Lattice Apple Pie

Harvest season is upon us, and the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables that Fall has in offer is more than appealing. And as much as I like exotic fruits, the good old apple will always be one of my favourite fruit. Plus, you can make some wicked apple pies to lick your fingers clean.

Surely, you can go for shortcuts and use puff pastry or shortcrust pastry, but a nice homemade apple pie crust is not only super easy to make, but you also know what goes in it. So, it's a lot healthier, and you can bake it to perfection too.

As for the shape of an apple pie, well, you get go for anything you like: round, square, rectangle, with crust bottom and top, or just bottom and lattice top, it's up to one's preference.

I used a quiche baking tray, but any kind of oven-proof dish would work, as long as you grease it well so the pie can be removed easily. So, let's see how we can make a classic apple pie with a pretty lattice crust that looks amazing.

Ingredients needed to make a lattice apple pie

• apples - it can be cooking apples or eating apples, go with whatever you have
• granulated sugar - we need sugar for the apple pie filling and for the pie crust
• ground cinnamon - gives the apple filling a distinctive Autumn touch
• flour - regular plain flour to make the crust
• eggs - we need 2 eggs for making the crust, and 1 for brushing the crust
• vegetable oil - makes the crust very easy to work with
• milk - full-fat milk is the best, semi-skimmed also ok
• baking powder - keeps the crust soft
• a pinch of salt

Variations

I like to grate the apples for the apple pie filling and gently cooked them with sugar and cinnamon until all the apple juice is evaporated, but you can also chop the apples for a chunky filling. The crust can be made while the apples are cooking, it doesn't take long at all.

If you are not bothered by a lattice appearance, you can top the filling with a round dough, and use a fork to prick the dough in a few places, so the steam can escape during baking.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

How to make the apple pie filling

• peel and grate the apples
• add them to a pan together with the sugar and cinnamon
• mix well, and leave to cook on a medium heat until all the juice is evaporated
• remove from the heat and cool completely

Note! Some apples are juicier than others, so the time that it takes for the juice to evaporate depends entirely on the type of apple you use. I would say it  takes about 10 minutes, but do keep an eye on it.

How to make an apple crust

For the crust we need some basic ingredients that we use everyday anyway, so nothing fancy here:

• beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, and add the sugar

You can either use a whisk to beat everything well, or a hand mixer. We want the eggs beaten very well until we get a smooth and thick paste that has a pale yellow colour and the sugar is nearly dissolved. Obviously, a mixer will be a lot faster.

• add the milk, oil, baking powder and half of the amount of flour and mix well
• add the remaining of the flour, and knead into a dough using your hands

Alternatively, you can add all the ingredients to a kitchen aid and have everything mixed well until you get a dough that does not stick to the hands.

How to lattice a pie crust & baking time

Latticing is layering dough strips over and under one another to crate a weaving basket effect. Since there are holes in between the dough strips, the steam can escape during baking, and keeping the pie in a nice shape.

• start by cutting the pie dough into half
• the first half will be rolled and used to cover the bottom of the pie dish ( see photos 8 & 9)
• the second half of the dough will be rolled and cut into 12 strips

• fill the pie with the cooled filling, and arrange 6 strips of dough over the filling vertically - the longer strips will go in the middle, and the shorter ones towards the edges (see photo 11)
• starting from the right hand side, fold over strip no 2, 4 and 6 ( see photo 12)
• lay one unused strip perpendicular on top, and place the folder strips back into their place
• next, fold over strips no 1, 3 and 5 (see photo 13)
• arrange another dough strip perpendicularly , and fold the strips over again
• repeat this process until all the dough strips have been used and you have a nice lattice top (see photo 14)
• beat the remaining egg with a pinch of salt, and brush the lattice crust with the beaten egg
• bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden
• leave it to cool down, then sprinkle some icing sugar over

Can the apple pie be frozen?

If you want to make the apple pie ahead of time, we have 2 options:

1. Grate the apples and place them in a sealable bag, and freeze. Just allow them to thaw and follow the same steps to make the apple filling, then the crust

This method is particularly useful if you have lots of apples around and don't know what else to do with them. You can portion them in different bags so you don't need to thaw them all at the same time, and use just the right amount for a pie. They can also be frozen for winter, as they are safe in the freezer for many months.

2. Make the apple pie and freeze before baking. Just pop it in the oven from frozen, it will take a bit longer to bake, so allow at least extra 15-20 minutes. Ideal if you want to have a freshly-baked pie and don't have time to make it from scratch on the day.

And there you have, a fantastic homemade apple pie that will go down a treat with the whole family. Great for you Thanksgiving dinner or any other celebration. Or just a little treat whenever you sweet tooth strikes again.

Other apple desserts

Apple and Mincemeat Crumble

Apple Crumble with Oats

Apple Upside Down Cake

Apple and Blackberry Crumble Bars