About the Recipe
When Paul Hollywood asked us all to bake an Autumn pie on The Great British Bake Off, I didn’t have to think twice — my mind went straight to home: Slovakia, where poppyseeds are a baking staple. I dreamed up this poppyseed and apple pie giving it a little twist on tradition. To me, this pie is like Autumn itself - rich and comforting, It’s perfect for using up those apples sitting in your fruit bowl, and if you don’t have poppyseeds, just go all-in on apples, raisins or nuts, and you’ve got another delicious variation. No waste, just pure cosy goodness.
Ingredients
500g Plain Flour (or Spelt flour)
150g icing sugar
250g unsalted butter
2 free range eggs (if vegan use chickpea liquid)
12g vanilla sugar
15g baking soda
250g ground poppy seeds
700g cooking apples (before peeling)
200g caster sugar
50g dark brown sugar
1 orange
1 lemon
Egg wash
1 egg white
Preparation
Step 1
In a big mixing bowl sift all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda) add vanilla sugar and mix well together. TIP: The butter must be cold to cut into cubes. Rub the butter into the flour, mix until crumbly and all the butter is well mixed. Add two eggs which will help form a firm dough. Cover the dough with cling film and leave it to rest in a cool place (not in the fridge).
Step 2
Peel all apples and grate. Add juice from one lemon to stop the apples getting brown. Add brown sugar and mix well. Leave to rest. Place caster sugar in bowl and add the zest of one whole orange. And the poppyseeds and mix well. Once the apples start to sweat, squeeze well and add to the poppyseed mixture. Mix well.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 180°C and prepare your pie dish with non-stick paper. If you use a ceramic dish just add butter to prevent the dough from sticking. Halve the dough and roll one half in the shape of your dish. Place it in the dish making sure there are no air bubbles inside. With two fingers, work from the middle out to the edges so that the dough spreads evenly.
Step 4
Once smooth, cut leftover edges and pierce with a fork all over. Place baking paper on top and use baking beans to weigh it down. Pre-bake for 10 minutes. After this time, take the baking beans out and fill the pastry with the poppyseed mixture. Make sure not to overfill. Roll the leftover dough on top evenly and cut off the edges. Pinch all of the edges together. With the leftover pastry you can decorate the pie or just leave plain. Poke all over with a fork and brush with egg white. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!