Where did the traditional American apple pie come from?
The roots of the creation of the traditional American pie go back to the distant fourteenth century.
It was then that historians first recorded mention of this culinary miracle. This incredibly delicious pie could only be served to noble people, such as Richard II or Queen Elizabeth. Of course, these famous people had nothing to do with the creation of the American tart, because specially trained chefs cooked for them. But it was enough that they liked him. An interesting fact is that initially, no sugar was used at all in the preparation of American apple pie, as well as any flavorings or seasonings. Only a rich person could afford to put such delicacies in this delicacy. That is why this masterpiece has become a delicacy for the elite.
The first recipe for American apple pie was recorded by Samuel Peg in his cookbook. It was written in 1390. However, it was not described as an American dessert, it was a simple apple pie. Sweetness became the pride of the American people only in the nineteenth century. It was then that the media began to write about him as a symbol of courage, pride and greatness of the country, and American soldiers during World War II believed that it was worth participating in hostilities for the sake of their mother and apple pie.
Nowadays, American apple pie is widespread and is used in the cookbooks of almost every housewife, not to mention cafes and restaurants.
Cinnamon Pie
We invite you to prepare aromatic American apple pie. The dessert recipe is as follows:
- Rub 150 grams of butter and 300 grams of flour with your hands. Add one egg and a little water to the resulting crumbs. Knead the dough and refrigerate it for an hour.
- Cut five apples into pieces, add sugar and cinnamon.
- Form a closed pie, brush it with milk and bake until done.
Serve the finished dish cooled. Cut the dessert into portions and decorate with powdered sugar.
Ingredients for American Apple Pie
In modern cooking, there are many variations on the preparation of a typical American apple pie, but there are also traditional classic recipes, one of which we will present to you today.
The preparation of this dessert takes place in several stages: kneading the dough, preparing the filling, forming the pie and baking it.
Thus, to knead the dough we will need:
- 300 grams of sifted wheat flour
- 200 grams regular butter
- half a teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- salt
- a quarter tablespoon of boiled water
For the filling we need to take:
- eight apples (preferably Granny Smith)
- half a teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- one tablespoon of starch
- one heaped glass of sugar
- cinnamon
American pie with apples and cheese
An unusual combination of ingredients makes this dessert unexpectedly delicious. How to make American apple pie at home? The recipe is in front of you:
- Combine 200 grams of grated cheese with 500 grams of sifted flour and salt. Grind 200 grams of cold butter and add to the food along with three tablespoons of cold water. Knead the dough and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Cut five apples into slices, sprinkle them with lemon juice, mix with 100 grams of sugar and three tablespoons of starch.
- Form a closed pie as described above, brush it with milk and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes.
The finished dessert is best served warm.
Knead the shortbread dough
At the first stage, you need to properly knead the shortbread dough. To do this, you need to heat the oil to room temperature and cut it into small pieces with the tip of a knife. Rub the flour through a sieve in advance and mix it with a certain amount of salt to taste. Then you need to add butter to the resulting mixture and mix it thoroughly until crumbs form.
Pour freshly squeezed lemon juice into a small amount of water and slowly add it in small portions to the mixture of flour and butter. After this, you need to thoroughly knead the dough, making it completely homogeneous. Form the finished dough into a ball shape and seal it tightly in cling film. Place this sphere in the refrigerator for about half an hour so that the dough can cool and rest.
Apple Pie: A Classic American Pie Recipe
The traditions of American cuisine combine the characteristics of a variety of nations. The best recipes from all over the world become classics of this country. This is the famous apple pie. This is a traditional and very tasty dish. Each housewife has her own secrets of its ideal taste. Some people make apple pie from shortcrust pastry, while others use puff pastry. One way or another, it’s still worth trying a few proven recipes and evaluating them.
Preparing a classic apple pie
The recipe for this pie is considered the most correct. You will need two glasses of wheat flour and two tablespoons of sugar for the dough, as well as a couple of tablespoons of flour and a glass of sugar for the filling, salt, vegetable oil, ice water, four large apples of your favorite variety, lemon juice, one hundred and twenty grams of butter, teaspoon of cinnamon.
Sift the flour and salt into the bowl in which you will prepare the dough. Add sugar, add two thirds of a glass of vegetable oil. Mix until coarse flour crumbs form. Pour cold water into the container one spoon at a time, constantly stirring the dough. The texture should be smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into two parts, one of which will be slightly larger, shape into flat cakes and wrap each separately in cling film.
Place in the refrigerator for an hour.
It's time to make the filling that you will place in the future apple pie. The recipe assumes the use of any apples, so you can recycle those that have lost their appearance a little, or use your favorite variety - it doesn’t matter at all. Wash the fruit and cut into thin slices, after removing the cores. Sprinkle with lemon juice and stir. Pour into a saucepan and cook in butter, adding sugar. After a quarter of an hour, transfer to a separate plate using a slotted spoon, and cook the remaining juice for another fifteen minutes. After this, pour it over the apples and leave them to cool. When the filling has cooled, add cinnamon and flour and stir.
All the preparations are done, it’s time to assemble and bake the apple pie. The recipe advises to immediately preheat the oven to one hundred and eighty degrees. Line the bottom of a baking dish with baking paper or parchment, place a large cake and spread to the sides.
Fill with apple filling and place remaining tortilla on top. Seal the edges with your hands, trying to do it neatly and tightly. Make a hole in the center to allow steam to escape during cooking, otherwise the cake may burst or crack. If desired, you can cut the cake into strips and cover the top of the pie with a kind of lattice - it looks very beautiful and appetizing. Brush the top with butter to get a golden brown crust, sprinkle with sugar and bake for about sixty minutes at the indicated temperature.
The recipe recommends serving the apple pie while still hot, combining it with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. Alternatively, you can decorate the pie with streusel - a crumble made from flour, butter and sugar. This will also be tasty and very original.
Making the filling
To make a good filling, you need to choose the right apples. They should not be soft and crumbly, and also contain a lot of sugar. Therefore, the fruit should be of a sour, hard variety, such as Granny Smith. This is when the filling will remain intact and not turn into a mushy mixture. We will need no more than eight medium-sized apples.
Wash the apples thoroughly under running water. Peel them and remove the core. Cut all the apples into halves, and then divide each half into five more pieces. Sprinkle the chopped apples with freshly squeezed lemon juice and add starch and sugar. Mix everything well.
Making an American apple pie
While we were preparing the filling, our dough had already cooled and rested. We take it out of the refrigerator and divide it into three equal parts, two of which we connect again. Roll out a large ball of dough on a kneading board and place it in a prepared baking pan (the pan must be greased with vegetable oil). Pierce the dough in several places with a fork.
Place the prepared apples on top and cover them with the remaining dough, having also rolled it out first. To prevent the dessert from falling apart and to bake well, the edges of the tart must be twisted and a hole must be made in the middle of the pie.
In order for our tart to acquire a crust and a pleasant golden color, it must be brushed with egg. To do this, beat the egg until light foam forms. Use a pastry brush to brush the mixture on top of the pie. You can also sprinkle the surface of the tart with sugar or cinnamon. This will give the sweet treat a special color and piquant flavor.
Assembling and baking the pie
* ready-made apple filling (after peeling the seeds and skin there should be at least 800-900 g) ** if the apples are very sour, you can take 1 tbsp sugar
Sift the flour into a bowl along with salt and sugar. Add cold butter cut into small cubes and chop into crumbs with a knife. Add water, knead the dough with a knife. Divide it into two koloboks (larger and smaller) and wrap each in film. Place in the refrigerator for half an hour. Peel the apples from skins and seeds, cut into small pieces. Mix apples in a bowl along with spices, sugar, lemon juice and starch. Set aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it thaw a little. Roll out a larger bun on a floured surface and transfer to a greased pan (the edges of the dough should hang out of the pan. Lay out the filling, place pieces of butter on it. Roll out the second bun and cover the filling. Pinch the edges of the dough and make a hole in the middle to allow steam to escape . Grease the top of the pie with water and sprinkle with sugar. Place in an oven preheated to 220 degrees. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180 C and bake for 40-50 minutes, until a golden crust forms. Cool completely and enjoy the deliciousness.
It’s best to let the cake sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours after it’s cooled.
Bake the pie and serve
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and place the pie in it. For the dessert to be completely ready, you should wait about an hour. Allow the traditional American apple pie to cool completely before serving (otherwise, all the filling may leak onto the plate).
This American dessert is ideal with tea or coffee. Bon appetit!
Read further:
Traditional apple pie with cinnamon
French apple pie (Tarte Tatin)
Classic pie with apple filling
Apple pie in the oven
Pie with apple filling in a slow cooker
