PIE CRUST
YIELD: 2 all-butter pie crusts - one to fit a 9” pie tin generously, and one for the lattice top
INGREDIENTS
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2 sticks (226g) very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes
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300g Ground Up All Purpose Flour or Pastry Flour
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½ tsp fine sea salt
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½ cup (120g) ice water (+ a few tablespoons as needed)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the pie crust:
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Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter cubes and toss to combine, then use a pastry cutter or fork to cut and crumble the butter pieces into the flour until the butter pieces are about pea-sized or lentil-sized and the flour/butter mixture looks pebbly. Add the water and mix with a fork, hydrating the flour-butter mixture, until it begins to hold together. Fresh, stone-milled flour is thirsty, so you may need to add a bit more water, but do it sparingly, one tablespoon at a time, only until the dough is moist and no dry flour remains.
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Dump this mixture onto your kitchen counter and bring it together with your hands in a gentle kneading action. Fold the dough over itself a few times, but don’t overmix it. You should still be able to see chunks of marbled butter in the dough. Bring the dough together and form into two equal discs. Wrap the discs in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days) before rolling.
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When ready to roll, lightly flour your work surface, your rolling pin and both sides of the chilled dough disc. Remove one dough disc from the fridge. Bang it a few times with your rolling pin to soften it up, and then begin to roll it into a flattened circle. Roll from the middle outwards towards the ends, rotating the dough as you go, making sure it is not sticking to your counter. You can use a dough scraper to free up any sticky bits. Roll the dough into roughly an 11” circle.
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Fit the dough into your pie tin, gently pressing it to the bottom and sides, leaving about ½” overhang all around. You may need to trim some scraps, but leave this until the end. Chill your crust again at this point until you are ready to fill it.
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Repeat the rolling out process with your second dough disc. Once you have a 12” circle, cut the dough into strips using a pastry or pizza cutter. Transfer strips to a cookie sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
PIE FILLING
INGREDIENTS
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3 ½ lbs apples, any variety of a single apple or a mix of any kind, cut into wedges. (You can peel your apples, but I like the skins on for added color).
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2 tablespoons unsalted butter
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¼ tsp ground allspice
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½ tsp ground cinnamon
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¼ tsp fine sea salt
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¾ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
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2 tablespoons Ground Up All Purpose Flour
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2 tsp cornstarch
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1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
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1 egg, lightly beaten
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the filling:
Melt the butter in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat and add apples to the pan. Sir to coat fruit with butter and cook, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk together the spices, salt and ¾ cup sugar, and sprinkle this over the pan, stirring to combine. Lower heat and cook until apples have started to soften, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and cornstarch over the apples and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, add cider vinegar, stir and scrape the fruit mixture into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
Assemble the pie:
When you are ready to bake your pie, place a large baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 425°F.
Remove the panned pie crust from the refrigerator and dock it all over with a fork, then put the cooled pie filling into it. (You must make sure your pie filling is completely chilled before filling, or you will melt the butter on the bottom of your pie crust - this leads to the dreaded soggy bottom!)
Lay the lattice topping across the top of your filled pie in an alternate weave pattern to create a basket weave (Google it for a video!). Trim the edges of your lattice strips to match the length of your overhanging bottom pie dough, then roll the bottom edges up over the lattice top strips. Do a finger crimp or fork press to seal the edges.
Return the whole assembled pie to the refrigerator for a final chill - depending on how fast you worked, and how hot your kitchen is, this should be at least 15 minutes and it could be up to several hours or overnight. You really want your assembled pie to be truly cold before it hits your hot oven. The quick steam created when the cold pie hits your hot oven is what will create a deliciously tall and flaky crust.
Bake the pie:
Once your pie is completely chilled and you are ready to bake, brush the visible crust (lattice strips and edges) with egg wash. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar over the top.
Bake on a clean cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 425°F, then lower the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for another 30-45 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden.
Cool completely before serving.
