Spelt Apple Pie with Crumble Streusel Topping

The apple pies my mother made for us when I was little always had a crumble/streusel topping. This was always my favourite bit and I'd generally save this till last. I particularly remember the one time I  surprised by this in a packed lunch. Surprise mostly because lunch was generally a fish paste sandwich. Fussy child that I was, I was very particular about what I would and wouldn't eat and perhaps this was my mother's way of sneaking in a few extra calories into her very skinny child. 

I was not a big eater and the family joke is that I was given a failing grade for eating in my nursery report. Who could blame me? Lunch at nursery were generally iterations of the same bland stew. But I digress. Today's recipe is for my own apple pie, adapted to use spelt flour which and makes use of a bit more cinnamon than my mother would have used. They're great for using up a glut of apples from the garden as I have done here.

Spelt Apple Pie with Crumble Streusel Topping

Ingredients

Sweet Pastry

100g unsalted butter

50g caster sugar

1 free range eggs (large)

200g white spelt flour

1tbsp milk

Filling

10 semi-sweet apples, cored, peeled and sliced

75g demerara sugar

30g spelt white flour

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

juice of 1 lemon

Topping

110g unsalted butter, softened 

250g spelt white flour

150g demerara sugar

Method

1. For the pastry: Combine butter and sugar in a food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs. Incorporate egg. Add flour and mix until combined. Add milk and pulse until the pastry comes together. Chill in fridge for 30 mins. Roll out to 0.5cm thick and place in a 30cm tart dish. Blind bake at 160C for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Trim excess.

2. For the Filling: Combine all ingredients and place into the prepared tart shell.

3. For the Topping: Combine all ingredients with your fingers until they resemble a crumble topping. Scatter onto the prepared tart and bake in a 160C oven for 45-50 minutes or until the apples are cooked. If the top is browning too quickly cover with tin foil halfway through baking.

Enjoy!

C.