Apple Pie That's Hard To 'Leaf' Alone.....

I saw this recipe for apple pie on a YouTube channel of Emma Fontanella who is a baker from the US living in Italy. I've baked a number of her recipes and have quite enjoyed them, even learning some new techniques along the way.

This recipe caught my eye because instead of a regular type crust, she's taken the time to carve out little 'leaves' from the dough, and placing them over the top of the pie to form a really neat looking crust. It's a real showpiece if you're serving others at your table.

Ingredients

250 g (2 cups) All Purpose flour

2 egg yolks (use large eggs)

3 tbsp white sugar

150 g (1⅓ cups) very cold butter

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

¼ tsp salt

For the filling

700 g (25 oz) apples. I used a mixture of green apples and golden apples

30 g (4 tbsp) All Purpose flour

½ tbsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

100 g (½ cup) white sugar

Method

1. In a food processor combine the flour and cold butter. Add the egg yolks and vinegar and pulse just until combined.

2. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for half an hour.

3. Peel and cut the apples into big pieces, placing them in to a large bowl. Add the sugar and other dry ingredients.

4. On a well-floured surface, roll one piece of the dough and place in a well-greased and floured pie dish, trimming the dough all around the edges. Add your apple mixture.

5. Roll out the other piece of dough, and using a knife cut out leaf shapes.

6. Cover the pie with the leaves and bake the pie in a preheated oven at 180 °C (360 °F) for around 50-60 minutes.

Cool completely before serving.

Tips

Baking time can vary from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes; make sure you keep an eye on your pie so that it doesn't over bake.