Deep Dish Apple Pie
I got my deep dish apple pie recipe, as great recipes come, through an intricate pipeline of friends with magazine clippings copied multiple times. My lovely collaborative pianist Madeline and her husband Charlie are very proud of their apple pie recipe - and with good reason. This recipe is made for a deep dish pie specifically, but it works with a standard 9 inch pie plate just as well.
Please use tart apples and an all-butter crust. A good apple pie is a study in contrasts, and every element has to be just right to product that contrast. The crisp, sour flavor of the apple plays beautifully with the sugar and cinnamon, and an all-butter crust produces an exceptionally flaky crust in contrast with the thick, sweet filling.
I won’t judge you if you like your apple pie with a big slice of cheddar cheese. I WILL judge you if you like your apple pie with sweet apples.
Tips for Making Apple Pie
Pies from scratch take (at minimum) 4 hours, and for best results 2 days. Luckily, much of that time should be spent on the crust chilling. To assemble the pie, use this example timeline:
Make your pie crust in the evening
Make the filling the following day (when the pie has chilled for at least 8 hours in the fridge)
Roll out your pie crust and lay it into the dish
Fill the pie
Lay out the lattice
Bake
The chilling and cold ingredients in the crust are crucial. It is IMPERATIVE that you keep your crust cold during this process. You don’t want the butter to melt, or else it is a pain in the butt to handle and the crust won’t be as lovely and flaky. You can let your pie crust chill in the freezer for 2 hours if your timeline is a little shorter, but I don’t recommend it for 2 reasons:
You will have to slightly re-thaw the pie crust and then beat it with a rolling pin for a few minutes to make it pliable enough to work with.
As the pie crust sits in the fridge, the butter absorbs into the dough, and freezing can keep the butter in the dough more chunky.
If you’re making a big meal with lots of components, do yourself a favor and make the dough early and let it rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours, but up to a few days.
As far as the assembly goes, there are more than one ways to skin a cat, as they say. You can do a traditional lattice (as outlined below), or if you’re in a hurry, you can simply cover the top and cut some slits (à la Snow White) or use a pie bird to vent the steam! I love a traditional lattice as it adds that special homemade touch, but there’s tons of options!
How to Make Deep Dish Apple Pie
For the Pie Crust
Ingredients
2 1/2 c flour (preferably cold)
1 c (2 sticks) butter (frozen)
1/2 c iced water or vodka from the freezer
1 tsp granulated sugar (for color, optional)
1 tsp salt
Tools
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Cheese grater
Measuring cup
Rolling Pin
9” Springform Pan
Lattice cutter or
Instructions
Wash your hands. Making pastry is a very hands-on experience.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Using the side of a bell cheese grater with larger holes, grate the frozen butter into the flour. Use the wrapper of the butter or a piece of parchment paper to hold it, both to protect your skin from being grated and also to keep the butter from melting in your hands. Stir every so often to keep the butter from clumping. Do not overmix the butter or try to reduce its size, just make sure it’s evenly distributed and not clumpy.
Once the butter is fully incorporated, shape the mix into a loose dome in the center of the bowl. Begin dribbling the water or vodka along the side, and mix into the flour and butter using your hand like a scoop to keep it together. Do this until the dough has just begun to come together (do not overmix).
Prepare a lightly floured surface. Scoop up the pastry, and transfer to the flour surface. Using the heel of your hand (not your palm, it’s too hot), smear one side of the dough away from you about 6 inches. Scoop it back underneath, and do the same to the next piece of the dough. Do this until the dough just resembles a fully formed crust (about 5 or 6 times). This technique is called “fraisage” and it’s the final step to fully blending your pastry. You may still be able to see individual butter shards - that’s alright. They’ll absorb more into the dough.
Once your pastry is blended, form it gently into a smooth ball and cover it with an airtight wrap. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
After your crust has chilled enough, prepare your floured surface again. Begin rolling out your dough by rolling the pin into the pastry away from you, then lifting your dough, turning it 90 degrees and repeating. Sprinkle flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Roll the dough out this way until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. The high butter content makes this dough very springy so it may snap back into place several times.
Transfer the dough into a 9 inch springform pan and gently press on it to form it to the bottom. Use sharp kitchen scissors to cut off the excess crust around the edge.
Press the dough scraps into a ball shape, trying to eliminate gaps and lumps for easier rolling out later. Put the dough ball and the pie plate with crust into the fridge to keep the dough cold while you make the filling.
For the Pie Filling
Ingredients
6-7 tart apples
1 c sugar
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs cold butter, cut into pea-sized pieces
Tools
Mixing bowl
Mixing spoon
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Instructions
Peel, core, and dice apples into large chunks.
Whisk together sugar, flour, spices, and salt. Add apples and stir until evenly coated.
Pour into to deep dish plate with your pie crust. Spread lumps of butter evenly over the top of the apples.
Assembly
Tools/Ingredients
Remaining pie dough
Flour (for sprinkling)
1 Tbs sugar
Rolling Pin
Lattice cutter or pizza cutter
A ruler (for guidance)
Kitchen shears
A fork or spoon
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Roll out your extra pie dough. Using a ruler to guide you, cut the dough into strips about 1/2 inch thick.
Take half of the strips, and lay them 1/2 an inch apart in parallel rows on the top of the pie (loosely - you’ll press them into the edge of the crust later). It’s okay if they’re extra long at this stage.
From the remaining strips, place one at the edge of the pie (perpendicular to the strips on the pie) and weave it over-under-over-under. Add more strips, leaving 1/2 inch of space in between each. Repeat until the surface of the pie is covered in the lattice.
Trim the excess off the edge of the pie with kitchen shears. Use the tines of a fork or the dish of a tea spoon to press a pattern into the edge of the pie.
Sprinkle sugar over the top of the pie crust - it’ll make the pie a lovely color.
Bake for 50 minutes - or until the pie is golden brown and the pie is nice and crisp.
After removing from the oven, immediately remove the pie from the spring form pan to cool.
Eat and enjoy!
Did you make this? Drop your feedback!
