Paul Hollywood’s ‘Perfect’ Apple Pie Recipe Is Surprisingly Easy

If you’re a fan of “The Great British Baking Show,” you know Paul Hollywood is one tough cookie when it comes to judging baked goods. He’s the baron of bread, the parliament of pastry, and if he says a bake is superb, we believe him.

So, when it comes to choosing an apple pie recipe for your holiday table, who better to trust than the blue-eyed baking master himself? In 2022, during a break from the tent, Hollywood shared his Perfect Apple Pie Recipe on his “Easy Bakes” YouTube channel. And after watching him craft six golden, picture-perfect pies, we’re convinced just about anyone can pull it off.

How To Make Paul Hollywood’s Perfect Apple Pie Recipe

Apple pie, as it turns out, is one of Paul’s “most favorite things to bake.” He grew up surrounded by apple trees in his family garden, and his mother was constantly turning them into cozy, homemade pies—making this recipe as nostalgic for Hollywood as it is comforting.

And here’s the first surprise: This recipe doesn’t make one big pie. Instead, it yields six perfectly-portioned mini pies—each one crisp, flaky, and somehow even more charming than the classic style.

The Crust

Hollywood starts, of course, with a homemade sweet pastry dough (Let’s be honest, store-bought pastry wouldn’t make it too far in the tent, unfortunately). But don’t let that intimidate you—it’s simpler than you think.

All you have to do is blend flour, room-temperature butter, and powdered sugar by hand until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add a splash of water to bring it together into a shaggy dough, then form it into a soft, pliable ball.

Because your hands will have warmed the butter, the dough needs to chill for about 15 to 30 minutes. Once it’s cool and rolled out thin, it’s just like store-bought pastry—only infinitely flakier and more flavorful.

The Filling

And for his next home-baking trick, Hollywood blends two types of apples: one tart and one sweet. In British terms, that’s “cooking apples” and “eating apples.” In American kitchens, think Granny Smiths versus, say, Honeycrisps.

The tart cooking apples are simmered first with sugar, butter, and lemon juice until soft and syrupy. The sweet eating apples, on the other hand, are chopped and stirred in raw. The mix of the two creates a filling that’s both texturally and flavorfully complex—part soft and saucy, part crisp and fresh.

And that’s it. No baking spices, no bold extras—just the clean, cozy taste of real apples. Fill each pie crust right to the top, pressing down a bit to tuck in every bit of that apple goodness.

The Assembly

Now, every “Bake Off” fan knows the golden rule of Pastry Week: no soggy bottoms. So, to avoid them, cut a small, neat hole in the center of each top crust to let steam escape. Sprinkle the tops with a little sugar, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) until golden and crisp.

Finally, there’s one last trick to getting this bake right: patience. “You need to leave them to cool before you pop them out because they’re gonna be difficult when they’re so tender,” he explained. “The butter in there—the pastry will be really flaky, so you need to leave them to cool down slightly before you attempt to bring them out.”

If you want to bring this dessert to the Hollywood Hall of Fame, drizzle the warm pies with a helping of heavy cream. We’ve all seen that satisfied look when Paul is impressed with a bake—and after one bite of this signature bake, he appears to be more than pleased with his work.

So, if you’ve ever dreamed of pulling off a “Bake Off”–worthy dessert without the stress of a showstopper challenge, take a page from Paul Hollywood’s own recipe book. With this simple bake, a Hollywood handshake feels all but guaranteed.