Healthy Flaky Apple Pie

Apple Pie

For the health conscious, here's an apple pie that's truly healthy and almost guilt-free. Except for the butter, which is still lesser than what a normal pie contains, the rest of the ingredients are healthy. Maida or refined flour replaced with wholewheat flour, sugar replaced with jaggery. What more can one ask for? So go right ahead and enjoy, keeping the portion size in mind of course. That's my first rule even for a healthy snack. What's more! Diabetics too can enjoy this in moderation. Besides the healthy ingredients, it also has cinnamon (I have used double the normal amount) and ginger powder as well, to keep your sugars in check. So go on, enjoy it in moderation.  And yes, it's as delicious and flaky as its unhealthy version. But have it fresh and warm, preferably straight out of the oven.

Ingredients

Crust

Pie pan - 7"

Whole Wheat Flour – 3.5 cups

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Jaggery - 2 tbsp

Butter (chilled) – ½ to ¾ cup

Water  (ice cold) - 6-8 tbsp

Filling

Apples (peeled, cored and sliced) – 4

Lemon juice – 2 tbsp

Jaggery - 5 tbsp

Wholewheat flour – 2 tbsp

Cinnamon powder (Dalchini) – 1 tbsp

Ginger powder (optional) – ½ tsp

Salt - ½ tsp


Top Crust

Milk – 2 tbsp

Honey – 1 tbsp

Jaggery (for sprinkling) – 1 tbsp

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 C

Grease a pie pan and line the bottom with parchment paper

Filling

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the apple slices, lemon juice and mix till the apples are well coated

Crust

Combine the flour, salt, and jaggery in a bowl. Add the butter cubes and rub into the flour with your fingers till the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Sprinkle ice water on it to make crumbly dough. Mix so that it just forms a ball that holds together.

Refrigerate it for a couple of hours.

Topping For the Crust

Combine the milk and honey in a bowl and keep aside. It will be used to brush over the pie crust to give it a nice golden brown colour when baked.

Making the pie

Place the chilled pie crust between two sheets of wax paper or plastic sheets. Using the heel of your palms, press down the dough to make it flat and pulling it outward to stretch the dough. Roll out the dough to a large round of quarter inch thickness. Check that it is bigger than the pie pan

Once rolled, gently remove it and transfer to your prepared pie pan. Gently press it in so that the dough fills out the inner edges and corners. Some part will still hang over the sides of the pan. Pour the apple mix into it and spread it around evenly.

Roll out the second pie dough in a similar way. Place it over the second rolled dough over the filling. Trim the excess dough and fold the overhanging bits over the edges sealing them together.

Brush the top with the milk and honey mixture. Make small slits all over on the top to let the steam escape. Place the pie crust in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown for about 40 to 45 minutes.

Sprinkle jaggery powder over it. Cut into wedges and serve warm with tea, coffee or milk.

For dessert serve it with a scoop of vanilla icecream.