First attempt at apple pie

started with a google search and used Grandma Ople’s Allrecipes.com recipe. Apples are put into the crust, lattice top then bathed with concoction of white and brown sugar, butter, water, and flour. I added lemon juice to replace some of the water and made the volume more because in addition to Granny Smith, I used Envy and Honeycrisp, almost twice the number and volume of apples that the recipe called for, as I wanted it chock full of apples. Cheated and used a prepared T. Joe’s crust.

Came out more like an apple soup. Mistakes were undercooking, not enough lemon to compensate for the lower apple acidity, and too much volume of added liquid. Next time will be better but it tastes good!

We found that the best apple pie recipe was from Cory Schrieber’s “Wildwood” Cookbook. It’s probably out of print. The key steps are precooking half the apples so that they lose their moisture and making a spiced caramel sauce to hold the apples together. Incredibly good but takes the better part of a day to make.

Looks good Alan. For my taste, it’s all about the right balance of brown sugar, cinnamon and a firm, but not crunchy, crust.

My diet has prevented me from indulging in over a year, but Publix bakery sells an apple pie for like $4 that is a huge QPR.

Wait - the recipe called for added liquid? am I reading that right? if so, nope - just apples, sugar, cinnamon and some dabs of butter. My daughter used to also rub the lower crust with some cinnamon before adding the apples which was nice.

I think your lattice needs work. It tbat doesn’t look bad for a first try

I’m not convinced you can make a traditional apple pie that’s as good as a good Tarte Tatin.

Yes. I ran out of crust.

The recipe called for mixing butter, flour, white and brown sugar w water and pouring over the apples. I added lemon juice to it and cinnamon.

I made 4 mistakes—lousy top crust, luck of acidity, too much liquid added, didn’t cook it long enough.

I am not a baker, I’ll leave it to those with patience who don’t like to tinker.

Anything I try can’t compare to grandma, she still makes a ridiculously good oil crust simply by how it feels…unreal, I still don’t comprehend as baking is really science.

The science of baking is in the mix and quantities of ingredients. On that, it’s best to stick to the recipe, seasonings excepted. If you like more cinnamon or less ground cloves that shouldn’t affect the ‘chemical reaction’ part of it. The ART of baking is in how it feels. That takes time and practice to attain. Helps if Granny gives you pointers on the ‘feel’ part of baking. With Granny’s help and following the recipe to start, you may be surprised with the result!

Good on you, Alan. I love apple pie, but it’s not without risk! Check out this thread: In my last apple pie, the apples stayed crunchy... - Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes - WineBerserkers

Many often mistake “undercooking” the pie as the cause of still-crunchy apples. I did at one point, too. But, as you can see from the responses in the thread I posted, it was due to old apples. Using apples right now, months after harvest, can (not always) be a primary cause of a lousy apple pie.

didn’t know that.

One thing that would improve that pie: run it through the vitamix [wink.gif]

After I add lemon juice and sugar to the apples, I let them sit in a strainer over a bowl to collect all the juices. I then reduce the juices by at least half before stirring them back into the apple slices. Bake until the juices bubble up through the holes in the crust to make sure it has come up to temperature to activate the starch.

As for the lattice, I have found that weaving it on a cutting board is much easier. I put the board into the freezer while I prep the apples. Once frozen, the top crust easily slides onto the pie. It only takes a few minutes for it to soften up enough to crimp.

Here’s a picture of a lattice I recently did for a cherry pie.
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Christine, you had me at cherry pie. Sweet!

I’ve made more apple pies than I can ever count at this point. I’ve tried many recipes and techniques over time and my favorite was a version I adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum (The Pie & Pastry Bible) up until last year.

As mentioned in Brandon’s thread, depending on the time of year or the types of apples on hand, it was always guesswork as to the amount of sugar/spice/lemon needed per batch. I’ve found that precooking the filling makes a much better pie. I can taste the filling and adjust as needed. Also, because the fruit is softened already, it won’t shrink when baked, leaving a huge gap between the filling and the domed top crust. I’ve since adapted this recipe from Serious Eats to my liking: Gooey Apple Pie Recipe
I’ll reduce a cup of apple cider down to just a few tablespoons and add that syrup to the filling before heating it.

Make sure the filling is chilled before filling your crusts so that it won’t start melting the fat before baking. It’s a little more involved and takes more time/preplanning, but it’s worth it!




Beautiful.

very cool. How do you keep apples from browning/oxidizing while reducing sauce?

Once the apples have been tossed with lemon juice & sugar, they’ll stop browning long enough for you to reduce the juices. Bring them to a boil & swirl the pan. Make sure that it doesn’t burn — there’s a lot of sugar. Cook down until it’s thick. It might even turn to caramel when it hits the cool apples, but don’t worry, it’ll melt right into them.

I’m actually making one right now as it’s been requested for Super Bowl Dessert. I post any hints i can remember along the way.

Those are awesome Christine!

JD

absolutely.