I have made apple pie more times than I like to admit. It is the only dessert my husband will eat. ONLY. So in the first year or so of our marriage I made it constantly because I wanted to be able to bake something that he would eat. Needless to say I kind of killed apple pie for myself for awhile. Now it only makes a come back during the holidays. Still though, I could probably make apple pie in my sleep…
Apple recipes are frustrating for me… I feel as though they all want you to use granny smith apples. Confession: I hate granny smith. They don’t taste like apples to me, they just taste sour. I know the whole theory behind their suggested use- they counteract the sweet with sour, plus they retain a bite when cooked. Guess what? I want my apple pie to be sweet and I don’t want my apples to have a bite as though they aren’t cooked. It’s just my preference though and it is exactly how I tailored my apple pie recipe.
I am from upstate NY and an apple isn’t an apple if it isn’t Macintosh to me. I just adore them. So I always use Mac’s when I make my apple pie. I know that they are traditionally used for applesauce and not pie, but like I mentioned before, I like my apples soft. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an applesauce pie… the apples are just fully cooked. If I am in a pinch I might use golden delicious. But I would only do that because Dorie Greenspan suggests it.
Use whatever apple you want though. Disclaimer- the apple you choose will result in a different amount of juices released. I’ve used many different types. A lot of them make pie soup. If this is your result, just hold the pie tight over the sink and pour out the juice. No big deal. It will still taste good.
I also use quite a bit of sugar in my recipe. About 3/4 cup. Most recipes seem to call for 1/2 cup, but my apple pie recipe is deep dish and has 4 lb of apples. You need the extra sugar. For the thickener I use flour. It’s just easier. Everybody has flour! I mean seriously, is the novice baker going to want to thicken her pie with ground tapioca? Like I said, it’s just easier. I also bump up the amount from 2 Tb to 1/4 cup because I do NOT like leaving the juiciness of my fruit pie up to fate. The last thing I want on my hands is pie soup. I cringe at the idea of pie soup. I feel like it can be quite a challenge to be sure that your pie doesn’t just pour out onto the plate when you take a slice out, so I add a decent amount of flour as insurance.
Oh and if you really hate pie soup then the worst thing you can do for yourself is cut into a warm pie. I usually bake my Thanksgiving apple pie the day before just so that I don’t loose the delicious apple pie juices… plus! If you like your pie warm with ice cream on top, just take a slice and microwave it quick or pop it in the oven on an oven proof skillet for a few minutes. Problem solved.
Now let me show you how simple it is to throw together an apple pie.
This first thing you want to do is start off buttering a deep dish pie plate and lining it with your pie crust.
Pretty basic.
Get that in the fridge while you finish assembling the other ingredients.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record on my blog- Pie’s love the cold.
So keep your crust happy. Keep it cold.
(I used a classic pie crust recipe for this apple pie)
Take a small dish and mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
This just helps to make sure that all the apples get evenly coated.
I used to just dump these ingredients separately into the bowl of apples…
but it always seemed like there were one or two apples that got all the cinnamon : (
So in order to have the apples share the cinnamon, mix these ingredients up separately, okay?
Now here comes the very worst part of making an apple pie- prepping the apples.
I have one of these machines. It peels, cores, and slices at the same time and ensures that all the slices are even.
Sounds great doesn’t it? No, it’s not. I don’t like it. I only use it sometimes when I feel lazy.
But then it just pisses me off and I end up doing it by hand anyways. I don’t know why I bother.
Anyways, maybe you have one of these and you have better luck with it then I do. Maybe it doesn’t just dig out your apple flesh.
Either way, you need to peel, slice and core all your apples. This is tedious. There will be a lot of apple slices..
Don’t worry though, it will all work out.
You’re not going to believe that they can all fit into your pie crust.
They will.
Unless you weren’t paying attention to the deep dish part of this post and are using a regular pie plate…
in which case, I don’t know what to do for you.
Just kidding! Half the recipe. Simple fix.
IF you have graham cracker crumbs, you can scatter 2 Tb around the bottom of the crust before adding the apples.
Not only does it soak up some juice, but it helps the bottom crust to not get soggy.
Use your rubber spatula to help arrange the apple slices around the dish.
It’s hard to get them even. Don’t worry if a few fall overboard.
Dot the apples with butter cubes.
This helps thicken the juice as well as adds to the deliciousness of the pie.
I take the 2 Tb of butter and cut each Tb in 9 (3×3) to get super tiny cubes.
It distributes the butter more evenly : )
Cover the apples with the other pie crust and brush with an egg wash, sprinkle it with cinnamon-sugar,
and cut a few slits in it for steam to escape.
Beautiful.
Now put that on a baking sheet to catch the overflow of juices that is inevitable and pop it in the oven.
Please, please, pleasssse! Check on the pie so the crust doesn’t burn!
This is a pet pieve of mine. Check it. Then cover it with tin foil when it gets too dark.
Do it or you’ll be kicking yourself in the butt.
Now that is one gorgeous pie!
Oh and look at all those apple slices!!!
So exciting : )
And that carmelized, cinnamon-sugar, homemade crust!
You can’t go wrong with this apple pie. Not at all.
If you’re like me though, you’ll take a nice big, warm slice and mash it up in a bowl with some vanilla ice cream…
this is my absolute FAVORITE way to eat apple pie : D !
Deep Dish Apple Pie
Ingredients:
- double crust pie dough
- 4 lbs macintosh apples (about eight)
- ¾ cup of sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- Good pinch nutmeg
- 2 Tb graham cracker crumbs, optional
- 2 Tb butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water
- cinnamon-sugar, for topping
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a 9″ deep-dish pie plate and line with pie dough. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.
In a small bowl, mix together sugar, four, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Peel, core, and slice apples thinly (about ⅛”, no bigger than ¼”). Place into a very large bowl. Mix in sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until apple slices are evenly coated. Set aside.
Roll out the second pie crust. Take a dough-lined pie plate out of the fridge and sprinkle graham cracker crumbs across the bottom. As evenly as possible, pour the apple mixture into the pie shell. Use a spatula to spread the apple slices evenly around the pie. Dot apples with pats of butter and cover with rolled out pie crust. Trim excess pie dough to about ½” over the edge. Tuck the overhang under the bottom layer of pie dough and pinch, shaping crust by fluting or a fork’s tine.
Brush the top of the pie with egg wash. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on top and cut slits to vent steam. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 50 to 60 minutes more or until crust is brown and juices are bubbling. Check the pie continuously after 30 minutes for over-browning of the crust. If it gets too dark, cover it gently with some aluminum foil.
Transfer pie to wire rack to cool before slicing.
