Rustic Apple Pie Squares Istrian Recipe
This quintessentially autumnal and rustic apple sweet treat is made with mouth-watering crumbly butter dough and apple pure filling, it is baked in rectangular baking trays, and when completely cooled it is cut into squares.
It is easy to prepare, inexpensive and becomes a delicious dessert when served warm with some cream or vanilla ice cream, goes very well with tea or coffee and makes an excellent snack. Apple bars, when placed in biscuit tin, can also make a lovely present or a pick-me-up gift for someone special.
When apples are in season, apple pie squares are baked on a regular basis, and it is one of the most commonly baked sweet treats in Autumn, not only along the Slovenian coast, where I come from, but in every corner of the country, and also very popular in neighbouring Croatia.
This good old-fashioned bake from childhood is given to the children as an afternoon snack after school, and in Slovenian it is referred to as Jabolčna pita. It is commonly baked in households, and is sometimes even offered in more informal family run restaurants, and comes with a few variations.
For extra texture and taste you can add to the apple filling mixture some pine nuts, roughly chopped walnuts or some raisins and a bit of ground cinnamon and /or ground cloves, and adding an extra layer of curd cheese or ricotta is quite common too.
My maternal grandmother would bake this pie almost on a weekly basis as my grandfather had an orchard with apple tress, like a lot of households have in the countryside, with abundant varieties of apples, which were often shared in the village or community.
I am sharing here my mother's recipe for this slightly different, off the beaten track recipe, for Apple Pie Squares. No matter if you picked your own apples, or are given some, or you buy them in the food store, bake this delicious pie and you will come back to it, time and time again. You will see, smell, and taste why there is a reason this pie has been baked and loved for generations!
Ingredients
Dough
400g plain flour
150g butter
1 Tsp baking powder
100g caster sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1-2 Tbsp milk
lemon zest of 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated
pinch of sea salt
Filling
1.5kg apples
2 Tbsp caster sugar (quantity of the sugar depends on the sweetness of the apples)
lemon juice of 1 small lemon
1 Tsp of ground cinnamon or cloves (optional)
icing sugar, for dusting
Method
Very lightly grease a 30 x 23 cm (12 x 9 in) traybake or roasting tin.
To make the pastry, measure the flour into a large bowl and add diced butter.
Using your fingertips, rub the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the centre of the flour, then add baking powder, sea salt, caster sugar, beaten egg, finely grated lemon zest and the milk. First gently mix with the fork to combine all the ingredients, and for the mixture to come together.
Gently gather the dough with your hands and transfer it onto a lightly floured surface.
Gently press the dough, without kneading it, until it comes together to form a firm ball.
If too wet add a bit of flour, if too dry wet your hand with cold water and gently knead.
Press the dough into a roughly rectangular shape (this will help later to roll out the pastry).Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C static or equivalent and prepare the apple filling.
To make the apple filling peel and coarsely grate the apples, place them in a bowl and add lemon juice.
Add caster sugar and spices, if using, and mix well.
Transfer the apple mixture into a large frying pan and cook the apples on a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until they become completely soft, mushy and have a consistency of apple puree.
Turn the heat off and set aside. Taste and adjust sweetness of the filling to your liking by adding more sugar.
Take the dough out of the fridge and divide it in half.
On a slightly floured surface, with the rolling pin, roll out each half into roughly the size and shape of four baking tray.
Press one rectangle into the bottom of a baking dish.
If the dough comes up the sides a bit, do not worry, just tuck it in a bit and press down.
Spoon the apple filling.
Cover with the other half of the dough, tuck it in a bit, and prick the pie crust with a fork.
Put it in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until the top layer is pale golden in colour.
Cool completely, dust with icing sugar and cut into squares.
You can enjoy it warm with cream or vanilla ice cream but you will not be able to cut them into bars, as the apple pie, when still warm, is quite soft and crumbly.
