Apple Pie
Original recipe
Ingredients
Pie
- 1 recipe Pate Brisee I (to follow)
- 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced ¼ to ½-inch thick
- 3 medium Macintosh or Rome apples, peeled, cored, and sliced ¼ to ½-inch thick
- ¾ cup (165 grams) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (35 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons sanding sugar, pearl sugar, or granulated sugar
Pate Brisee I
- 1 ¾ cups (245 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks/228 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons cold milk
Instructions
Pie (serves 8)
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a well-floured work surface, flour out three-fourths of the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. Reserve the remaining dough for the lattice top. Roll the dough circle around the pin and then unfurl it on top of a 9-inch pie pan. Press the dough gently into the bottom and sides of the pan and cut the overhanging edges so that there is a ¼ to ½ lip. Fold this under the and crimp around the circumference of the pie. Refrigerate the pie shell for at least 30 minutes, or tightly wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 2 weeks. Bake directly from the refrigerator or freezer.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350°F. Line the pie shell with parchment paper or several overlapping coffee filters and fill with pie weights. Blind bake for about 30 minutes, or until the entire shell is light brown.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the apples, brown sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon and toss to coat the apples evenly. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This softens the apples so that you can pack more of them into the pie.
- When the pie shell is ready, remove it from the oven and leave the oven set at 350°F. Remove the weights and parchment, and pile the apples into the shell, pressing down lightly to compact them.
- On a well-floured work surface, roll out the remaining dough into a rectangle about 10 inches long by 6 inches wide and ¼ inch thick. Using a fluted pastry wheel or pizza wheel, cut lengthwise strips each about ¾ inch wide. Brush the strips with the beaten egg. Drape four of the dough strips on top of the apples, arranging them all in one direction and spacing them about 2 inches apart. Drape the remaining four dough strips at a 45-degree angle to the first four strips, again spacing them about 2 inches apart. Let the lattice strips drape over the edge of the pie shell (you will trim these after the pie bakes). Sprinkle the strips with the sanding sugar.
- Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 ½ hours, or until the lattice strips are golden brown all the way through. The apples should be soft and easy to pierce with a small knife. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving. Using a small knife to trim any lattice overhang, so the strips are flush with the pie edge. Serve warm or at room temperature. The pie can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Pate Brisee I (makes enough for one 9-inch double-crust or lattice-top pie)
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt for 10 to 15 seconds , or until combined. Scatter the butter over the top. Mix on low speed for 1 to 1 ½ minutes, or just until the flour is no longer bright white and holds together when you clump it and lumps of butter the size of pecans are visible throughout.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk until blended. Add to the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the dough just barely comes together. It will look shaggy and more like a mess than a dough.
- Dump the dough onto an unfloured surface, the gather it together into a tight mound. Using your palm and starting on one side of the mount, smear the dough bit by bit, starting at the top of the mound and then sliding your plan down the side and along the work surface, until most of the butter chunks are smeared into the dough and the dough comes together. Do this once or twice on each part of the dough, moving throughout eh mound until the whole mess has been smeared into a cohesive dough with streaks of butter.
- Gather up the dough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and press down to flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.