apple pie​

You can use a single variety of apple or many different varieties in an apple pie. Some apples cook down very readily to be applesauce-like, others retain real crispiness even after long baking. All apples can be used in pie, so you should go with the texture that you prefer or experiment.

Apple Pie
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Apple Pie

Recipe by Rachel PorterCourse: RecipesCuisine: American
Servings

1

pie
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Calories

300

kcal

This recipe is for a 2-crust pie, but also includes a crisp topping for a single-crust pie. You can play around with apple pies quite a lot including adding nuts, custard, dry fruit, and berries. Crusts may be decorated with cut-outs made from dough scraps. You can add grated cheddar cheese to crust dough when you make the crust as well as spices. Spices can also be used according to taste in a pie. Delicious spices include nutmeg or mace, cardamom, coriander, ginger and coarsely ground pepper (black or red). Of course, apple pie is lovely with vanilla or spice ice cream, custard sauce, caramel sauce or whipped cream. Leftovers are excellent for breakfast.

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe pâte brisée (click for recipe)

  • About 4 pounds of apples. (I tend to go by volume since apple size varies. You will want to have about 8 cups of apple slices.)

  • 2-3 Tbsp. flour

  • 1/4 cup sugar + additional to sprinkle on top (could also use demerara sugar for the top)

  • Cinnamon

  • 1/2 lemon

Directions

  • Roll out the larger piece of dough to a thickness between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch. When rolling dough it is easiest to roll between two pieces of plastic wrap (you can use the one the dough was wrapped in). Sprinkle flour lightly under and on top of the dough. Roll out from the center, lifting the dough regularly, peeling off the plastic wrap/wax paper and re sprinkling with flour as needed to keep from sticking. Roll the dough to a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough circle to a pyrex pie plate by draping it loosely over the rolling pin. (You can use other types of pie plates but I find pyrex is most reliable and also cheap. You can also use this pastry for a free form galette that you form directly on an ungreased baking sheet. The dough has sufficient butter so that there is no need to grease the baking container whatever you use.)
  • Prick the dough all over with a fork and put it back in the fridge to chill while you make the filling. Preheat the oven to 400
  • Quarter, core and peel the apples, you can vary the thickness of the slices but don’t go for too thin or to thick. I like slices that are just under a centimeter thick. Slivered slices are nice in a tart, but too thin for a pie and big thick chunks of apple over 3/4 inch are too cumbersome for even cooking and graceful eating. As you slice, drop the slices in a large mixing bowl, occasionally squeezing a bit of lemon and a bit of sugar over the slices. Once you have sliced all the apples toss them with the sugar and lemon and sprinkle in the cinnamon. The easiest way to do this is with your hands. Dump the apples into the pie dish.
  • Quickly roll out the remaining dough using the technique detailed above, only making a small circle since you have less dough. Drape this dough over the apples and fold the bottom dough over the top dough to seal the two together. There are many decorative ways to form the crust, the classic being to use your fingers to form a crimped edge for your pie. Play around, there is no one right way. Slice a few air vents in the center of the pie. Sprinkle the pie with sugar and put it into the over on a rack in the middle. A baking sheet on a lower rack will catch drips. Lower the temperature to 375 after about 15 minutes.
  • Bake for about 45 minutes until the crust is nicely browned. Cool the pie on a rack for at least 30 minutes.