My Best Gluten Free Apple Pie

Remember a few weeks ago, when I got all those local apples for free and I asked you in my Instagram stories…

What to do with all those apples?

Well this is it, here we go, get ready for many more apple + x recipes in the next few weeks. Ehhh … enjoy I guess?! 😂

It seems every autumn, my Pinterest feed inundates me with the greatest seasonal recipes.

And if I’m honest, I’m not much of a cook or baker… but I love eating it! So while my creations usually don’t look great, they’re quite tasty most of the time.

On that note, I’m super excited to give you, my friend, some inspiration  for your autumn-ly apple pie party with this glutenfree and easily vegan-isable apple pie!

Have you got a favourite autumn recipe? I wanna hear all about it!

This gluten free apple pie is not only filled with sweet apples, you’ll also love the light taste of cinnamon in it and, duh, the buttery gluten-free shortcrust pastry.

I have to be honest with you, I’m still not a 100% happy with my gluten-free shortcrust pastry. You know that soft, chewy butter and still crispy feeling that shortcrust pastry just nails perfectly? I’m still trying hard to achieve that with my gluten-free pastry. BUT, and that’s a big but, I’m pretty happy with this one here. It’s the best gluten-free shortcrust pastry I’ve ever had and you can hardly tell it’s gluten-free … on day 1 and 2 at least 😂

This apple pie is perfect warm with vanilla ice-cream and custard, or cold, whatever you like best.

I love coming home from a long walk with the girls, cuddling up on the couch and enjoying a big slice, warm from the oven, with vanilla ice-cream and a cheesy film as sides.

So let’s get started!

To make the gluten-free pastry, you’ll need

• 170g glutenfree flour (I use Doves Farm)

• 1 tsp xanthan gum (trying to achieve that chewy stretchy gluten-y feeling!)

• 110g cold, unsalted butter (in cubes)

• 2 eggs (or flaxseed *vegan)

• 1 tsp water

• A pinch of salt

• 1 tbsp caster sugar (or maple syrup or whatever sweetener you prefer)

Trial and error notes: use cold butter, don’t skip the chilling of the pastry and use sheets of clingfilm for rolling the chilled pastry (thank me later).

For the filling, you’ll need

700g apples (Bramley apples make it very soft and sweet!)

50g dark brown sugar (maple syrup or whatever sweetener you prefer)

80g caster sugar (maple syrup or whatever sweetener you prefer)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp cornflour

For finishing

1 small egg (beaten)

2 tsp caster sugar

Instructions

1 Make the pastry. Using a large mixing bowl, add the flour, xanthan gum, salt and sugar and stir together.

2 Cut the cold butter into cubes and add to the bowl. Using your fingers, rub the mix together until it resembles breadcrumbs.

3 Use a bowl or mug to whisk together eggs and cold water. Add it to the mix and use a fork to mix all of it together until it forms a sticky dough.

Then use your hands to bring the mixture together into a smooth dough. The goal is to pick it up easily without it being too sticky.

4 Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. When you’re almost ready to roll the dough, make the filling.

5 Core the apples. I never peel the apples (nutrients!) but if you’re not a fan of that, peel apples in this step. Slice the apples into 5mm-thick discs and place in large bowl. Add dark brown sugar, caster sugar,  cinnamon and cornflour and stir well.

6 Preheat oven to 180°C / Fan 160°C / Gas Mark 4.

7 Split dough in half. Roll half the chilled dough between floured clingfilm to 4mm thickness. Lay the rolled out pastry over the pie dish and gently press in. Trim the edges and use a fork to prick the bottom of the pastry a couple of times.

8 Fill the apple mixture into the pie dish, onto the pastry. Make sure it is filled evenly and it comes up to the top of the dish, or even a little higher.

Brush the edges of the pie with a little bit of the beaten egg mix.

9 Roll out the second half of the dough until it’s 4mm thick. Place it over the top of the pie and use your fingers and a fork to press the edges together.

10 Cut a small cross in the centre of the pie and then brush the pie top with the beaten egg. Sprinkle caster sugar on top to make it crispy and sweet.

11 Bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden on top and apples inside tender.

12 Remove the pie from the oven and leave to cool for around 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!