Did someone say it’s as easy as apple pie?

I have done a fair bit of experimenting in the kitchen, trying my hand at many dishes — from pasta to payasam. But I have never kneaded dough. Nothing intimidates me more than putting water to flour which (magically, to my eyes) produces this smooth mass that can be rolled flat to make chapattis, puris et al.

This fear has kept me from making one of my favourite desserts, Apple Pie. But it was time I took the leap, but first I had to figure out how to add water to the flour without turning it into a sticky mess? None of the recipes seemed to answer that question.

So I turned to my friend to check with her mom who makes these awesome chocolate brownies and cheese cakes. To my relief, the recipe I got not only listed the ingredients and steps of preparation, but also tips on kneading.

Ingredients
For the pie crust:
    Maida - 225 g
    Yellow butter - 115 g
    Powdered sugar - 2 tbsp
    Baking powder - 1 pinch
    Ice-cold water - 2-3 tbsp

For the filling:
    Apples - 4 large (peeled and thinly sliced)
    Walnuts - 3 tbsp (chopped)
    Lemon juice - 1 tsp
    Brown sugar - 1/3 cup
    Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

I took 2.5 cups of the maida in a mixing bowl. I had been told that the butter should be cold when added to the maida. So I took it out of the refrigerator at the last moment, cut it into small cubes and mixed it in with my hands till the maida started looking like breadcrumbs.

Next I added the powdered sugar, a pinch of baking powder and 3 tbsp ice-cold water and continued kneading with both my hands. Nothing happened for the first two minutes. But then it all started coming together and soon I had a lump of dough sitting in my mixing bowl.
The butter and water being cold helped bind the flour, and made it easier for a novice like me. I wrapped up the dough in a cloth and put it in the refrigerator.

Now I turned my attention to the filling. I peeled the apples, cut them into quarters, took the seeds out and finely sliced them.

Then I had to chop the walnuts. To make short work of it, I gave them a run in the food processor. In seconds, however, they were reduced to a powder. I added 3 tbsp of it to the apples anyway. The recipe called for 1/3rd cup brown sugar. But I added only half of that because the apples were sweet. Next I added the lemon juice and cinnamon powder.

Now it was time to bring the dough out. I was about to find out whether it would roll out into a flat base or crumble. I was using the rolling pin for the first time in my life, and it was awkward, like my first bicycle ride. But the dough submitted, and soon I had a large, thick base on my board. I had been tipped off to place a foil on the rolling board to make sure the dough did not stick to it.

I placed the base inside a pie dish, and put in the filling. Then I rolled the remaining dough flat, and placed it on top. I poked holes on this surface and then smeared it with a thin layer of butter.

I had already pre-heated the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. I placed the pie dish in and set the timer for 30min.

Finally, the big test: Would the pie crumble? I cut it carefully into quarters. As I prised the first quarter out with a flat spoon, it gave way. I had apple crumble on my plate. I was disappointed. With resignation, I started taking out the other quarters. To my surprise, they came out clean in pie form!

It made me proud.