The apple pie got to the Americas (in the 17th – 18th century) through Great Britain! When it was first made, you could only eat its (unsweetened) filling and not the dough. As time passed, the apple pie started to gradually sweeten, until it got to the Americans who boosted its flavor (in and out), its reputation, and…its calories! In fact, in the old days, it was given to children as dinner, while the housewives prepared it even when there were no apples, by replacing fresh apples with dried ones.
For the dough
- In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Cut the butter into cubes and add it to the bowl. Wear gloves and mix the ingredients with your hands (you should wear gloves so that the temperature of your hands does not go through the butter and melts it).
- Lastly, add the water and mix until there is a malleable dough that you can shape into a ball.
- Divide the mixture into 2 even disks, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for at least one hour, until the dough thickens.
For the filling
- Cut each apple into 12 wedges and remove the seeds.
- Put them into a bowl, add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and mix well so that the apples are completely coated.
To assemble
- Remove the dough disks from the refrigerator and allow 10-15 minutes for them to soften a bit, so that you can roll them out easily.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (370° F) set to fan.
- Butter and flour a round 25 cm tart pan and set it aside.
- Dust your working surface with flour and, with a rolling pin, roll out the first dough disk into a round sheet that is slightly bigger than the tart pan. Carefully transfer it into the tart pan and press it your hands, so that it sticks well to its bottom and sides.
- Pour the filling over the dough and spread the apple pieces evenly into the tart pan.
- In the same way, roll out the second dough disk and cut it into strips that are 2 cm thick. Spread half of the strips vertically and the rest of them horizontally, covering in this way the filling.
- Press the edges of the base so that they stick with the strips. With a pastry brush, spread the dough strips with the egg. Bake in the oven for one hour, until the strips turn golden.
- Take the apple pie out of the oven and let it cool well. Then, dust it with icing sugar and serve.