Executive head chef of the Holborn Dining Room in London, Calum Franklin is a self-described ‘pastry deviant’, specialising in intricately decorated pies and Wellingtons with unusual fillings. The restaurant sells over 200 of his creations a day.
See more of Calum Franklin’s recipes
Calum Franklin
Executive head chef of the Holborn Dining Room in London, Calum Franklin is a self-described ‘pastry deviant’, specialising in intricately decorated pies and Wellingtons with unusual fillings. The restaurant sells over 200 of his creations a day.
See more of Calum Franklin’s recipes
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Ingredients
For the pastry
125g cold unsalted butter, diced
250g plain flour, sifted, plus extra to dust
50g icing sugar, sifted
1 medium egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk
vegetable oil to grease
For the filling
2 Pink Lady apples, peeled, cored, cut in large chunks
1.2-1.4kg Bramley apples (about 6 medium), peeled, cored, cut in large chunks
50-75g caster sugar
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the topping
1 x 375g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
100g soft unsalted butter
125g caster sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp icing sugar
juice of ½ lemon
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Prepare to the end of step 5. Assemble and bake about 1 hour before serving.
For the pastry, rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until crumb-like, then add a pinch of salt, the egg and milk, and combine together into a ball of dough. Flatten slightly, wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Put the apples, 50g sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon into a large saucepan. Cook over a medium heat, covered, for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just breaking up. Mix well; the Bramleys should be broken down into a rough sauce consistency and the Pink Ladies still holding some texture. Taste, and add a bit more sugar if the filling seems very tart, but it shouldn’t be oversweet. Set aside to cool completely. Heat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
Take the pastry from the fridge and allow to soften at room temperature until pliable. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a large circle that will fit in a greased, deep, 23cm flan tin. Lightly dust the surface of the dough with a little flour, wrap around the rolling pin and then unroll onto the flan tin. Gently press the pastry into the sides, leaving a small overhang, and then put in the freezer or fridge to chill for 15 minutes or until firm.
Meanwhile, unroll the sheet of puff pastry. Mash together the butter, sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt, and spread evenly over the pastry. Roll up tightly from the long side, like a Swiss roll. Place on a lined tray and chill in the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
Line the chilled pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Cook for 15 minutes in the oven and then remove beans and paper and cook for a further 10 minutes until crisp and lightly golden. Remove from the oven, and trim off the excess pastry.
Fill with the cooled apple mixture and smooth over the top. Slice the cinnamon swirl roll into coins 6-7mm thick. Lay all over the top of the apples, overlapping very slightly. (You’ll have more swirls than you need, but these can be baked separately as a treat – see below). Put the pie back into the oven and bake for a further 40 minutes until the topping is risen and crisp. Leave to rest for 45 minutes.
Mix the icing sugar with just enough lemon juice (or water) to give a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the pie and serve warm with ice cream or custard.
Bake the unused cinnamon swirls on a lined tray at 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 4, for about 20 mins or until crisp and golden. Cool and store in an airtight tin. Delicious for elevenses.
Many pie fillings are made with a processed thickening agent that keeps the filling jelly-like and in place. But McDonald's uses a dehydrated apple powder. The powder not only thickens the filling, but it also adds that extra apple taste that you love.
And then there's the long forgotten fried apple pie at McDonald's, which made the switch to baked in 1992 due to health reasons and has tasted inferior ever since. Unless you're over 40 and/or live in Hawaii (more on that soon), you've probably never tasted a McDonald's fried apple pie.
The new version has fewer ingredients, a lattice crust, and sliced (not diced) apples. It's also healthier and is dusted with sugar on top rather than coated with brown sugar. Learn the secrets that make the McDonald's apple pie so tasty.
For more than 50 years, all the pies sold in US McDonald's have been made exclusively at Bama Companies in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Bama also makes biscuits and hotcakes for the fast-food chain.)
For more on all these apples, including what they look and taste like, see our baking apple guide below. There are a few apples that don't make the cut. While great for snacking, Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious are the most common apples that won't hold up in the oven and will give you a watery-mushy pie, tart or cake.
Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency. Tapioca starch is preferable for products that will be frozen because it will not break down when thawed.
First, it lifts the flavor of the apples and brightens, adding a punch to the cooked fruit. It also takes over for the commonly called for lemon juice, to balance the sweetness and fill out the flavor.
Baking: In baking recipes, lime or orange juice can be used as substitutes for lemon juice in equal amounts. However, keep in mind they may give sweet desserts a slightly different flavor.
McDonald's first introduced the Strawberry & Crème Pie in 2012 and it was available nationally until 2014. The fast food chain brought it back briefly in 2022 but only in the spring or winter and only at select locations, according to AllRecipes.com.
And then there's the long forgotten fried apple pie at McDonald's, which made the switch to baked in 1992 due to health reasons and has tasted inferior ever since.
The McDonald's apple slices are NOT the same apples you find in a grocery store. They are tree-ripened for higher fructose content and then sprayed in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) making them taste tangy.
Absolutely—McDonald's apple pie has real diced apples. The exact variety can vary from season to season, but we look for apples that are sweet and slightly tart. Read a full ingredient list for our Apple Pies.
In Australia, a persistent urban legend is that McDonald's apple pies were made of chokos (chayotes), not apples. This eventually led McDonald's to emphasise the fact that real apples are used in their pies. This legend was based on an earlier belief that tinned pears were often disguised chayotes.
The cinnamon level was perfect, the filling was packed with tart apples, and it was just the right consistency. All I could think of was how it would taste if I had it blended into McDonald's vanilla ice cream as some menu hackers suggest. Indeed, a side of vanilla ice cream was the only thing this pie was missing.
Packaged apples found at McDonalds or in your local produce section are usually treated with a solution of calcium ascorbate (a blend of calcium and vitamin C) or citric acid (found in citrus fruit) to maintain freshness and color. Both are very safe to use on fruit that will be consumed.
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Prep time: 1 hr
