This is a proper double-crust pie and the buttery spelt pastry works beautifully. It’s the perfect autumn pud to make if you’ve gathered some blackberries but you can make it with just apple if you like. Great with home-made custard, of course.
Ingredients
- 700 g Bramley apples (2–3 medium apples)
- ½ lemon juice
- 300 g blackberries
- pinch of cinnamon
- up to 75 ml maple syrup
- 1 tbsp milk, to glaze
Pastry
- 250 g wholemeal spelt flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface
- pinch of salt
- 150 g cold butter, cubed
- 1 egg yolk
- 1–2 tbsp ice-cold water or milk
How to Make It
- First make the pastry. Sift the flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk, mix briefly, then add the water a teaspoon at a time, mixing it in until you have a soft, pliable dough.
- Divide the pastry in 2, making 1 piece slightly bigger than the other. Wrap the pieces in cling film and leave them to chill in the fridge for half an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4. Put a baking sheet into the oven to heat at the same time.
- Roll out the larger piece of pastry on a floured work surface and use it to line the base of your pie dish. Make sure you roll it big enough to overlap the edges of the dish – you can trim it later.
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Put them in a bowl and add the lemon juice to stop the apples turning brown. Add the blackberries to the bowl. Whisk a pinch of cinnamon into the maple syrup, then pour this over the fruit. Turn everything over so the fruit is completely covered in the syrup, then pile it all into the pastry-lined pie dish.
- Roll out the other piece of pastry. Wet the edges of the bottom layer of pastry with water and place the top layer over the pie. Trim the edges of the pastry, then press them together, either with a fork or your fingers. Brush the top with milk to glaze.
- Place the pie on the preheated baking tray and bake it in the oven for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is lovely and golden brown and the fruit has softened. This is so good.
