Our annual apple picking trip this month means one thing in my house- apple pie season has begun!!! Our family went with our church to an apple orchard to pick apples. Thirty three dollars and two huge bags of apples later (and little bellies aching with too many apples eaten, not put in the bag...), we are ready for some apple pie!!!! I have been making apple pies for as long as I can remember (especially because this is my husband's favorite dessert).
Now, I know that I've informed everyone out there that baking is "a science" and recipes have to be followed exactly. For apple pie, throw that all out the window.
Let me explain. Each apple is a different size, taste and texture. No two apples are alike. Apple pie is mostly made up of apples so this has a huge effect on your final product. I will try to give you a recipe at the end of this post but keep in mind that this is one of the only baked goods I dont really use a recipe to make.
Lets discuss type of apples to use first. In general, the best baking apple in my opinion (despite what my sister-in-law says...Sorry Lisa) is Granny Smith. They are tart and crisp. They have what I call a meaty flesh that holds up well after baking without getting too mushy. I love my apple pie to be a little crunchy. If I wanted apple sauce I would eat apple sauce. The tartness also allows you to add as much (or as little) sugar as you want. Again, I prefer my pie to be not overly sweet. The WORST apple to bake with is Red Delicious. Delicious to eat, terrible from the oven. They lose their flavor and get very mushy. Making a pie with just Granny Smith works just fine but if you like, you can mix other apples in with them. I like a blend of Granny Smith and Gala apples. Yum. Now, on to how to cut them.
Another factor in how your pie turns out is how thick you make the slices. Usually I cut softer textured apples such as Gala, cortland or empire pretty thick. Granny Smith apples should be slice fairly thin.
Next, additions. I add about a cup of sugar to my pie but adjust based on the sweetness of the apples. I then add a sprinkle of cinnamon and about 1/2 c of flour. I would add a touch more flour for very juicy apples. Stir it up and taste it. If you get a nice sweet bite, taste the cinnamon and its not too watery, then its ready for the pie.
Put the apples in a ready to go pie crust, I usually use a deep dish pie pan. And make sure to stack those apples high! They will shrink as they cook. Dot the top with some butter and then top with either a crumb topping or another layer of crust to make a double crust pie. Seal the edges and make sure to cut slits in the top to let the steam escape. Brush with an egg whipped with a little water and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Ready to bake, let the magic happen! Your whole house will smell like fall. If you dont listen to any of my advice when making apple pie, please take my advice on this one: put a big piece of aluminum foil on the rack below your pie to catch drippings. You dont know how many times I've had to clean sugary apple juice off the bottom of my oven. And instead of having fall smell in your house, you'll have burnt sugar smell which is gross. You know the pie is done when its bubbling thick apple goop from the top and when you stick a knife in, it glides with little resistance. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below and I will answer them as best I can.
Enjoy one of my favorite times of the year, and in case you were wondering, yes, my kids did bring apples to their teachers...brown-nosers!
Andrea's Apple Pie
1 double pie crust
6-8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 C sugar
1/2C flour
1TB cinnamon
Butter to dot the top (around 2TB)
Egg wash for the top
Mix apples, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a big bowl adding extra sugar as needed. Layer the apples into an unbaked pie crust in a deep dish pie plate if you have it. Stack them high and tight. Dot top of apple pile with butter chunks. Cover with second crust. Make sure to take time to seal the edges and crimp as desired. Cut about four slits in top to allow steam to escape. Mix one egg and a little water and brush on top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake in oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour, checking occasionally to make sure pie edges arent burning. Pie is done when bubbling from the top and a knife glides through the apples with little resistance.
