Yes, I know. it’s about time that I wrote another post. I’ve been just plain lazy and busy with work and life. So just in time for thanksgiving I am baking a good ole’ apple pie. I had an apple pie party with a friend and we planed to bake three pies but instead made four with the extra dough left over and more than enough apples. I overestimated the amount of apples needed but its ok since I boiled down the apple and the juices then turned it into an apple sauce.
Also, Have a wonderful thanksgiving with all of your family and friends!
get all those ingredients together.
Pea sized butter
That’s a lot of dough (no pun intended)
Apple Pie Crust
Adapted from Mark Bittman
The recipe in the link will only make one pie crust and this one will make two, one for the bottom and another for the top.
After making this pie crust many, many times I noticed that the amount of water needed was much more than recommended. Sometimes, ok most of the time, I would add a tad bit too much water, making the dough very sticky and watery, but not to worry I would add more flour till it wasn’t sticking to the sides of the bowl.
I wrote next to the butter to cut it into pea sized pieces only because I don’t have a big fancy food processor, just a small one which can’t fit it all in, I use a knife to cut the butter into smaller pieces and then mix it together with the flour with my hands.
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
16 tablespoons (2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pea sized pieces
13 tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary
Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter and turn on the machine; process until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture looks like cornmeal, about 10 seconds.
Put the mixture in a bowl and add the ice water; mix with your hands until you can form the dough into a ball, adding another tablespoon or two of ice water if necessary (if you overdo it and the mixture becomes sodden, add a little more flour). Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (You can refrigerate the dough for up to a couple of days or freeze, tightly wrapped, for up to a couple of weeks.)
Sprinkle a clean counter-top with flour, put the dough on it, and sprinkle the top with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll with light pressure from the center out. If the dough is hard, let it rest for a few minutes. If the dough is sticky, add a little flour (if it continues to become sticky, and it’s taking you more than a few minutes to roll it out, refrigerate or freeze again). Roll, adding flour and rotating and turning the dough as needed; use ragged edges of dough to repair any tears, adding a drop of water while you press the patch into place.
When the diameter of the dough is about 2 inches greater than that of your pie plate, drape the dough over the rolling pin to transfer it into the pie plate. Press the dough firmly into the plate all over. Refrigerate for about an hour before filling (if you’re in a hurry, freeze for a half hour or so).
Trim the excess dough to about 1/2 inch all around, then tuck it under itself around the edge of the plate. Decorate the edges with a fork or your fingers. Freeze the dough for 10 minutes (or refrigerate it for 30 minutes).
When you’re ready to bake, either fill it or prick it all over with a fork for prebaking.
Apples for days
Granny smith apples with sugar and spice.
Granny smith, Golden delicious and Fuji apples.
Roll that dough out!
pie designs (apple and a cat). don’t mind the feet and other bodies.
Lattice and heart design.
Apple Pie Filling
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook
I have a jumble of apples that I use since I usually go to Asian supermarkets and they don’t have the same variety as American supermarkets. I pick a few that are sweet and sour.
I put corn starch and flour since I get paranoid that the apple pie will get all soggy from the excess juice but then I learned, the hard way, to NOT put all the excess juice that accumulates when you first mix it together with the spices and sugar. Maybe its because I leave the mixture out too long and the lemon juice, sugar and apple get a chance to mingle then all the juice appears.
What happens to that lovely sugar and spice juice? well I’m glad you asked, instead of using an egg white to get the crust to brown I use the excess juice to get that lovely shine and color.
3 Fuji apples
2 Golden delicious apples
2 Granny smith apples
1 tablespoon juice and 1 teaspoon zest from 1 lemon
2/4 cups, plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 egg white, beaten lightly
Adjust oven rack to the middle and oven to 425°F. Remove one piece of dough from refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable).
Roll dough on lightly floured work surface or between two large sheets of plastic wrap to 12-inch disk. Transfer dough to pie plate by rolling dough around rolling pin and unrolling over 9 1/2-inch pie plate or by folding dough in quarters, then placing dough point in center of pie plate and unfolding. Working around circumference of pie plate, ease dough into pan corners by gently lifting dough edges with one hand while pressing around pan bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs lip of plate in place; refrigerate dough-lined pie plate.
Peel, core and cut apples in half, and in half again width-wise; cut quarters into 1/4-inch slices and toss with lemon juice and zest. In a medium bowl, mix 2/4 cup sugar, flour, salt and spices. Toss dry ingredients with apples. Turn fruit mixture, with some of the juice, into chilled pie shell and mound slightly in center.
Roll out second piece of dough to 12-inch disk and place over filling. Trim top and bottom edges to 1/2-inch beyond pan lip. Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself so that folded edge is flush with pan lip. Flute edging or press with fork tines to seal. Cut four slits on dough top. If pie dough is very soft, place in freezer for 10 minutes. Brush egg white onto top of crust and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Place pie on baking sheet and bring the temperature to 425°F. Bake until top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate pie and reduce oven temperature to 375°F; continue baking until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30-35 minutes longer.
Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours
four pies all baked. lovely!
my apple pie baking partner, spying on the pies!
An extra pie from another day that I couldn’t resist showing. I bought a fancy new ceramic pie plate from Williams-Sonoma with a gift card from my lovely aunt, thanks!
dulciaflora 