Apple pie

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Mix 325 g all-purpose flour, 12 g granulated sugar and 5 g salt in a large bowl, add 225 g cold diced unsalted butter and use your fingertips to press each piece of butter flat into the flour. The intact pieces of cold butter melt in the oven and create flaky layers. The mixture is ready when it looks like coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Drizzle 100 g ice water over the mixture a little at a time, tossing gently with a fork until the dough starts to come together. Use only as much water as you need, because too much makes the crust tough and prone to shrinking. The dough is ready when a handful squeezed in your palm holds together without feeling wet or sticky.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Divide the dough in two, one portion slightly larger, press each into a flat disk, wrap well and refrigerate for at least an hour. Resting lets the dough hydrate evenly and the butter firm up. The dough is ready when the disks are as firm as cold butter and flecked with streaks of butter.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Peel and core 1,200 g apples, slice them about half a centimeter thick, put them in a large bowl and toss right away with 15 g lemon juice. Moderately thick slices turn tender without collapsing into jam, and the lemon juice keeps them from browning. The apples are ready when the slices are even and still bright white.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Sprinkle 120 g granulated sugar, 50 g brown sugar, 25 g cornstarch, 4 g ground cinnamon and a pinch ground nutmeg over the apples, toss well and let them sit for about fifteen minutes. The cornstarch thickens the juices the apples release so the filling does not run. The filling is ready when the slices are evenly glossy with sugar and a little liquid has gathered at the bottom of the bowl.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Heat the oven to 220°C with a rack in the lowest position and a baking tray on the rack to heat along with the oven. The hot tray drives strong heat into the bottom of the pie plate so the bottom crust bakes crisp. The oven is ready after about twenty minutes of preheating.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Roll the larger disk into a circle about 30 cm across and roughly three millimeters thick, then roll it around the rolling pin and unroll it into a 23 cm pie plate, pressing lightly so it hugs the bottom and sides. Rolling the dough wider than the plate keeps it from being stretched, so it will not shrink back in the oven. The crust is ready when it covers the plate with about two centimeters of overhang.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Pile the apple filling into the crust, mounding it high in the center and leaving behind the juices pooled in the bottom of the bowl. Apples shrink a lot as they bake, so mounding them high keeps the pie from sinking. The filling is right when it is generous, a few centimeters higher than the rim, with the slices packed closely together.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Roll the remaining dough into a circle about 28 cm across, lay it over the filling, trim the excess, then tuck the edge of the top crust under the bottom crust and crimp it with your fingers. Tucking and crimping the edge keeps the filling from bubbling out. The edge is right when it is evenly sealed all around with a clear wavy pattern.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Beat 25 g eggs, brush a thin layer over the crust, sprinkle with 10 g granulated sugar and cut four or five small slits in the center of the top. The slits let steam escape so the crust does not puff up and crack. The top is ready when it is evenly glossy and the slits are clearly open.

    Mark step 10 as done

11. Step 11

    Set the pie plate on the hot tray in the oven and bake at 220°C for about 20 to 25 minutes. The high initial heat makes the butter in the crust steam quickly so the layers puff and the bottom does not turn soggy. Move on when the top crust starts to turn pale golden and firm up.

    Bake at 220°C for about 20 to 25 minutes.

    Mark step 11 as done

12. Step 12

    Lower the oven to 190°C and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes more, covering the edge with foil if it darkens too soon. This stage cooks the apples until tender and gives the cornstarch time to thicken the filling. The pie is done when the crust is deep golden brown and thick juices bubble slowly through the slits.

    Bake at 190°C for about 35 to 45 minutes.

    Mark step 12 as done

13. Step 13

    Set the pie on a rack and let it cool for at least three hours before slicing. The filling must cool completely for the sauce to set; cut too soon and it will run out. The pie is ready when the bottom of the plate is completely cool and a slice stands firm and holds its shape.

    Suggested time: about 180 minutes.

    Mark step 13 as done