Perfect Homemade Apple Pie From Scratch

Make the pie crust

1. Put the flour, sugar and salt in the large bowl of the Magimix fitted with plastic blade and chill for 30 minutes. Cube the butter and shortening and keep chilled.
2. Pulse flour, sugar and salt until combined. Add the cubed butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Combine vinegar and water and add to the dough in a slow drizzle while pulsing. Stop when the dough forms clumps. You may not need to add all the water or you may need to add a touch more if dough is crumbly.
4. Pat the dough into two disks, cover with cling film and chill for an hour (or up to a day).
5. Dust your worktop and rolling pin with flour. Roll one of the dough disks out to 6mm (1/4 inch thick). Transfer onto the pie tin, leaving the pastry to hang over the edges, cover and chill for 30 minutes.
6. Roll out the second piece of dough onto a large piece of baking paper. Cut into wide, equally sized strips using a pizza wheel then transfer onto a baking tray and chill for 30 minutes.

Prepare your filling

1. Peel and core the apples then either slice thinly with a sharp knife of use the widest setting on a mandoline. Keep slices small and equally sized. Toss with the lemon juice and set aside while pastry is chilling.
2. Strain the apples to get rid of any juices and then toss with the spices, flour, cornflour and sugar.

Assemble the apple pie

1. Pile the apples, packed quite tightly, into the prepared pie tin (mine was 20cm/8in but there was enough pastry for a slightly larger pie). Create a little mound in the centre and drizzle with the salted caramel (if using).
2. Take out the pastry strips and lay the longest ones in the centre of the pie vertically. Start placing strips horizontally, weaving them with the one vertical ones to create a lattice (see here for a very helpful diagram from the Smitten Kitchen).
3. Fold the overhanging pastry over the lattice and create a fluted edge by pushing your thumb from one hand in between the thumb and index finger of the opposite.
4. Return to the fridge for 30 minutes then brush all over with the egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake the pie

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F) and place a heavy baking tray on the lowest shelf (do not skip this step: the filling has a tendency to bubble over).
2. Put the pie in the oven for 15-20 minutes until it has started to brown nicely, then reduce the temperature to 180C (350F). At this stage you may need to cover with a foil hat to prevent further browning.
3. Bake for another 30-35 minutes of until the apples are soft enough to prick with a skewer. The pie is usually ready when the filling starts to bubble over and takes on average about an hour to bake.
4. Cool for several hours before serving – it can take up to 6 hours or longer for the pie to cool completely. If you serve while still hot it won’t be easy to slice.