Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Pie Dish
- 1 large bowl
- 1 large pot
- 1 large colander
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 120 mL cold water
- 30-60 mL alcohol, any spirit, you can't taste it
- 300 grams all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 227 grams salted butter, cold
- 1 large egg for egg wash, use before final bake
- 1-2 Tbsp turbinado sugar, sprinkle on top of egg wash
Apple Filling
- 5 lbs apples (3.5 lbs after peeling/coring)
- 60 mL lemon juice, 1 large lemon or 2 small
- 150 grams light brown sugar*, lightly packed
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 28 grams salted butter, cold or room temperature - doesn’t matter
- 42 grams cornstarch, spooned and leveled
- Vanilla ice cream, for topping
Method
Pie Crust
- Place the alcohol in a measuring cup and add the cold water. Place it in the freezer while you prepare the other ingredients.30-60 mL alcohol any spirit, you can't taste it, 120 mL cold water
- Place the flour in the bowl of the food processor. Place the whole bowl in the freezer while you cube the butter.300 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- Add the cubed butter to the flour in the freezer, for 5-10 minutes.227 grams salted butter cold
- Remove the the bowl from the freezer, place it on the food processor and pulse until pea seize chunks form.
- While the food processor is on, stream in the water mixture just until it starts to come together. Start with only 1/3 cup of water and use up to 2/3 cup (total with the alcohol) if needed, I usually do 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp(ish). You want the dough to be kinda crumbly but stick together when you press on it.
- Remove the dough from the food processor, press it together so it all sticks together. Cut the dough in half and form two round discs, wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for an hour or overnight.
Apple Filling
- Peel, core and slice the apples and place them in a large pot with the lemon juice and sugar, over medium heat, for up to five minutes, stirring frequently. You want the apples to warm up a little to release their juices but not wilt at all. You don’t want the apples to be flimsy.5 lbs apples (3.5 lbs after peeling/coring), 60 mL lemon juice 1 large lemon or 2 small, 150 grams light brown sugar* lightly packed
- Remove the apples from the stove and toss them with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and let them macerate/cool for 30-60 minutes.1 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- Strain the apples from the juices that it leaves behind and set the apples aside in another large bowl. Return the apple juice to the pot over medium-low heat, add the butter and allow it to simmer for 10-20 minutes, stirring intermittently, until it’s reduced by 50%.28 grams salted butter cold or room temperature - doesn’t matter
- I started with almost 9 ounces (including the butter) and brought it down to just over 4 ounces. The juice should darken in color a little and thicken into a syrup. Pour it into a heat safe jar and place it in the fridge for a few minutes while you arrange the apples.
- While the syrup was cooking and cooling, roll out your bottom pie crust and place it in a deep pie dish and place it in the freezer for just a couple of minutes to firm back up (don't leave it in there long, you don't want it to freeze).
- Strain the apples one more time and discard the liquid. Toss the apples with the cornstarch until it’s dissolved and evenly distributed.42 grams cornstarch spooned and leveled
- Dock the bottom of the pie crust with a fork and then arrange the apples on the bottom pastry, trying to align them and make sure there are no gaps between the slices.
- Roll out the top pie crust into a circle (OR cut strips for a lattice top).
- Pour the apple syrup on top of the apples, it’ll still be warm but that’s ok. Place the top pie crust on top of the pie and crimp the edge of the bottom and top crust together so they’re sealed.
- Make some slits on top of the pie crust if you left it whole. Place the pie in the freezer for 15-30 minutes and preheat the oven to 425F (218C).
- In a small bowl, use a fork to aggressively beat the egg until it's not so goopy. Use a pastry brush to brush the crust with the egg wash, covering it completely, and then toss some raw sugar on top.1 large egg for egg wash use before final bake, 1-2 Tbsp turbinado sugar sprinkle on top of egg wash
- Bake for about 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 375F (190C) and bake for another 50-60 minutes. You should see some juices bubbling up at the top and the crust should be nicely browned.
- If necessary, tent the edges of the pie crust with foil for the last 15 minutes or so.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool for several hours at room temperature. For easier slicing, I recommend refrigerating it for a while as well.
- Top with vanilla ice cream before serving!Vanilla ice cream for topping
Notes
- You can sub some of the flour for other types of flours for different flavors of crust.
- You can brown some or all of the butter but make sure the final amount is the same in weight as the ingredients states.
- You can use less water and more alcohol to bring in a bourbon flavor if desired.
- I insist on eating apple pie with vanilla ice cream so I keep my pie more tart. If you want the pie slightly sweeter, either use just honeycrisp apples instead of green apples, or add and 1/4 cup of sugar to the apples with the cornstarch before placing in the pie dish.
Nutrition
Calories: 396kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 191mgPotassium: 223mgFiber: 5gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 615IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 2mg