One of the few Walt Disney films that I didn’t love as a child was Snow White. Perhaps it’s because it was too distressing, or maybe I didn’t like any of the main characters, or possibly the unrealistic story, even in the eyes of a child. The fact is, I preferred other animated films.
In that cartoon, however, I always watched the cake scene with interest, with the birds helping the princess decorate the apple pie. I tried for years to make an apple pie as beautiful as the one in the film, but I never succeeded!
This recipe, however, is so good that it can even be decorated badly and nobody will care.

Homemade apple pie

  • Preparation time: 90 minutes
  • Ingredients for a 20cm pan
  • Difficulty: Average difficult recipe

  • Ingredients
  • For the pastry:
  • 9 oz (250 grams) of all-purpose flour
  • 2 oz (50 grams) of sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 3 ¾ oz (90 grams) of very cold butter
  • 3 ¾ oz (90 grams) of very cold milk
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of apple cider vinegar
  • For the filling:
  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • 2 Golden apples
  • 5 ½ oz (160 grams) of whole cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of butter
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ oz (60 grams) of water
  • ½ lime
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Milk to taste
  • Granulated sugar to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. Put the flour and butter in a food processor. Operate the pulse a couple of times, a maximum of three, until the butter is as big as a hazelnut and therefore completely sandblasted. Combine the sugar, salt, and milk, working the dough very little with a few more pulses. Gently work the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film, and chill for one hour.
  3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour, and cook for a couple of minutes. At this point add the water, mixing the sauce off the heat to avoid creating lumps. Add the sugar. Put on the fire until it reaches a boil. Allow to cool.
  4. Wash, peel, and slice the apples to about 3 cm thick.
    Add the juice and peel of ½ a lime, the cinnamon, and the apples to the sauce.
  5. Preheat the oven to 450 °F.
  6. Cut off a third of the pastry and keep it wrapped while you roll out the rest to 4 mm thick, then use this to line a 20 cm pie tin (covered with parchment paper) leaving a slight overhang. Roll the remaining third to a circle of about 24cm in diameter.
  7. Spread the base and pierce it with a fork. Add the filling, distributing a little more in the center.
  8. Place the second circle on top of the cake to cover the filling. Finish the edges of the cake well and seal them by pinching with your fingers. Decorate the edges with a fork and then use a small knife to make a cross-cut in the center which will release the steam during cooking.
  9. Place the cake in the freezer for at least fifteen minutes before cooking it.
  10. Brush the surface with a little milk and sugar, then bake.
  11. Cook for about ten minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 °F and cook for about another thirty minutes. Further reduce the temperature to 325 °F and cook for about another ten minutes.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • To be sure I have very cold butter and milk, I leave them in the freezer for at least ten minutes.
  • Cut the apples at the last minute before putting them in the roux, otherwise they risk oxidizing.
  • I love the mix of Granny Smith and golden. You can obviously also use other types of apples according to your taste.
  • The timing of cooking in the oven is indicative because each oven cooks differently.