Amazing Apple Pie

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s many of you know the motivation to starting our baking blog was to write down recipes (WITH MEASUREMENTS), teach them to my daughters and document the journey. I am here to say, making apple pie today proved that this is exactly what we need to be doing.

I was peeling apples and preparing ingredients when the girls came in the kitchen. Oh yum! Are we making apple pie today? The week before Thanksgiving is known as “pie-week” at our house. They asked if I had enough ingredients for them to make their own pie. Side by side we made two apple pies. The pie the girls were working on, I can honestly say I never touched. As I watched the girls working together, I didn’t know whether to be more proud that my girls were peacefully working together, or the crazy amazing lattice work they were creating on the upper crust of this pie. Made from scratch apple pie with lattice work intimidates most bakers and yet this pie, made by my two teenage daughters looked like it could be featured on the Food Network.

I decided that as I blogged this recipe I would only take pictures of my daughters pie. I want to illustrate to everyone who has ever been afraid of making apple pie, just how easy it can be. With the right crust (linked below), and the secret step to our filing, you too can make the perfect apple pie. Now, I am not sure what the secret is to getting my girls to always get along, but I do know the secret to perfect apple pie…read the instructions below and you will too!

Ingredients:

10-13 granny smith apples (the amount depends on the size of your pie pan)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 Tbsp. corn starch

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup melted butter

Pastry for double crust (I double my perfect pie crust recipe and wrap in two separate dough discs, the link for it is below)

https://sweeterthymes.com/2019/11/21/perfect-pie-crust-101/

2 eggs

2 Tbsp heavy cream

1/2 cup turbinado sugar (for top of crust)

Instructions:

1. Peel granny smith apples and slice into wedges. Place apples in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice to prevent browning while peeling apples.
2. Put the apple slices in a pot with the dry ingredients and toss.
3. Pour fresh lemon juice and melted butter over the top of the apple mixture.
4. Cook on medium low heat until a thick bubbly syrup forms and apples start to soften.
5. Cover pot with a lid and remove from heat.
6. Prepare the bottom crust while the apples sit.
7. When the bottom crust is prepared pack the apples into the crust, pouring any remaining thickened syrup on top.
8. Roll out the second dough disk in a circle shape.
9. Using a ruler and pizza cutter slice dough into uniform strips (I follow the edge of the ruler).
10. Starting from the middle of the pie lay horizontal strips at preferred width apart.
11. Turn the pie and begin to lay vertical strips by pulling back every other horizontal strip creating a weave.
12. Cut off excess dough and crimp the edges.
13. Cover pie with aluminum foil tent and bake in an oven pre-heated to 375° for 35 minutes.
14. While pie is baking whisk eggs and cream in small bowl.
15. Remove aluminum foil and paint lattice with and egg wash.
16. Sprinkle crust with turbinado sugar.
17. Bake uncovered until crust is golden.

Tips:

• The secret to not overcooking your pie crust and not having pie filling boil out of the pie is step #4 of the instructions. Partially cooking down the apples allows the pie to be in the oven for less time. It also allows for moisture to be released from the apples. This means the apple volume will be less than raw packed apples and the upper pie crust will more accurately fit the bottom crust preventing the top crust from cracking. The thickened syrup is also less likely to spill out of the pie crust discoloring your top crust.
• I strongly recommend a lattice top crust for an apple pie as opposed to just venting a solid top crust. Apples have a great deal of moisture and release this moisture as they cook. While step #4 helps in this process a lattice is the perfect way to vent the pie while maintaining a perfect upper crust.
• When I check the pie at 35 minutes I am looking for the pie crust to be baked but not browned. Depending on the size of your pie pan you may have to cook longer. I then pull out the oven rack and paint the pie crust with egg wash while the pie is still on the rack. I next sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and then push the oven rack back in to continue cooking. The egg wash and sugar step will make your pie glisten…this extra step is well worth the effort!!!