Cheddar-crusted apple pie

Cheddar cheese and apples make a delicious savory and sweet combination in this pie.

Credit: Martha Bakes

• serves

  10

• prep

  1 hour

• cook

  1:40 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

The dough for the crust can be made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer.

Ingredients

Cheddar double-pie crust

• 2½ cups plain (all-purpose) flour (spooned and levelled), plus more for rolling
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 170 g cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1½ cups (175 g / 6 oz) shredded sharp cheddar
•  ¼-½ cup ice water

Pie

• ¼ cup plain (all-purpose) flour, plus more for rolling
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1.8 kg (4 lb) Granny Smith apples
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Instructions

1. For the crust: In a food processor, briefly pulse flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and cheddar; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with ¼ cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, a few teaspoons at a time at a time). Don't overmix.
2. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide dough (one portion should be slightly larger than the other). Shape each portion into a disk. Wrap each disk separately in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or up to 1 day. (Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw overnight in refrigerator before using.)
3. For the pie: Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F), with rack in lowest position. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the smaller disk of dough to 5mm (just under 1/4 inch) thick on a lightly floured surface and fit into a 23 cm (9 inch) glass pie plate. Roll remaining disk to the same thickness and transfer to a baking paper (parchment) lined baking sheet, ready to use for top crust; refrigerate along with pie plate.
4. Place lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel, quarter, and core apples; thinly slice crosswise, tossing with lemon juice as you work. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt to bowl; toss to combine.
5. Fill bottom crust with apple mixture; lightly brush edge of crust with water. Using a paring knife, cut out either a circle or small slits in centre of top crust. Place top crust over filling; press all around edge to seal with bottom crust. Using kitchen shears, trim to a 2.5 cm (1 inch) overhang; fold dough under itself to form a rim and press to seal. Using thumb and forefinger, crimp as desired.
6. Place pie plate on a baking paper- lined rimmed baking sheet. Combine lightly beaten egg with 3 teaspoons water. Brush crust with egg wash. Bake 20 minutes; reduce heat to 190°C (375°F) and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 80 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack, at least 4 hours (or up to overnight) before serving.

Note

• The temperature and cooking time may seem long but Martha says this is what works best with this pastry. And for the best result, do leave the pie to cool completely before serving.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

The dough for the crust can be made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer.