Jess’ Favorite Apple Pie
I make this Apple Pie every year! It is very easy and always tastes delicious. The crust comes together in a few steps and, as someone who is not very detail oriented when it comes to pies, it’s the perfect one because you just plop the crust on top and cut a few holes. It uses ten apples, the secret here is unfiltered apple cider/juice (NOT VINEGAR) - this makes it very nicely sweet and caramel-y.
Truth be told, I am a little lazy with the crust…
The recipe is by Claire Saffitz at Bon Appetit; I make a few modifications:
Dough Ingredients:
3½ (438 g) cups organic flour (I mixed 2 cups of our white flour and 1 ½ cups of our pastry flour)
2 Tbsp. organic cane sugar
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt (I used our kosher flaky salt)
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) chilled organic butter, cut into pieces (I freeze the pieces)
2 Tbsp. organic apple cider vinegar
Filling Ingredients:
4lb. organic firm, sweet-tart apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced (about 10 apples, I used honey crisp)
⅓ cup packed organic dark brown sugar (I only used 1/4 cup)
¼ cup organic cane sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (I didn’t have lemons so I used organic apple cider vinegar)
2 tsp. ground organic cinnamon
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp. ground organic allspice
¼ tsp. ground organic cardamom
organic white flour (for surface)
1½ cups unfiltered apple cider (JUICE - NOT vinegar)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 Tbsp. cornstarch (I used organic potato starch)
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Raw sugar (for sprinkling)
DOUGH
Pulse 3½ cups flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1½ tsp salt in food processor to combine. Add 1½ cups (3 sticks) frozen butter chunks pieces, and process until largest pieces of butter are pea-size. Transfer to a large bowl.
Combine 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and ½ cup ice-cold water in a small bowl and drizzle over flour mixture, mixing with a fork to combine. Mix until shaggy pieces form, then knead in bowl a couple of times with your hands to bring together (dough will look very clumpy, dry, with loose bits).
Transfer large clumps of dough to work surface, drizzle 1 Tbsp. ice water over remaining flour mixture in bowl and knead again to bring it together.
Place on top of dough on work surface. Working with half of the dough, press into a single mass, incorporating dry bits, then pat down to make a ¾"-thick square.
Using a bench scraper or knife, divide dough into 4 pieces. Stack pieces on top of one another, placing any unincorporated dry bits in between layers, and press down to combine. Form dough into a ¾"-thick disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
Repeat with remaining dough. Chill at least 2 hours.
FILLING & ASSEMBLY
Toss 4 lb. (10) apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced, 1/4 cup brown sugar, ¼ cup cane sugar, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (or ACV), 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. ground allspice, and ¼ tsp. ground cardamom in a large bowl to coat. Let apples sit until they start to release their juices, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
Let pie dough sit at room temperature 5 minutes to soften. Working one at a time, roll out disks of dough on a lightly floured surface ⅛" thick. Stack on a parchment-lined baking sheet, separating layers with a sheet of parchment, and chill while you prepare the filling.
Place 1½ cups unfiltered apple cider in a medium saucepan and scrape in seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking occasionally, until reduced by two-thirds.
Pour off juices that have accumulated in bowl of apples and add to apple cider. Return to a boil and cook until reduced to about ½ cup.
Stir 2 Tbsp. potato starch (or cornstarch) into 3 Tbsp. cold water in a small bowl to dissolve, then whisk into apple cider.
Cook, whisking constantly, until cider mixture is very thick and bubbling, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly, then scrape over apples; toss to coat.
Carefully transfer dough round to pie dish. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish (if too cold to be pliable, let it warm up slightly first). Press dough firmly against sides and bottom of plate. Trim, leaving about 1" overhang.
Beat 1 large egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl and brush over edges of dough.
Scrape apple mixture into bottom crust, creating a mound in the center; dot filling with 2 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces.
Place remaining dough round over filling. Trim edges of top round, leaving a ½" overhang. Fold edge of bottom round up and over; press together to seal. Crimp edge and brush top with remaining egg wash.
Sprinkle with demerara sugar and use a sharp knife to cut a few vents in top.
Place pie pan on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill in freezer 10 minutes and place oven rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 375°.
Bake pie until top crust is deep golden brown and juices from apple pie filling are thick and bubbling, 1½–2 hours (yes: 2 hours!). Transfer pie to a wire rack; let pie cool at least 4 hours before serving.
Original recipe can be found here: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bas-best-apple-pie
