My Apple Pies Are Square – ∏r2 –

Search for apple pie recipes and you’ll find two schools of thought.  The easy way out … buy pie crust in a can.  Or … the better way, keep reading.

Pastry Ingredients

(calculation are for 1 of 2 batches you’ll need to make)

• 2.5 Cups –  All Purpose Flour
• 2 Sticks (that’s right) – Very Cold Butter
• 1 Teaspoon – Salt
• 1 Teaspoon –  Sugar
• 7 Tablespoons – Ice Water

Pastry Preparation

1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in food processor.
2. Mix.
3. Add butter and pulse until mixture looks like coarse meal.
4. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture begins to bind together.  Stop adding water when it begins to stick to itself.  See photo with my fingers below.
5. Remove the dough and form into a ball, wrap with plastic-wrap and refrigerate.

[Prepare pie filling now]

Apple Pie Filling Ingredients

• 8 Each – Apples, Peeled and Cubed
• 1 1/4 Cup –  Sugar
• 3/4 Teaspoon – Ground Cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons – Butter

Apple Pie Filling Preparation

1. Toss ingredients in a large skillet and cook on low heat until apples begin to soften.

Putting it all together

• When filling is ready and cooled to room temperature, roll dough with a rolling pin on a liberally floured countertop until it is thin enough to cover your 9″ x 9″ square pie (casserole) pan.
• Dust pie pan with flour and insert pastry with sides overlapping.
• Fill with yummy pie filling.
• Wash pie crust with water or egg white / water mixture.  The interlocking seam really doesn’t need much binding
• Place top layer of pie crust.
• Trim excess, as required.  Leave enough pie crust to roll into a solid seam.
• Pinch top with fork for nice pattern at top.
• Split top of pie crust to prevent a “blow-out”.
• Preheat oven at 350 degrees
• Bake approximately 30 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown.
• Cool almost completely before cutting with sharp knife.

Enjoy!

BONUS

The most fun part of this process was using the extra apple mixture and pie crust to make mini-pies with the kids.  Yes, they all ate their own mini-pies and left the square pie for the adults.  Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.