Apple Pie

As Thanksgiving has just passed I thought it would be appropriate to post a recipe for apple pie. Well, I thought it would be appropriate to post this last week but was so busy actually baking the pies that time slipped away and now here we are.

Every Thanksgiving I assign myself the role of making apple pies so I can know there will be a dessert I want to eat. Pumpkin pie is my arch enemy at Thanksgiving parties and I avoid it like the plague because, frankly, I think it looks like puke and smells like a holiday candle, and tastes like one too. This year I set a very high goal for myself of making two apple pies and one pecan pie (and one very fancy cranberry curd tart that simply didn't happen). If it looks like I'm trying to shove pumpkin pie off the table it's because I am.

When it comes to pie, I’m a tradionalist. Bon Appétit tells you to put thyme or ginger in your blueberry pie and I tell you to follow the rules and listen to Betty Crocker. For pies, a good old standby is what you need. Pies are tricky and temperamental, they're affected by the weather: pies are moody - like me.

I always use the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook for pies (and also sometimes cakes) and nothing else (I would not recommend venturing into their savory recipes). They list a very comprehensive method to making pie dough and provide classic recipes that aren't too sweet on one hand and not too fancy on the other. Pies are like burgers, you don’t want them to be too extravagant. Too many extra flavors and you lose the essence of what it is.

The crust is arguably the most important component of a pie - you can have a shitty filling (but really you shouldn't mess up your filling, it's SO easy) with a great crust and it will still be an okay pie, but a great filling is rendered tasteless by a shitty crust. Your crust makes or breaks your pie.

The secret lies in the amount of water you add versus how much you touch the dough. Water activates the gluten in the flour and the more you work and touch it once water is added, the chewier and tougher it gets. Sometimes this gluten activation is a good thing - for example, in bread or pasta, but in pies, pastries, cakes, cookies etc. you want to touch the mixture as little as possible once the flour and liquids are combined.

This recipe calls for 4 tbps of cold water. You may need to double that amount! What you're looking for once you've added the water is a willingness from the dough to come together and form a ball without you having to touch it too much. If the dough feels too dry, add a bit more water. Be careful - add as little as you can, but by all means add as much as you need. You have a relationship with the dough, you will have to negotiate with it to form a ball, I find I have the best luck when I don't force it too hard. Remember: 4 tbsp is 1/4 cup.

For the filling keep it simple. Adjust your sugar according to the fruit you buy. Some apples are sweeter than others. Always add a squeeze of lemon, even if you use granny smith, you need some acid to create a rounded flavor.

Update 11/22: Some of you may know that I have historically preferred salted butter in pie crust. I recently did some reading that changed my ways. Unsalted butter is generally fresher than salted butter. Due to salt’s preservative qualities, the salted butter at the store is generally far older. Also, I truly think unsalted makes a flakier crust. Just remember to add salt so your pastry has some flavor!

Serves 10-12

Total time: About 2 hours, active time: 1 hour

For the Dough

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour (chill it if you can)

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

4-6 Tbsp cold water (you very well may need way more than this)

Method:

Place flour, butter, and salt into a big mixing bowl (prefereably a metal one as it will get colder faster if you put it in the fridge to cool down the ingredients)

I prefer to use a pastry blender to break down the butter into smaller pieces before going in with my hands; this keeps the ingredients from getting too warm too quick. Once the butter has broken down to pieces about the size of cheerios, I put the pastry blender aside and use my hands to break the butter up into much smaller pieces. I do this by rubbing the pieces of butter in between my thumb and fingers as to flake the butter into tiny bits. Ideally, you want about half the mixture to resemble a course meal texture and the other half to have little bits of butter that are about the size of peas. Betty Crocker says the meal texture makes for tenderness and the pea sized bits of butter make for flakiness.

Once your mixture has arrived at the right texture, sprinkle cold water over it 1 tbsp at a time, gently mixing with your hands or a fork until the dough is lightly moist and begins to stick to itself. When you mix, try not to squeeze or be aggresive; be gentle and touch it as little as possible.

Gather the dough at the bottom of the bowl and press it together to form a ball. It's best to chill the dough briefly before rolling it out so it is easier to manage. If the pastry is too warm it will become sticky and if it's too cold it will crack as you roll it out. 20 minutes in the fridge should do it. If you leave the dough in the fridge overnight, take it out about an hour before you plan to use it to let it arrive at a good temperature for rolling out.

For the filling:

6-7 cups sliced and peeled granny smith or gravenstein apples

3/4- 1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1-2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp butter cut into small pieces

Method:

Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a bowl. Set aside.

Assemble the Pie

Preheat your oven to 400°F/ 200°C/180°C with fan

Divide your dough in half. Take one half and roll out into as much of a circle as you can until the dough is roughly 1/8 inch thick. You want the dough to be about 2 inches wider in diameter than the top of your pie pan. Use your pan, upside down, as a guide.

Fold the pastry into thirds, and transfer it to your pie pan, fitting the dough into the pan while avoiding stretching. Trim the dough to just beyond the edges of the pan.

Place apples in the pastry lined pan. Dot the apples with little pieces of butter.

Roll out your second half of dough in the same way as the first and place it over the apples.

Ideally, there should be about an inch of the top pastry hanging off the edge of the pan, trim areas where there is too much excess.

Fold the edges of the top crust under the bottom crust.

Seal the two layers together. You can do this the easy way: by pressing a fork along the edge of the pastry. Or you can make a fluted edge or whatever suits your fancy. Here is a video from Martha Stewart showing multiple ways of edging a pie. Knock yourself out.

Cut small slits in the top of the pie. These act as steam vents while the pie is cooking and they look pretty!

I used an egg wash on this pie to make it look extra golden and beautiful. An egg wash is optional. To make one take one egg and few teaspoons of water and whisk together. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the crust. Try not to create any puddles on the pie. (I went a little overboard here)

Bake on a rack near the bottom of the oven for about 60 minutes or until the pie is golden brown.

Place a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch any juices that bubble over.