Mary Berry’s traditional apple pie recipe is speedy to make and easy to master

The turn of the season is bound to inspire any baker to get busy in the kitchen, particularly with an abundance of seasonal fruit on offer.

There is arguably no better way to celebrate autumn than with apple pie, but the sheer number of recipes available on the internet can cause overwhelm. It transpires that bakers often return to Mary Berry’s, however, as it leaves little room for error.

The iconic British baker has built an astounding reputation thanks to her expertise in creating classic autumnal dishes and sweet treats.

Berry's traditional apple pie is a top contender among her repertoire of desserts because it features a butter crust, and cinnamon spices, and pairs beautifully with custard and ice cream.

The autumnal pie marries crisp fresh apples with the warmth of seasonal spices to create a dessert that is both comforting and indulgent. The recipe goes as follows:

READ MORE: Mary Berry had ‘one of most frightening moments of her life’ due to Strictly

Ingredients:

• 673g cooking apples, peeled, cored, and thickly sliced
• 50-75g caster sugar, depending on how sweet or tart the apples are
• Four whole cloves

For the pastry: 

• 175g plain flour
• 50g diced butter
• 59g diced white baking vegetable fat
• Milk to glaze
• Sugar for sprinkling

Method:

Arrange half the apple slices in the bottom of a shallow 900ml pie dish and sprinkle with the sugar. Arrange the cloves among the apples. Cover with the remaining apple slices and add three tablespoons of cold water.

For the pastry:

To make the pastry, measure the flour into a bowl. Add the diced butter and white vegetable fat and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add two tablespoons of cold water and mix into a firm dough.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a side that will cover the top of the pie dish. Lift the dough onto the dish and trim the edges. If you like, but the trimmings into decorative shapes such as leaves, and lightly press onto the dough. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Brush the pie with some milk then sprinkle the top with sugar. Make a small slit at the center of the pie to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the apples are tender and the pastry is crisp and pale golden. Cover the pie loosely with tin foil towards the end of the cooking time if the pastry starts to brown before the apples are cooked.