Apricot Pie with Yeast-Free Dough and Caramel

1. If the pie is made with jam and a light caramel, the fruit can be ripe or slightly underripe. What matters is that it is not completely green and hard: the pit should come away easily. Overripe fruit is not the best choice for the filling, because the pie will turn runny. And, purely for looks, it is better to choose large apricots.

   

The dough

1. Combine the dough ingredients. Sift 2 cups of top-grade wheat flour (260 g) through a sieve. Add 1 tbsp white sugar (14 g), 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon and vanilla, to taste, depending on the type of vanilla or vanillin you have. Add baking powder (the amount is on the package) or 0.5 tsp baking soda (3 g) mixed with lemon juice. Make a well in the flour and pour in the contents of the egg and 150 ml of soured milk.

   

2. Knead the dough, which should turn out extremely soft and stretchy. Knead it thoroughly and carefully, adding flour a pinch at a time. The dough should be as uniform as possible and stick to your hands only a tiny bit. Then flatten the dough, drizzle it with 1 tbsp olive oil and knead again by hand until the oil is completely absorbed. Olive oil makes the dough very elastic and pliable. Put the dough in a bowl, cover it with a clean towel and leave it at room temperature while you make the filling. The dough will rise a little.

   

Preparing the filling

1. Wash the fruit and use a knife to split it into two halves. Remove the pits and any bruised spots.

2. Make the caramel. In a skillet, melt 2 tsp butter, then add 1 tbsp cane sugar (14 g), 3 tbsp white sugar (41 g), the zest of half a lemon and 1-2 tbsp orange liqueur. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves completely.

   

3. When the caramel mixture is smooth and starts to bubble gently, add the apricot halves. Simmer the fruit in the caramel over low heat, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes. Then carefully turn it over and simmer for the same time again.

   

4. Carefully lift all the fruit halves out with a fork and transfer them to a plate. Into the thick syrup that remains, add 2 tbsp apricot jam (39 g) or preserves, first mashing it smooth with a fork. Simmer the mixture over low heat for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat and let the caramel cool.

   

Lining the baking pan

1. It is best to bake this pie in a metal pan with high sides. A pan about 30 cm in diameter is enough for this amount of dough.

2. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan with a little olive oil. Roll the dough out or stretch it by hand on a floured table into something like a flatbread, 3-4 cm larger than the pan. Lay the dough in the pan and smooth it over the bottom. The dough should cover the bottom and sides in an even layer, almost to the very top of the rim.

   

3. Arrange the apricots and pour on the caramel. If the fruit is slightly overripe or the caramel with jam is a little runny, sprinkle the dough with 1 tbsp flour (10 g) or breadcrumbs before adding the filling. They will absorb the excess liquid during baking, and the filling will be firmer. Arrange all the prepared apricots on the dough. It is best to lay them in a circle, starting from the outer wall of the pan, so the halves end up in concentric rings. By the way, the fruit halves slide easily over the dough, so you can move them around to make a symmetrical pattern.

   

   Pour all the cooled caramel with jam from the skillet into the gaps between the apricot halves. It is better not to pour it over the fruit itself. The thick caramel spreads well over the dough and fills all the gaps.

   

4. Cover the edge with dough, separating the dough from the rim and folding it over the filling. Press the edge down a little with your fingers. If you like, you can cover the filling with strips of dough laid in a lattice. And if you want, brush the top of the dough with beaten egg, but only a little. Let the pie rest for 20-30 minutes.

   

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 200-210°C. When the oven is properly hot, put the apricot pie in. Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning it from time to time. Go by how done the top of the dough is. When the dough is well baked and the top is golden, the apricot pie is ready.

   

2. Take the pie out of the oven and move it to a board; a wooden pizza peel works very well. The pie must cool completely. As it cools, the caramel with jam sets nicely and becomes like marmalade. The fruit halves will settle a little during baking, but stay juicy and sweet.

   

Serving

1. Cut the cooled pie into wedges with a sharp knife, the way you cut a pizza. Round pies like this are usually cut into 6-8 pieces. Put a piece on a plate and decorate it with sprigs of mint; you can also add half a ripe apricot. If you like, sprinkle it with orange or lemon zest.

   

   Brew a good black or green tea and add a slice of lemon. The pie is sweet enough, so there is no need to add sugar to the tea. And enjoy your tea time.