Pastry chef Victoria Bredis has detailed five tested apple pie recipes and expert baking techniques for Russian news publication Lenta.ru in a culinary guide published alongside editor Yulia Anasyan.
The guide covers baked goods ranging from traditional Russian charlotte to French tart, while explaining how to select apple varieties that retain their structure during heating and prevent soggy pie crusts.
Lenta.ru is a major digital news outlet based in Moscow, Russia, that frequently publishes lifestyle and cooking advice alongside general news coverage. Apple pies remain a standard feature of home baking across Russia, especially during the late summer and autumn harvest seasons.
Choosing the right apples for baking
Selecting the correct apples is essential for a successful pie, according to Bredis, because certain varieties turn into mush, remain too hard, or introduce excessive acidity when baked. Bredis recommended using sour, sweet-and-sour, and firm apples that retain their shape and deliver a vibrant taste.
Bredis specifically highlighted Antonovka, Granny Smith, and Simirenko as ideal varieties for pie fillings. She noted that late-season apples work best for baking because summer varieties are generally too soft to withstand heat treatment without collapsing.
To manage excess moisture from juicy apples, Bredis advised lightly dusting wet fruit slices with starch before baking. Alternatively, bakers can sprinkle sliced apples with sugar, leave them for 10 minutes, and drain the released juice to eliminate excess liquid from the pie.
Classic apple charlotte recipe
Fluffy classic charlotte is a popular apple dessert in Russia that Bredis said is suitable even for beginner bakers. Bredis named Antonovka and Granny Smith as the best choices for this pie, adding that one tablespoon of starch should be added to the filling if the fruit is particularly juicy.
The recipe requires four to five apples, four eggs, 150 grams of sugar, 150 grams of flour, one teaspoon of vanilla sugar, butter for greasing the baking dish, and optional additions of one teaspoon of baking powder and ground cinnamon.
Preparation begins by preheating the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and buttering the baking pan. The apples must be cored and sliced into thin wedges, with thin skins left intact to add visual texture to the finished dish.
Eggs are beaten with regular and vanilla sugar until a light, fluffy mass forms, which Bredis emphasized determines how high the sponge cake will rise. Flour sifted with baking powder is gently folded into the egg mixture. Sliced apples are placed on the bottom of the pan, covered with batter, sprinkled with cinnamon if desired, and baked for 35 to 40 minutes until a crisp crust forms. Bredis warned against opening the oven door during the first 25 minutes to prevent the cake from sinking.
Shortcrust apple pie recipe
For a crumbly base and juicy center, Bredis outlined a quick shortcrust pie recipe where the key technical secret relies on using cold butter.
The dough calls for 250 grams of flour, 120 grams of cold butter, 80 grams of sugar, one egg, one teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. The filling combines four apples, 40 to 60 grams or two to three tablespoons of sugar, one teaspoon of cinnamon, and one tablespoon of lemon juice.
To make the base, cold butter is grated on a coarse grater and mixed with flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder until crumbs form. The egg is added to quickly form a soft dough, which Bredis noted will harden if over-kneaded. The dough is chilled in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes.
Sliced apples are sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning and mixed with sugar and cinnamon. Bakers roll out the larger portion of chilled dough to line the baking pan with raised edges, add the filling, and use the remaining dough to construct a top lattice or crumb topping before baking at 180 degrees Celsius for 35 to 45 minutes.
Moist apple pie on kefir
Bredis described a kefir-based pie as one of the best recipes for home cooks who prefer a soft, moist texture, noting that kefir produces an exceptionally tender batter.
Ingredients include 250 milliliters of kefir, two eggs, 120 grams of sugar, 250 grams of flour, one teaspoon of baking soda, 50 grams of melted butter, three to four apples, and vanillin to taste.
Slightly warmed kefir is mixed with baking soda, while eggs and sugar are beaten in a separate bowl before joining the kefir, melted butter, and vanillin. Flour is stirred in until the batter reaches the consistency of thick sour cream. Half of the batter is poured into a buttered baking dish, topped with chopped apples, covered with the remaining batter, and baked at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes. Bredis noted that allowing the pie to rest for 10 to 15 minutes after baking enhances its moist quality.
French apple tart and cottage cheese options
The French apple tart features a crisp crust with minimal sugar in the dough and caramelized apples arranged neatly on top, Bredis explained.
The pastry combines 200 grams of flour, 100 grams of cold butter, 50 grams of powdered sugar, one egg, and a pinch of salt. The filling requires four to five apples, two tablespoons of apricot jam, 40 to 50 grams of sugar, and optional cinnamon.
After rubbing cold butter into the dry ingredients and bringing the dough together with an egg, it is chilled for 30 minutes, rolled out, and fitted into a pan. Thinly sliced apples, tossed with lemon juice to prevent discoloration, are arranged in a decorative fan pattern before being sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. The tart bakes at 190 degrees Celsius for 30 to 35 minutes, after which warm apricot jam is brushed over the top to create a glossy finish.
Bredis also shared a filling pie recipe incorporating soft cottage cheese with five to nine percent fat content for a denser, tender texture.
This version uses 300 grams of soft cottage cheese, three eggs, 120 grams of sugar, 120 grams of flour, 80 grams of melted butter, one teaspoon of baking powder, three to four apples, one teaspoon of vanilla sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Cottage cheese is blended with eggs until smooth before adding melted butter, vanilla sugar, salt, and flour sifted with baking powder. The mixture is placed in a greased pan, topped with sliced apples, dusted with optional sugar or cinnamon, and baked at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 to 45 minutes.
Pastry chef secrets for perfect baking
Bredis provided several professional recommendations to elevate home apple baking, emphasizing that apples should be cut into thin slices of about five millimeters to ensure even baking, neat presentation, and better integration into batter.
For shortcrust recipes, Bredis reiterated that butter must remain cold to avoid creating tough dough. She suggested optionally sautéing apple slices in butter for three to five minutes prior to baking to develop a caramelized flavor profile.
Allowing baked pies to rest in their pan for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack helps stabilize the structure and stops the base from soaking up moisture. Bredis also recommended experimenting with spices such as cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, lemon zest, and cardamom, or adding rum or cognac for adult treats.
Greasing pans with butter or using parchment paper is mandatory for clean removal. Bredis suggested marinating sliced apples in a sealed bag with brown sugar and spices for several hours so the fruit releases syrup, or dusting the bottom of the baking dish with breadcrumbs or ground nuts to absorb bottom moisture.
Beyond pies, Bredis noted that apples can be used for English crumble with crisp topping, quick kefir or yogurt apple pancakes, cored baked apples stuffed with nuts, honey, and dried fruit, or a sponge roll filled with curd cream and caramelized fruit.
