A buttery double-crust pie filled with sharp Bramley cooking apples, sugar and a hint of clove, under a sugar-crusted lid. Bramleys break down into a tangy, fluffy purée instead of holding their slices, which gives the English pie its distinctive soft filling. Makes 8 servings in about 2 hr 30 min.
Prep40 min
Cook50 min
Cooling1 hr
Total
2 hr 30 min
Servings
8
Ingredients
Adjust yield
servings
Double it for two pies; mix and bake each pie's filling separately.
2 ¾ cups (350 g)all-purpose flour
1 ½ tbsp (20 g)granulated sugar, for the pastry
1 pinchfine salt
¾ cup (175 g)unsalted butter, cold, diced
⅓ cup (75 ml)ice water, plus 1 tbsp more if needed
2 ¼ lb (1000 g)bramley apples, peeled and cored weight (about 1.3 kg whole), thickly sliced
Make the pastry: whisk the all-purpose flour, pastry sugar and fine salt, then rub in the cold unsalted butter until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized bits. Sprinkle in the ice water and stir with a knife until the dough clumps, adding the extra tablespoon only if needed. Divide into two disks, one slightly larger, wrap and chill 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a baking sheet on the middle rack.
Toss the Bramley apples with the filling sugar, cornstarch and ground cloves.
Roll the larger disk on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch (30 cm) round and line the pie dish. Pile in the apples, mounding them in the center, as they sink while cooking.
Roll the second disk into an 11-inch (28 cm) round. Brush the rim of the bottom crust with a little of the milk, lay the lid on top, trim, and press the edges together firmly to seal. Crimp with a fork and cut two or three steam vents.
Brush the lid with the remaining milk and sprinkle evenly with the finishing sugar.
Set the pie on the hot baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, then lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake until the crust is deep golden and juices bubble through the vents, 20 to 25 minutes more.
Rest the pie at least 30 minutes before cutting so the filling settles. Serve warm.
Tips
Bramleys are sharp; taste a slice and add up to 25 g (2 tbsp) more sugar if your apples are especially tart.
Cut the apples into thick slices so some texture remains while the rest melts into fluff.
Serve with hot custard, pouring cream or vanilla ice cream, the English way.
Good with hot vanilla custard.
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Plan on 40 minutes of prep and 50 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour to chill and rest. The recipe makes 8 servings.
How should I store bramley apple pie?
Keep covered at room temperature 1 day, then refrigerate up to 4 days; rewarm slices at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 15 minutes.
Can I make bramley apple pie ahead?
It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.
Serve it with hot vanilla custard.
Variations
Apple and blackberry pie: replace 200 g of the apples with 200 g (1 1/2 cups) blackberries and add 5 g (2 tsp) more cornstarch; bake time unchanged.
Orange-zest version: toss the apples with 2 tsp (4 g) finely grated orange zest; bake time unchanged.
Half-lard pastry: use 90 g (6 tbsp) butter and 85 g (6 tbsp) lard for a shorter, flakier traditional crust.
Individual pies: line six 4-inch (10 cm) pie tins, fill and lid them, and bake 30 to 35 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.
462Calories / serving
18.5gFat
71.4gCarbs
5.0gProtein
32.1gSugar
Whole recipe (8 servings):
~3696 cal ·
148g fat ·
571g carbs ·
40g protein ·
257g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
Recipe Rating
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