Flaky Pastry Toffee Apple Pie

 A winter warmer if ever there was one!  Toffee Apple taste without the risk of losing a tooth 😉  Flaky pastry has to be top of my list just at the moment buttery flaky and quick and easy to do too – try it I’m sure you’ll be converted just like me Xx

Ingredients:

1 x qty Flaky Pastry – recipe here

475g apples

150g butter

75g light muscovado sugar

1 egg for egg wash

caster sugar for sprinkling

Makes 1 x 8″ pie

Prepare the toffee sauce before the apples and pastry as this gives it a chance to cool down a little.  Melt together the butter and light muscovado sugar gently in a pan, heat it gently stirring often until the toffee sauce is smooth and well combined.  Remove from the heat and set it to one side for now.

Grease the pie tin and set it to one side.

Divide the pastry into 2 halves.

Roll out one portion  – keep the surface and your rolling pin dusted with flour and if any blobs of butter break through pat them with a little flour to stop them from sticking.  Line the base of the tin and trim off the excess neatly.

Peel, core and slice the apples.  I’m using a firm tart eating apple but cooking apples will work well too.  Add them all to the lined pie dish and pour over the toffee sauce.

Roll out the second portion of flaky pastry and lay it over the top.  Using a pair of scissors trim the pastry so there is about 1.5cm extra over the side of the tin.

Fold the extra underneath the lip of the base pastry layer pressing gently to seal them together.

Now chill the pie in the fridge for 30 minutes – the pastry will have warmed up from the rolling out and working so it will be getting too soft to handle.

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan)/200c/Gas Mark 6

Crimp the chilled pie crust or just press together with a fork if you’d prefer.

I haven’t got a photo to show you how to crimp because it takes 2 hands leaving me with no free hand for the camera!  So, gently lift the pastry lip around the edge and put the forefinger of your right hand underneath, using the thumb and forefinger of your opposite hand press the top of the pastry edge against the finger underneath to make the fluted shape.  Work your way around the edge until you’ve crimped the whole pie.  – I’ll update with a photo as soon as there’s someone sensible in the house to take the picture 😉

Brush the top all over with the egg wash and sprinkle with a bit of caster sugar, cut a couple of slits in the centre of the pie with a sharp knife to allow the steam to escape.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until golden.

Serve (with custard for me please!)

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire