Recipe: Feijoa, bay leaf and rye crumble pie

Feijoa, bay leaf and rye crumble pie. Photo / Olivia Moore - That Green Olive

This pie is exactly what I imply when I say “I love feijoa desserts”. Crumbly, warmly-spiced and earthy; with that much-loved tang and silkiness of cooked feijoas.

Honey, oats and cinnamon allude to the classic feijoa desserts I grew up eating, rye brings in some rustic charm, and bay leaf adds a unique fragrant earthiness that, while often used in savoury recipes, I absolutely love when sweetened.

This pie has quickly shot to my list of current favourite recipes - try it yourself and I’m sure you’ll agree. Use spelt or wholemeal instead of rye flour if you prefer; but whatever you do, don’t omit those beautiful bay leaves!

Visit Olivia’s website for more recipes: www.thatgreenolive.com

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

DOUGH

● 250g rye flour

● 100g plain flour

● ½ tsp baking powder

● ½ tsp salt

● ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

● 150g cold butter, cubed

● 1 tbsp honey, warmed

● 50g rolled oats

FILLING

● 75g sugar

● 3 dried bay leaves

● ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

● 7 feijoas (500-550g), peeled and sliced into 2cm rounds

● 1 tbsp honey, warmed

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin.

2. To make the dough, add flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to a food processor and pulse briefly to combine. While pulsing, add butter one cube at a time, pulsing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add honey and pulse. Add iced water, 1 tbsp at a time, until a dough ball forms.

3. Transfer roughly ¼ of the dough to a bowl. Form remaining ¾ into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Set aside in the fridge.

4. To the dough in the bowl, add oats and knead with your hands until well distributed. Set aside while you make the filling.

5. To make the filling, place the sugar, bay leaves and cinnamon in a spice grinder. Grind until a powder. Reserve 2 tbsp of the spiced sugar for the topping, then add the remainder to a large bowl along with the feijoas. Add honey and gently toss until feijoas are evenly coated.

6. Remove the ball of dough from the fridge and press evenly into the base of your prepared tin. Arrange the feijoa mixture over the top, then crumble over the oaty dough mixture. Sprinkle over the reserved spiced sugar.

7. Bake for 45 minutes, until nicely browned on top. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving warm or at room temperature.