A summer essential: classic apple pie. Pie is a favorite in our family! My husband can’t get enough of it, and I especially love taking advantage of the fresh produce at the farmer’s market and grocery store this time of year to make a few sweet treats. I recently made this pie for our family’s 4th of July gathering but I think I may just make another one to bring to our church’s young adults gathering this weekend. It’s easier to make than you think, and it’s a crowd pleaser!
I chose to make my own pie crust from scratch. It really doesn’t take that much longer to do, but I totally understand opting for store bought! It’s less of a mess, and it makes this recipe easy as pie (Sorry, not sorry for the pun!). I’m going to include the recipe for both the pie filling and the crust – but feel free to only use one. Let’s hop into it!
Recipe altered from The Food Charlatan
Pie ingredients:
5 lbs baking apples (I used Gala)
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
5 Tbs flour
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 tsp of vanilla
Crust ingredients:
2 & ½ cups flour
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 & ½ sticks butter, cold
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup ice water
Instructions:
Wash, peel, core and thinly slice all the apples. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the apples to the pan along with all of the sugars and spices noted in the ingredient list, except the vanilla. Stir to evenly coat.
Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the apples are soft and caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Evenly spread on a baking sheet and allow to cool in the fridge while you prepare the pie crust.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Chop the butter and use your fingers to “rub” it into the flour mixture or use a pastry blender which is a lot easier; I just don’t have one. Form a well in the mixture and pour in half of the whisked egg into the center (save the rest of the egg to brush on the pie crust before it bakes) along with the ¼ cup of cold water. Use a spatula to combine, you may need to add a tablespoon or two more of ice water to help the mixture combine.
Once it starts to combine, use your hands to form it into a ball. Don’t overwork it. Split the ball into two even balls and wrap each in plastic wrap and allow them to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once the dough has chilled, roll out one the balls for the bottom of the pie and use the other for the top of the pie. You can simply cover the entire pie with the crust and cut a few slits, lattice the top or do a fun pattern like I did. Crimp and seal the edges of the crust. Use the leftover beaten egg to brush the pie. Sprinkle with sugar, place on a baking sheet to catch any filling spills and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 350 and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. During this second baking time you may want to cover the pie edges with foil to prevent them from burning, I used a silicone pie crust protector.
Remove the pie and allow it to cool. Slice, serve & enjoy!
