Anna Louise An apple pie is one of those recipes that every home baker should have completely mastered and that very few actually have. Not because it is technically difficult — it is not — but because there are a number of small decisions that together determine whether the finished pie is genuinely wonderful or merely adequate.
The pastry: short, buttery, holding its shape cleanly when cut. The filling: sharp, properly sweetened Bramley apple with warm spice, giving enough juice to be glossy and rich without flooding the base and making it soggy. The top: golden, slightly glazed, with a generous vent cut to let the steam out during baking.
I have made apple pie hundreds of times. The version I come back to is always this one — a deep-filled double-crust shortcrust pie with a generous Bramley apple filling, warmly spiced, properly sweetened, and finished with a milk glaze and a scattering of caster sugar before it goes into the oven.
Served warm with proper custard, it is one of the finest things a British kitchen produces.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Apple Pie
For the Shortcrust Pastry
- 350g plain flour, sifted
- 175g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- Pinch of fine salt
- 1 tbsp golden caster sugar — gives the pastry a slight sweetness that suits a sweet filling
- 3–4 tbsp cold water
- 1 large egg yolk — gives a richer, more tender pastry
For the Apple Filling
- 1.2kg Bramley apples — peeled, cored, and sliced into 5mm rounds
- 125g golden caster sugar — adjust to taste after tasting the raw apple
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground mixed spice
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- Finely grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
- 2 tbsp plain flour — stirred through the apple slices to thicken the juices
To Finish
- 2 tbsp whole milk — brushed over the pastry lid
- 1 tbsp golden caster sugar — scattered over the glazed lid
How to Make Mary Berry Apple Pie
Step 1 — Make the Pastry
Pulse the flour, salt, caster sugar, and cold butter in a food processor until fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and cold water one tablespoon at a time — pulse until the dough just comes together. Do not over-process.
Divide the dough into two-thirds and one-third. Flatten each into a disc, wrap separately, and refrigerate for thirty minutes.
Step 2 — Prepare the Apple Filling
Toss the sliced Bramley apples with the sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger, lemon zest, and plain flour until evenly coated. Taste a slice of raw apple — Bramleys vary in tartness. If it seems very sharp, add an extra tablespoon of sugar.
Step 3 — Preheat and Line the Tin
Preheat your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Grease a deep 23cm pie dish — approximately 4–5cm deep.
Roll the larger disc of pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3–4mm thick. Line the pie dish — allowing pastry to overhang the edges by about 2cm. Press into the base and sides.
Step 4 — Fill
Pile the seasoned apple slices into the pastry-lined dish — heap them generously as they reduce during baking. The filling should dome above the rim of the dish.
Step 5 — Add the Lid
Roll the remaining pastry disc to 3–4mm thick. Brush the overhanging pastry edge with milk. Lay the pastry lid over the filling. Press the edges firmly together. Trim the excess with a sharp knife. Crimp the edges decoratively — pressing with a fork or pinching with fingers.
Cut four or five generous vents in the pastry lid — these are essential, not decorative. Without vents the steam builds inside the pie, the filling floods, and the base becomes soggy.
Brush the lid generously with milk. Scatter caster sugar over the glazed surface.
Step 6 — Bake
Place the pie dish on a baking tray — in case any juices bubble over. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the pastry is deep golden, the sugar has caramelised slightly on the surface, and the apple filling is bubbling through the vents.
Rest for ten minutes before serving — the filling settles and slices more cleanly.
My Top Tips For Best Mary Berry Apple Pie
Bramley apples only — always. Bramleys give a filling that is sharp, yielding, slightly jammy, and specifically apple pie in character. Eating apples give firmer pieces that do not reduce and release their juice in the same way. A Bramley apple pie filling is completely different from — and considerably better than — one made with Cox or Braeburn. For an apple pie, Bramleys are the correct apple.
The flour tossed through the apple slices is the secret to a non-soggy base. Two tablespoons of plain flour stirred through the apple filling coats the apple slices and thickens the juice they release during baking — turning it from a thin, watery liquid that soaks into the pastry into a glossy, slightly thick sauce that stays within the filling. This is the technique I use for every apple pie and it gives consistently clean, non-soggy results.
Pile the apple filling generously — it reduces significantly. A conservatively filled apple pie — where the filling sits level with the rim of the dish — gives a pie where there is a large gap between the pastry lid and the collapsed filling when it is cut. Pile the apple generously above the rim. It will reduce during baking to give a properly full, properly deep pie.
Cut generous vents in the lid. The steam from the apple filling must have somewhere to escape. Inadequate venting creates pressure inside the pie — the pastry lid balloons and the filling floods the base. Four or five generous cuts give proper venting and the most attractive, most properly steamed filling.
Rest before slicing — ten minutes minimum. A freshly baked apple pie, cut immediately, collapses. Ten minutes of resting allows the filling to settle and thicken very slightly and gives slices that hold their shape on the plate.
Serving Suggestions
Warm with proper pouring custard — the most natural and most satisfying combination. With clotted cream. With vanilla ice cream — the cold cream against the warm apple filling is completely wonderful. Never at room temperature when it is meant to be served warm — apple pie is at its best served still slightly warm.
How to Store Mary Berry Apple Pie
At room temperature: Cover and store for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 180°C oven for fifteen minutes until the pastry is crisp again and the filling is warm throughout.
In the freezer: Freeze assembled before baking for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 200°C for 55 to 65 minutes — cover the pastry with foil for the first 30 minutes.
Mary Berry Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Pulse flour, salt, sugar, and cold butter to fine crumbs. Add egg yolk and cold water — pulse until just combined. Divide into two-thirds and one-third — wrap and chill 30 minutes.
- Toss apple slices with sugar, spices, lemon zest, and flour. Taste — adjust sugar.
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Roll larger pastry disc to 3–4mm — line pie dish with 2cm overhang. Pile filling generously above the rim.
- Roll smaller disc for the lid. Brush pastry edge with milk. Lay lid over — press edges firmly. Trim and crimp. Cut 4–5 generous vents.
- Brush lid with milk. Scatter caster sugar. Place on baking tray. Bake 40–45 minutes until deep golden and filling bubbling through vents.
- Rest 10 minutes. Serve warm with custard.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ready-made shortcrust pastry?
Yes — a 500g block of good quality ready-made shortcrust pastry gives a very good result with considerably less work. Roll and use exactly as directed.
Can I add blackberries or raspberries to the filling?
Yes — 200g of fresh or frozen blackberries added with the apple gives a vivid, slightly sharp apple and blackberry filling. Add an extra tablespoon of sugar and an extra tablespoon of flour to account for the additional juice.
Can I make individual apple pies?
Yes — divide the pastry and filling between eight individual 12cm pie tins. Reduce the baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.
Why is my pastry base soggy?
Either the vents were insufficient, the filling was too wet, or the flour was not mixed through the apple. Ensure generous venting, always mix flour through the filling, and place the pie on a preheated baking tray to help cook the base from below.
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