Hungarian Apple Pie recipe
Apple pie is a simple but divine dessert, an unrivaled delicacy. You can always find something new by searching for old apple pie recipes if you dig a little deeper. Some people stick to a family recipe, but add some extra ingredients to the dough, while others change the filling. One thing is certain: no matter which version goes into the oven, the end result always brings a smile to the face.
The fascinating story of apple pie recipe
There are many different types of apple pies around the world, but this time we’ll focus on the round, lumpy, densely juicy American version. That is, specifically, the not-quite-American pie. Because the complicated history of this dessert began in Europe, not on another continent. What Americans – and everyone else – believe about apple pie may not be entirely accurate.
Is the apple pie recipe at all American?
The phrase “as American as apple pie” first appeared in the twentieth century. The term has been applied to almost everything in the United States, from politicians to books and movies to food. This is an intriguing analogy, given that apple pie is not a traditional American dessert.
The raw materials provide the solution
Apple pie and its ingredients, like many other things, arrived in the New World with the first settlers. They also planted the first apple trees there and sourced all of the ingredients from all over the world. The first apple pies were most likely made in England in the 14th century. Savory pies had been around for a long time, but it was around this time that fruits began to be added to the filling, and the completely sweet pie was born. The English apple pie was also influenced by French confectionery as well as Ottoman sweets and flavors.
The Hungarian version of apple pie recipe
István Czifray, József Palatine‘s master chef, compiled a cookbook for Hungarian housewives – the first modern Hungarian cookbook, and which enjoyed unprecedented popularity from its first publication in 1819 throughout the 19th century – which already contains a recipe for a certain “Pesti apple cake.” In today’s context, the deceptive name does not conceal yeast dough, but rather an apple pie made with strudel dough and richly stuffed with almonds, raisins, and lemon peel.
Another historical apple pie recipe
Teréz Doleskó wrote the Szeged classic, which was published several decades after Czifray’s cookbook (first published in 1876). The apple pie here is made of 24 layers of pastry with an apple lining, with a shortcrust pastry base, and is most similar to the cake known today as Hungarian apple pie, a rich apple filling with raisins, cinnamon, lemon zest, and sugar between two sheets of puff pastry.
Tips for making the perfect apple pie
– All of the ingredients (flour, fat, sugar, and possibly eggs) should be cold, and you should cool your hands with cold water and work on a cold surface if possible
– If necessary, lightly flour the work surface before and during rolling out. Caution: too much flour can make the dough tough!
– Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes at room temperature before rolling out. This will keep it from collapsing in a hot oven.
– Bake the pie according to the recipe. In the baking time, don’t open the door! Check the dough visually and with a needle test in the last third of the baking time.
Ingredients of apple pie recipe:
- 2 kg apples
- 150 g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 7 g baking powder
- 7 g vanilla sugar
- 150 g sugar
- 250 g butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs
- an egg for brushing
Steps:
- Peel, core and grate apples.
- Add powdered sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Mix well. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Squeeze the apple flesh and set aside.
- Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and vanilla sugar. Add the cold butter and crumble with the flour mixture. Add eggs and knead into a homogeneous dough. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Cut the dough into halves. Roll them out to baking sheet size (about 30x25cm). Place one half on an oiled and floured baking sheet. Sprinkle the dough with breadcrumbs. Place the apple filling on top and spread evenly. Place another half of the dough on top and level.
- Brush the top with beaten egg and poke holes in the top dough with a fork. If you like, you can add a pattern to the dough, for example by scratching stripes on the surface.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 25-30 minutes. Let it cool and enjoy!
Watch our video about apple pie recipe: