Apple Pie

Helga Glaesel de BlandingMarch 20, 2020

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

Apple pie is a dessert we enjoy year-round, to us there is no better comfort dessert than a slice of pie packed with apples. For best results it is important that you choose the right variety of apple suitable for baking, our favorite is Granny Smith, which we used here. It has a wonderful balance between sweet and tart, and a firm texture. Other good options are Braeburn or Honeycrisp.

Our tip for making the crust is that you use cold butter. You can use a food processor, which is the method described here, but if one isn’t available to you, you can certainly use a manual pastry cutter or two knives. The idea is to work the butter into the flour until very small particles are formed and it acquires more of a sandy texture.

As for the look of the pie, you can opt for the classic full coverage. In this case don’t forget to poke holes into the dough when baking, to let steam escape. You can try a lattice top or use cookie cutters to place shapes to cover the pie as we did. This last method is fun if you are cooking with your kids.

The steps might seem long, but if you make the dough ahead of time you will find that making a homemade pie is not that hard, and the result is well worth the effort! You can serve your slices a la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or with a dollop of whipped cream.

We’d love to know if you tried this recipe!

Helga

Apple Pie

Recipe for crust Martha Stewart
Recipe for pie filling Tasty
Yield: 1 pie – 8 portions
Pie Dough Yield: Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies

Ingredients, for the pie dough:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
¼ to ½ cup ice water

Ingredients, for the pie filling:
5 lb. granny smith apple (2.2 kg.)
1 cup brown sugar (220 g.)
¼ teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (80 ml)
3 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, divided
3 tablespoons water
3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
2 premade pie crusts, rolled out into ⅛-inch (3-mm) thick
egg wash
sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Preparation of the dough:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Preparation of the pie:

Peel and thinly slice the apples (keep the apples in a bowl of lemon water as you go to keep them from browning).
In a large bowl, toss the apples with the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice, and half of the cornstarch. Once the apples are well coated, let sit and macerate for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
Transfer the apples to a colander set over a medium bowl and let drain for about 15 minutes, until all of the liquid is drawn out.
Transfer the liquid released from the apples to a small pot over low heat.
In a small bowl, mix the rest of the cornstarch and the water to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the apple liquid and quickly stir to incorporate it. Bring to a boil, then add the butter and stir until melted. Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the apples, stirring to coat.
Gently lay 1 rolled-out pie crust in a 10-inch (25-cm) pie dish.
Lay the apples in the pie crust, making sure they are flat and facing the rounded edges out in order to fit as many apples as possible in the crust. Pour any leftover liquid from the bowl over the apples.
Top with the other rolled-out pie crust. Trim the excess dough from the edges. We cut out shapes from the pie dough using a cookie cutter to cover the top part of the pie. If covering with two crusts, press them together to seal, then fold the edges under. Crimp the edges.
Brush all over with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
If you covered the pie with an entire crust, use a paring knife to cut a few vents in the top for steam to escape.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown.
Let cool for at least an hour. Slice and serve. Enjoy!

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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