spices can also be added.

To cover the cake, make the shortcrust pastry and lay it on top of the apples. The edges should be neatly tucked in with the bottom layer at the top edge of the tart mould. The top layer can also be lattice-shaped with strips of pastry.

To decorate the apple pie, use cream, custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is then called Apple Pie a la mode.

European – Charlotte

Charlotte is very popular all over the world. There are many recipes, as well as variations of the name. As a rule, biscuit dough is used.

This cake is made by laying slices of bread soaked in cooked fruit syrup, wine, melted butter or a mixture of eggs and milk in layers in a mould. Put the apple slices in between. Top again with a layer of bread slices. You can also put them not in layers, but along the bottom and the walls of the form, and fill the middle with fruit. Bake it all together.

The history of charlotte is also quite interesting. There are several versions of its history, to be exact:

1. The originators of the quiche are the English. Only originally it was a pudding, and charlotte was not so long ago. At first it was just wet bread layered with fruit – a raw, cold quiche.

2. In the 18th century, the wife of King George III of Great Britain, Charlotte, supported apple growers in every way she could. And the dish was named after her. The theory has no definitive proof, but it is a variant of the story.

3. Charlotte was invented by an English chef who was unrequitedly in love with Charlotte. To win her over, he invented the dish.

4. The French chef Marie Antoine Karem (one of the famous pioneering cooks of the early 19th century) created a Charlotte Russe type of charlotte. Instead of bread, he used savoyardi biscuits and a layer of Bavarian cream with gelatine.

5. Thrifty German women did not throw out the leftover bread, but made breadcrumbs from it. They then used them to make apple dessert. And in the early 20th century, the German name Charlotte was very common and all Germans were called by that name in absentia.

At the beginning of the 20th century, quiche was made as a baked biscuit with apples.

Despite the simplicity of the recipe and the number of ingredients, there are many variations. But there is a basic recipe – a cup of flour, a cup of sugar, four eggs and half a teaspoon of baking soda, topped with vinegar.

Today, there are three main types of quiche:

English pudding quiche. It is made with bread slices and apples and can be raw or baked.

Charlotte Russe. It is made according to a recipe by A. Karem. Nowadays, Bavarian cream is mixed with various berry and fruit purées or chocolate and the cake is topped with jelly, usually berry jelly.

The classic apple quiche. Made from a classic biscuit with apples added to the batter.

Russian – Tsvetaev apple pie

Culinary scholars are still arguing about the origin of the name of this dessert. The main version that links this pie with the Tsvetaev family, to which the poet Marina Tsvetaeva belongs.

In her memoirs there is a reference to apple and sour cream pie. The family inherited the recipe from neighbours who had a huge orchard. They often baked fruit pies.

The dough contains sour cream, butter, sugar, baking soda and flour. The butter can be replaced with margarine. For the filling, mix the sour cream with the sugar, the egg and a little flour. The consistency should resemble a cream. It is this mixture that makes the dessert soft and juicy. The filling can be made with apples, raspberries, pears or any kind of fruit.

How to Store an Apple Pie?

Unbaked

 Store the cake in the refrigerator for 2 days if you are going to bake it in the meantime. Leave the cake in its baking tin and cover loosely with clingfilm or foil. By the end of the second day, be sure to bake or freeze the dessert.

 You can freeze the cake. It can be stored for up to 4 months in this way. Before putting the cake in the freezer, wrap the cake tightly in baking tin foil or cling film. Or you can put it in an airtight freezer bag.

There is no need to defrost an unbaked apple pie. Preheat the oven to220 °C (428 °F) and bake the pie, transferring it straight from the freezer. It will take 15-20 minutes. then reduce the temperature to 180 °C (356 °F) and continue baking the pie for another 20-30 minutes. When a brown and crispy crust forms, the pie is ready.

Use a ceramic or metal cake mould for storage, so that it is suitable for use in the oven.

Baked

1. At room temperature.

The shelf life of an apple pie in these conditions will be up to 2 days. Due to the ample sugar and acids it contains. Be sure to cover loosely with foil or cling film. This is suitable for storing the whole pie as well as the remaining slices.

But if the cake recipe contains dairy products or eggs, then only store in the refrigerator.

2. In the refrigerator.

The storage time will be up to 4 days.

3. Freezing.

The storage time will be up to 4 months. Wrap the cake tightly in clingfilm or foil, or put it in an airtight freezer bag.

4. Defrosting.

Thaw the frozen baked apple pie by putting it in the refrigerator overnight. Do this the day before cooking. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F) and after defrosting the pie, bake it for 10-15 minutes. This will make the crust crispy again.

Recipes Ideas

1. Cherry crumble in five minutes

An easy and quick dessert to make. And how delicious and flavourful it is. Crunchy crust and a delicate, sweet and sour cherry filling. You can use any fruit you like for the filling.

2. Dutch caramel apple pie

The pie comes out very pretty and appetising. With a high side rim, filled with lots of fresh, thick sliced apples which are covered in a rich caramel sauce and a crunchy, golden crumb topping. The crumble is buttery and layered. The perfect pie would be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

3. Light apple pie with crumble

A classic apple pie with a buttery, loose, crumbly filling. The filling gets extra flavour from the brown sugar, which creates a syrupy, almost caramel-like flavour. A juicy, fragrant and deliciously delicious tart that will be the highlight of your party.

4. Cheesecake and apple pie

A beautiful combination of apple pie and cheesecake in one delicious dessert. The delicate creamy cheesecake is flavoured with cinnamon and garnished with apple pie filling and toffee bits. The apple pie filling can be prepared in advance. The cheesecake is best cooked in a water bath.

5. Tarte Tatin: French upside-down apple pie

A delicious caramelised apple tart. Combines rustic style with Parisian chic. Apples are caramelised in butter and sugar on the cooker, covered in batter and cooked in the oven.

6. Coffee cake with apple pie filling

You will need a few simple ingredients to make this cake. Mix them all together in a bowl, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle over the apples. For a special flavour, you can add a pinch of nutmeg to the batter or sprinkle the apples with crushed nuts.

7. Apple pie

The filling in the pie comes from tender apples, nice spices and crunchy oatmeal crumbs with brown sugar. The combination of brown sugar, oats and butter for a crunchy crust is the perfect combination of ingredients. An ice cream scoop is sure to complement a slice of this cake, or replace the ice cream with cream, also insanely delicious.

8. Caramel apple pie bombs

It’s a real explosion of flavours. Fried dough with apple pie filling and creamy-sweet caramel, then dusted with cinnamon and sugar. An incredibly beautiful and flavourful dish. It will make a favourite dessert for children.

9. Apple pies with salted caramel

The tart is made with shortbread dough, spiced apple filling, streusel filling and salted caramel. The perfect combination of salty and sweet creates a taste extravaganza. Do not bake the cake in its traditional form, but divide it into square pieces at once.

10. German apple pie without crust

The pie turns out creamy with apples. They are delicate but with just enough texture to hold their own, lightly interwoven with silky custard and a slight scent of spice. It all accentuates the freshness of the fruit.

11. Apple pies

Apple Hand Pies are simple and delicious personalised apple pies. You can choose from round, square or oval apple pies. Be sure to make an incision in the top to allow steam to escape during baking. The pies are juicy, flavourful and very similar to biscuits.

12. Apple pie cupcakes with streusel crumble

A light and delicious autumn dessert, it can be a snack or a pleasant breakfast. The muffins are filled with a sweet apple pie filling, with a crumbly cinnamon streusel crust on top. You can use any kind of fruit for the filling in the cupcakes, but the combination of apples and cinnamon is perfect. And the aroma from the baked goods is mouth-watering.

13. Apple and custard tart

Use tinned apples for this pie, but you can also use fresh apples. Make the custard using the usual recipe. You can make it thicker. Place the apples in the bottom of the tin and just pour the custard over them. Bake in the oven for a while and you’re ready. Tender and sweet.

14. Apple pie with cinnamon

Cinnamon pie, topped with apples coated in cinnamon sugar. The unusual presentation of this tart will charm everyone. Sprinkle the pastry with cinnamon and sugar and roll up. Cut into equal sized circles and place in the cake tin. Fill the top with the filling. Cover the filling with crumble or another layer of pastry.

15. Rolls with French toast and apple pie

A delicious apple pie filling wrapped inside a slice of bread, toasted until golden and coated in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. The rolls taste similar to apple pie. You can make them with a filling of preserved apple jam.

16. Quick apple strudel

Making a quick pie is made easy by using pre-made phyllo pastry. You can use regular puff pastry or self-made pastry. Be sure to add fragrant cinnamon to the filling. Serve with an ice cream scoop or cream.

17. Apple strudel

A strudel with a flaky crust and a spiced apple filling is sure to wow your guests. Serve it with vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce. Juicy, flavourful and with a delicate filling.