Guest post by Josie Elston / @onwillowsbend
In our Waldorf-inspired homeschool, celebrating the beauty and magic of each new season is an essential part of how we learn and grow together as a family. Fostering a connection to the natural world through seasonal food is just one of the ways we celebrate each season. We welcome Spring by adorning our cakes with fresh flowers picked from the awakening garden, in the long, hot days of late summer we pick blackberries for pies, jellies and jams. Come autumn we are baking again, ginger cakes and apple pies and those warm, fresh from the oven treats help to carry us through the long dark days of winter. Baking with my children brings me great joy. Little hands pressing, kneading, stirring and chopping, learning alongside each other as we create a new recipe or teaching them the skills I learned from my mum and granny as a little girl growing up in Cornwall. Both my mother and her mother before her (and perhaps even further back than that) were great pastry makers. I have clear memories of watching my granny’s soft flour-covered hands as she made rock cakes for elevenses or mince meat pies in the days leading up to Christmas. I hope to pass this love of baking and pastry making on to my five little girls. Simple, traditional food made with our hands and from our hearts.

One of my favorite seasonal treats to make is a decorative fruit pie. Making a pie from scratch takes time and patience, it is a true labour of love. You can fill a pie with whatever delicious fruit is in season, and decorate it with a beautiful, whimsical design to capture the magic of the season. Below I will share with you how to create a decorative apple pie from scratch, perfect for cosy autumn teatimes or celebrations with family and friends. Making a pie this way doesn’t require any special skills or tools, just time and patience and an appreciation for the imperfect beauty of something made completely by hand. I encourage you to involve your children in the baking process. Baking is a perfect purposeful sensory activity for children of all ages and even the smallest little hands will delight in rubbing the soft butter into the flour, or pressing the rolled pastry carefully into the pie dish. Set aside an afternoon to make some magic with your family in the kitchen.

Tools:

– large pie dish (approximately 10-12” diameter)
– butter knife or other blunt edged knife
– small sharp pair of scissors (I use embroidery scissors that I keep especially for baking)
– bamboo skewer
– rolling pin
– small clean brush and/or a pastry brush

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Step 1: How to make the apple pie filling

Peel and core each apple and cut into wedges. Pour the water into a medium saucepan, place the apples in the pan and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Place the lid on the pan and set over a med-low heat. Cook the apples for approximately 20 minutes until they are soft, and just beginning to break down. Allow the apples to cool for at least 30 minutes before filling the pie.

Step 2: How to make the pie pastry

Measure the flour into a large bowl, cut the butter into cubes and add the butter to the flour. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Rubbing in is an excellent task for children to help with. When I am teaching children the method of rubbing in, I encourage them to squeeze the butter between their fingertips, but try to keep the palms of their hands clean. Then show them how they can use the flour to rub the butter from their fingers to make buttery crumbs. They will soon get the hang of it. Next, stir the salt and sugar through the butter mixture. Add the milk and stir briefly using a metal butter knife. You can now use your hands to bring the mixture together, pressing gently to form a rough dough. Next, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it briefly until smooth. Divide the dough roughly into two parts, you will need more dough for the base of the pie than for the lid. Use about 2/3 of the dough for the base, place the remaining 1/3 of the dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and set aside until ready to use.

Step 3: How to line your pie dish

Now it is time to line your pie dish. Working on a clean, floured surface with plenty of space, take your larger piece of dough and work it gently with your hands into a smooth ball. In the centre of your workspace press the ball flat and begin to roll out a large circular shape. The pastry circle should be about 2-3 inches wider on all sides than your pie dish- you can check by holding your pie dish above it- will the pastry line the base and sides of the dish? Next, butter your pie dish and place it on the counter next to your pastry. Lightly coat your rolling pin with flour and lay it on the bottom of your pastry circle. Now gently roll the pastry around the rolling pin and lift it off your work surface. Working carefully lay the edge of your pastry hanging over the bottom edge of your pie dish, unroll the pastry from your rolling pin until the pastry is lying loosely over the top of your pie dish. With lightly floured hands gently press the pastry into the pie dish, working from the centre outwards, making sure to press the pastry into the edges of the dish and smooth it up and over the sides. If you have any cracks or imperfections in the base of your pie, use slightly damp hands to press and seal the cracks so that the filling doesn’t leak. You can also use pastry scraps to seal any larger cracks or tears in your pastry. After the pie dish is lined, you can prick the base lightly with a fork and trim the edges with a sharp knife by cutting against the edge of your pie dish. Make sure to save all of your pastry scraps for decorating your pie- briefly knead them into a rough ball, cover with a damp cloth and set aside for later.

To blind bake the pie base pre-heat your oven to 170C/325F. Line the base of your pie with baking paper and weight it down with baking beads or dried beans. Bake the base for 20 minutes, then remove the base from the oven, carefully remove the baking paper and weights and allow the base to cool completely before filling. When the base is cool fill the pie with the cooled apple mixture and set aside.

Step 4: Assembling the pie

Next, take the remaining pastry, shape it into a ball and roll it out on a floured surface until you have a large circular shape slightly larger than your pie dish. As before, roll the pastry onto the rolling pin, then lift and unroll the pastry carefully across the top of your filled pie. Don’t worry if there are any small cracks or imperfections in your pastry, that’s part of the charm of a homemade pie! Gently press around the edges of the pie top using your thumb or fingers to seal the top. Trim away any excess pastry with a sharp knife, cutting against the edge of your pie dish and use slightly damp fingers to smooth and neaten the edges of your pie lid. Using the pastry scraps from the pie top and base you can now decorate the top of the pie to create a magical autumn teatime treat to share.

Step 5: Preparing to decorate your pie

Prepare your work area for decorating. I start by clearing my work surface so I can roll out the pastry scraps, cut and assemble the shapes, and keep my pie to one side so I can arrange and rearrange the shapes on the pie top as I cut them. Make sure you have all the tools you will use to hand- your brushes, skewer, butter knife, rolling pin and scissors. Make your egg wash by breaking your egg into a small bowl and beating well with a fork.

A note on decorating

When deciding how to decorate my seasonal pies I look for inspiration in nature. During autumn I often include mushrooms and fungi, pumpkins and apples, snails and moths, pinecones, acorns and autumn leaves. I have created a printable pattern page (you can find the link to download under the tools list above) and instructions for you to recreate this autumnal Snail on a Mushroom pie, however you may prefer to create your own design. When I come up with an idea for a pie I prefer to just cut the pastry pieces freehand, and let my ideas flow. However, if you are creating your own design you may find it useful to make a quick sketch of your ideas first. I rarely use cookie cutters when making my pies, as I prefer the handmade, whimsical feel that hand cut shapes create. Cookie cutters can be a useful tool when cutting lots of the same shape for a pie border or repeating pattern, so do feel free to use them if you prefer. Below are some hints and tips for creating with pastry and instructions for using the paper patterns. If you do intend to use the paper pattern pieces, ensure you have printed and cut them out before you begin decorating your pie.

Step 6: Creating a border (optional)

You may choose to leave your pie border as it is, or simply create a pattern by crimping the edges of the crust with your fingers or pressing it with the prongs of a fork. My favorite way to make a border for an autumnal pie is with hand cut leaves. To make the leaves simply take a small ball of your leftover pastry dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Take your scissors and cut leaf shapes of varying sizes. As you cut each leaf take your butter knife, and using the back blunt edge gently press veins into each leaf. As you work arrange the leaves around the border of your pie, continuing until you are happy with the effect. Secure the leaves by painting a small amount of the egg wash onto the base of each leaf and gently pressing onto the pie top.

Step 7: Create your pastry shapes

Now it is time to create your pastry shapes for decorating your pie, using the pattern pieces provided or cutting freehand. To make the snail and mushroom pie using the paper pattern pieces, take a small piece of leftover dough and roll it out until it is large enough to lay one or more of the pattern pieces flat on top (I find it easier to create one shape at a time, kneading and re-rolling the pastry scraps after each one.) Now take your skewer and using the pointed end create a dotted line around the outside of each pattern piece. When you have done this use your scissors to cut out the shape, just inside the dotted line. When your pastry shape is cut use your fingers to smooth the edges. Next, take your butter knife and create any lines or patterns on your pastry shapes. For the mushroom caps I used the back, blunt edge of the knife to create the gills, and pressed the line around the edge of the cap using the small, rounded end of the knife. I also used the small rounded end to create the spiral on the snail shell. I have not provided a pattern piece for the stars, as they are simple and fun to cut freehand from the rolled out pastry scraps. Simply take a small scrap of rolled out pastry and make 10 small cuts using the tip of your scissors, starting with the top point of the star and working your way around. Alternatively, you could use a small star cookie cutter or forgo adding the stars.

Step 8: Arrange your design and bake

Now all of your pastry shapes are prepared, it is time to arrange them on the pie top. Take your time and move them around until you are happy with them. I began with the mushroom caps and stems, followed by the moon and secured them with egg wash when I was satisfied with the positioning. Next I added the snail, and finally I added the stars, securing them with egg wash one at a time. When all of your pastry pieces are in place, carefully brush the pie top and pastry pieces with egg wash prior to baking. To bake:Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.