This recipe is inspired by a bake straight out of an O.G. Anime. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood has been rated the best Anime of all time… for good reason! My take on Winry’s apple pie – guided by Elicia Hughes’s recipe – is a true classic with a decorative twist. Wrenches down, aprons on.
Update: Frieren has now taken the title of “best Anime”, but the fact still remains that FMA: Brotherhood was reigning champion for a long time.
Contents
The Bake
In honour of this wonderful show, I recreated a warming classic that every FMA:B fan will recognise.
With Brotherhood, there isn’t much to go on in terms of food. There are a few things that ignite inspiration for bakes: the philosopher’s stone springs to mind. But, nothing matched up with the concept of recreating a featuring bake made by an integral character.
Winry’s apple pie.
This particular apple pie carries more meaning than just any old pie. Winry first tried this pie when it was made by Maes Hughes’s wife, Elicia. She offered the recipe to Winry, who proceeded to make it for Edward and Alphonse later in the series. After what happened… happened, this pie holds a whole load of emotion.
The last pie I made for Flavour of the Film was my John Wick apple and blackberry pie. Whilst this is also an apple pie, Winry’s apple pie requires more pastry for the lattice effect on the top. Plus, my decorative twist is made from extra pastry, too.
I have used the same double crust pastry that I used for my John Wick pie because it’s delicious and works really well here. I simply made more of it as is required for Winry’s apple pie and swapped out the caster sugar for light brown sugar for a richer taste.
Winry added a lattice pattern on the lid of the pie, so more pastry was required. I considered making it a pie with just the lid rather than a fully encased pie, until I remembered that the apple pie made by Winry was eaten using just hands. Thus, it needs to be fully encased in pastry to remain accurate to Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
The extra decoration on top is in honour of the change in animation style for certain emotions.
Particularly when Edward and Elric are shocked, angry, frightened or sad. The animation style is stripped right back to a super basic drawing of their faces, in term adding humour to the scenes. It makes me laugh every time, so I wanted to pay homage to that through the pastry decorations on my version of Winry Rockbell’s apple pie!
As this is a properly sweet pie, I decided to forgo any spices and used a mixture of sugars to lift that element of it. The pastry is a sweet pastry, but it only contains a small amount of sugar so it doesn’t taste overwhelmingly sweet alongside the filling.
Top Tips
- Don’t slice your apples too thinly. Whether in slices or chunks, if the pieces are too small, you risk the entire lot turning to mush during the baking process.
- Make sure to wash your fruit before use. This sounds blatantly obvious, but it can be easy to forget to do this.
- I added lemon juice into the mix to keep the apples from browning whilst I sliced them, but it also helps to elevate some of the sweetness and balance it out. This is a great tip if you know it’ll take you some time to slice the apples.
- Try not to overwork the pastry. It doesn’t need to be kneaded and an overworked pastry can result in a tough baked pastry.
- Serve with ice cream, double [heavy] cream or warm custard.
Winry Rockbell’s apple pie is so utterly delicious and so incredibly warming. It’s the perfect dessert for an evening in watching Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. This easy apple pie can be enjoyed warm with ice cream, double cream or warm custard. The latter is my favourite, for sure. Let me know on my Flavour of the Film socials how you like your apple pie. Enjoy!
Happy baking, happy eating!
The Recipe
Ingredients
Winry’s apple pie double crust pastry:
- 220g [7.75 oz] unsalted butter very cold and cubed
- 350g [2 cups + 3 tbsp] plain [all-purpose] flour
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 150ml [5.25 oz] cold water
- 1 egg whisked or milk of your choice to glaze
Winry’s apple pie filling:
- 3 large cooking apples i.e. Bramley apples
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- Lemon juice from 1 lemon
Serves: 8
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 45 – 50 minutes
Cooling time: 4+ hours or overnight
Method
Winry’s apple pie pastry:
- In a food processor, blitz the flour, salt and sugar until evenly distributed.
- Add in the very cold, cubed butter and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Pour in the water and blitz again until a dough has formed. The dough may be quite wet so make sure to dust your worktop generously with flour.
- On a clean and generously floured surface, tip out your pastry dough. Using the extra flour on the surface, fold the dough in on itself a couple of times until it is a little drier, but still soft. Be careful not to overwork the dough here.
- Split the dough in half and press the halves gently into disc shapes. Wrap each half in cling film/plastic wrap/beeswax paper. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Winry’s apple pie filling:
- After your dough has chilled for at least 30 minutes, retrieve one disc of dough from the fridge.
- Generously grease a 9 inch pie dish with butter and set aside.
- On a clean and lightly floured surface, roll the dough out so that it is slightly bigger than your pie dish and is around ½ cm in thickness. Carefully lift the dough from the surface and sit it into your greased dish, pressing gently into the grooves.
- Trim off any excess dough from around the dish and wrap it in the cling film/plastic wrap/beeswax paper that you used before.
- Place the dish and extra dough back in the fridge to chill for a further 15 minutes.
- Cut up the apples either in slices or cubes, being sure to slice off the skin and dispose of it (the skin on cooking apples can be quite bitter). Place the apple in a large bowl or dish for now.
- Make sure to squeeze lemon juice over your chopped apple pieces to prevent them from browning.
Construction:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C [350°F] or 170°C fan.
- Retrieve your pie dish and all of your other pastry from the fridge. Place your chopped apple into the dish. You need more than you realise as the apple will shrink during baking, so don’t skimp out here.
- Sprinkle the sugars over the apple pieces in the dish.
- On a clean and lightly floured surface, roll out the second disc of pastry so that it is slightly bigger than your dish and is around ½ cm in thickness.
- Lay the pastry over the dish to create the lid of the pie. Trim off the excess and then pinch the base and lid dough together to seal it.
- Gather the leftover pastry and roll it out to about ½ cm in thickness. Cut 9 strips from the pastry to use for your lattice.
- Place five strips of the pastry vertically on your pie, leaving equal gaps in between.
- Take the remaining strips and place them horizontally over the pie, leaving equal gaps in between.
- To create the lattice effect, lift the end of the first horizontal strip and tuck in under the first vertical strip. Leave the same horizontal strip laying over the second vertical strip, then tuck it under the third vertical strip. Leave the same horizontal strip laying over the fourth vertical strip and then tuck it under the last vertical strip. This is the first of your lattice pattern complete!
- Do the complete opposite of step 8 with the second horizontal strip, to create the reverse effect.
- Follow step 8 exactly with the third horizontal strip, then reverse it again with the last horizontal strip. Your lattice pattern is now complete!
- Trim any excess from your strips and pinch the strip ends into the edges of your pie to secure them.
- Roll out any remaining pastry and cut out your chosen cartoon faces and their features, representing Edward and Alphonse. Place these on top of the lattice.
- Gently brush the entire pastry lid with a whisked egg or milk of your choice to create the glaze.
Baking:
- Place your pie on a baking tray and slide it onto the middle shelf of your preheated oven.
- Bake the pie for 45 – 50 minutes or until golden brown and the apples still have a slight firmness to them when you test with a skewer.
- Once baked, leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours, if not overnight.
- To warm up again, either microwave the slices of pie for 30 seconds or warm the entire pie in the oven for around 20 minutes. Serve with ice cream, double cream or warm custard.
My version of Winry’s apple pie is a winner for any Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood fan. It’s also perfect this time of year! You can make the pastry ahead and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days before using or frozen for a couple of months. Enjoy!
The Anime
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood was an Anime that my brother introduced me to not long after I had returned from Japan. Watching Anime together is our thing so when he recommended this particular gem, I was well up for it.
Based on the manga by Hiromu Arakawa, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood aired in 2009 and has gripped the hearts of Anime fans across the globe since.
The story follows the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, who lose elements of their physical forms after attempting to bring their mother back from the dead using alchemy.
But with alchemy, an equal exchange needs to happen in order to maintain balance.
When this natural law of equivalent exchange is not respected, things go very wrong. At a young age, the Elric brothers found this out the hard way. Edward lost an arm and a leg, and Alphonse lost his entire body.
From then on they set out to find a Philosopher’s Stone in order to restore their bodies to their natural forms, meeting both friends and foes along the way.
Now, there is Full Metal Alchemist (2003) as well, which is also a well-liked Anime based in the same world and featuring a number of the same characters. But, I have to say, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood steals your heart before you can say the words “equivalent exchange”.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is truly special.
There is so much heart in this story, it’s hard not to get emotionally invested. It’s also the first Anime that I’ve watched and properly cried as a result. The brotherly bond between Edward and Alphonse is really quite beautiful.
I mentioned in my My Neighbor Totoro cinnamon bread recipe that Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the only Anime that I have watched dubbed rather than subbed. My brother recommended that I watch it this way because it works so well. He was right.
But, any other Anime that I watch is subbed; I love the gusto that the Japanese voice actors put into their performances. Both the dubbed and subbed versions of Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood are popular, which is pretty special.
There are some hardcore storylines in this particular show. I have two names for you: Maes Hughes. Nina.
Seriously. My heart. I will say no more.
There are over sixty episodes of the show and SO MUCH happens. Yet, none of it feels dragged out or, alternatively, rushed. The pacing is excellent.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a really turbulent journey, but one I am so happy to have been on.
As is a common theme within Anime, this tale will have you all over the place emotionally. It keeps you on your toes and often throws the unexpected at you. Which gives me even more reasons to adore it.
Recipe Card
Winry’s Apple Pie | Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Ingredients
Winry’s apple pie double crust pastry:
- 220 g [7.75 oz] unsalted butter very cold and cubed
- 350 g [2 cups + 3 tbsp] plain [all-purpose] flour
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 150 ml [5.25 oz] cold water
- 1 egg whisked or milk of your choice to glaze
Winry’s apple pie filling:
- 3 large cooking apples i.e. Bramley apples
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- Lemon juice from 1 lemon
Instructions
Winry’s apple pie pastry:
- In a food processor, blitz the flour, salt and sugar until evenly distributed.
- Add in the very cold, cubed butter and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Pour in the water and blitz again until a dough has formed. The dough may be quite wet so make sure to dust your worktop generously with flour.
- On a clean and generously floured surface, tip out your pastry dough. Using the extra flour on the surface, fold the dough in on itself a couple of times until it is a little drier, but still soft. Be careful not to overwork the dough here.
- Split the dough in half and press the halves gently into disc shapes. Wrap each half in cling film/plastic wrap/beeswax paper. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Winry’s apple pie filling:
- After your dough has chilled for at least 30 minutes, retrieve one disc of dough from the fridge.
- Generously grease a 9 inch pie dish with butter and set aside.
- On a clean and lightly floured surface, roll the dough out so that it is slightly bigger than your pie dish and is around ½ cm in thickness. Carefully lift the dough from the surface and sit it into your greased dish, pressing gently into the grooves.
- Trim off any excess dough from around the dish and wrap it in the cling film/plastic wrap/beeswax paper that you used before.
- Place the dish and extra dough back in the fridge to chill for a further 15 minutes.
- Cut up the apples either in slices or cubes, being sure to slice off the skin and dispose of it (the skin on cooking apples can be quite bitter). Place the apple in a large bowl or dish for now.
- Make sure to squeeze lemon juice over your chopped apple pieces to prevent them from browning.
Construction:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C [350°F] or 170°C fan.
- Retrieve your pie dish and all of your other pastry from the fridge. Place your chopped apple into the dish. You need more than you realise as the apple will shrink during baking, so don’t skimp out here.
- Sprinkle the sugars over the apple pieces in the dish.
- On a clean and lightly floured surface, roll out the second disc of pastry so that it is slightly bigger than your dish and is around ½ cm in thickness.
- Lay the pastry over the dish to create the lid of the pie. Trim off the excess and then pinch the base and lid dough together to seal it.
- Gather the leftover pastry and roll it out to about ½ cm in thickness. Cut 9 strips from the pastry to use for your lattice.
- Place five strips of the pastry vertically on your pie, leaving equal gaps in between.
- Take the remaining strips and place them horizontally over the pie, leaving equal gaps in between.
- To create the lattice effect, lift the end of the first horizontal strip and tuck in under the first vertical strip. Leave the same horizontal strip laying over the second vertical strip, then tuck it under the third vertical strip. Leave the same horizontal strip laying over the fourth vertical strip and then tuck it under the last vertical strip. This is the first of your lattice pattern complete!
- Do the complete opposite of step 8 with the second horizontal strip, to create the reverse effect.
- Follow step 8 exactly with the third horizontal strip, then reverse it again with the last horizontal strip. Your lattice pattern is now complete!
- Using the remaining pastry, roll it out and cut out your chosen cartoon faces and their features, representing Edward and Alphonse. Place these on top of the lattice.
- Gently brush the entire pastry lid with a whisked egg or milk of your choice to create the glaze.
Baking:
- Place your pie on a baking tray and slide it onto the middle shelf of your preheated oven.
- Bake the pie for 45 – 50 minutes or until golden brown and the apples still have a slight firmness to them when you test with a skewer.
- Once baked, leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours, if not overnight.
- To warm up again, either microwave the slices of pie for 20 seconds or warm the whole pie in the oven for around 20 minutes. Serve with ice cream, double cream or warm custard.
Notes
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