Mostly positive reviews on the pies this week. Plus, we had a rogue baker as is our tradition here at Baked Sunday Mornings (who can blame Yael for going with chocolate?)!
Leave Your Links: Classic Apple Pie
Pie pie pie pie! Let’s see those pies….
In the Oven: Classic Apple Pie
Mmmmm, pie! Next up on the schedule: a Classic Apple Pie. Posting date is October 22!
Classic Apple Pie
Author:
Serves: One 9-inch pie
Ingredients
- Classic Pie Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
- 3⁄4 cup ice cold water
- Classic Apple Pie
- 2 balls of Classic Pie Dough
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 7 medium Granny Smith apples
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon whiskey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar
Instructions
Make the classic pie dough
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together.
- Cut the cold butter into cubes and toss the cubes in the flour mixture to coat. Put the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the pieces of butter are the size of hazelnuts.
- While pulsing in quick, 4-second bursts, drizzle the ice water into the food processor through the feed tube.
- As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, remove it from the food processor and divide it into two equal balls. Flatten to a disk and wrap each disk first in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the disks until firm, about 1 hour. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.)
Make the Classic Apple Pie
- Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap one of the balls of chilled dough and put it directly on the work surface. Roll out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to a pie dish and carefully work it into the pie dish, folding any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go. Wrap and freeze the crust until firm, about 2 hours, or up to 3 months.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the light brown sugar. Peel and core the Granny Smith apples, then cut them into 1/8-inch wedges.
- Heat the butter over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Swirl the saucepan occasionally until the butter begins to brown. As soon as the butter is evenly browned, add half of the apple wedges and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, or until the apples are softened.
- Add the remaining apples and the cornstarch/sugar mixture. Mix until the sugar has melted, then add the vanilla, whiskey, and cinnamon to the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and thick. Do not overcook.
- Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap the remaining ball of chilled dough and roll out into a 12-inch round.
- Pour the pie filling into the frozen pie crust, and top with the second dough round. Trim the dough, leaving a 1⁄2-inch overhang. Crimp the edges together, brush with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Cut 3 steam vents into the top crust.
- Bake the pie until the filling bubbles and the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Cool the pie on a rack for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
[i]How to store[/i]: The pie can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.
Roundup: Brown Butter Apple Cranberry Galette
This one was a hit! And so many beautiful galettes – pretty sure we’ve never had a better looking round-up.
Leave Your Links: Brown Butter Apple Cranberry Galette
In the Oven: Brown Butter Apple Cranberry Galette
We’re in the full swing of fall baking — next up, a brown butter apple cranberry galette! Posting date is November 22.
Brown Butter Apple Cranberry Galette
Author:
Serves: One 10- by 14-inch (25- by-36-cm) galette
Ingredients
- For the Galette Dough
- 4 ounces (1 stick/115 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (12-mm) cubes
- ¼ cup (50 g) very cold vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch (12-mm) cubes
- Ice cubes
- 1½ cups (170 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
- ¾ cup (90 g) cake flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- For the Spiced Apple Filling
- 3 Granny Smith apples
- ½ cup (55 g) fresh cranberries, or dried (65 g), or frozen (60 g), thawed and drained (see Baked Note)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ounces (½ stick/55 g) unsalted butter
- For the Assembly
- 3 tablespoons very fine bread crumbs or panko
- 1 tablespoon sanding sugar
- Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Instructions
Make the Galette Dough
- Place the butter and shortening in a small bowl and freeze for at least 15 minutes and up to 30.
- Add ¼ cup (60 ml) water to a measuring cup. Add a few ice cubes to the water to keep it cold, and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Place both flours, the sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the cold butter and shortening chunks. Pulse until the mixture is coarse and pebbly, with a few small chunks of butter and shortening still visible, 5 to 7 quick pulses. Remove the ice water from the freezer. Add 1 tablespoon ice water to the dough at a time, pulsing in between, until the mixture just starts to come together; it will likely take 3 to 4 tablespoons. Keep pulsing until a mass forms or until a pinch of dough in your fingers holds together. Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface and bring it together by kneading gently but briefly. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Make the Spiced Apple Filling
- Peel and core the apples. Slice them into very thin (about 1⁄8-inch/3-mm) slices. Place the apples in a large bowl and toss together with the cranberries. Sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt over the fruit and toss again until the fruit is well coated and the mixture is combined.
- Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the foam subsides and the butter turns a light nut brown, 3 to 4 minutes; watch carefully so it does not burn. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool, about 5 minutes (pick up the pan and swirl it constantly to cool the butter more quickly). Remove 2 tablespoons of the butter to a small glass or mini prep bowl, then pour the remaining melted butter over the fruit mixture and toss with your hands to combine.
Assemble the Galette
- Place a 12-by-16-inch (30.5-by-40.5-cm) piece of parchment paper on a work surface and sprinkle it with a tiny bit of flour. Sprinkle the chilled dough with a little flour and place it on the parchment. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rough rectangle 1⁄8 to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) thick that covers or almost covers the parchment, sprinkling the dough with flour if necessary. Lift the parchment with the dough and place it inside a half sheet pan. Refrigerate the dough in the pan for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle the bread crumbs in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch (5-cm) empty border from the edge. Use your hands to lift the apples out of the bowl, shake them gently to remove excess liquid, and arrange decoratively (we like slightly overlapping concentric circles or a spiral pattern) over the bread crumbs, again keeping a 2-inch (5-cm) border all the way around. Next, use your hands to remove the cranberries from the bowl, leaving excess liquid behind (if using dried cranberries, give a slight squeeze to remove excess liquid), and arrange them in a circle in the center of the galette over the apples. Feel free to sprinkle the apples with a few tablespoons of the juice, but no more; discard any remaining liquid. Use the parchment paper to help turn the plain border of dough over the apples, using your fingers to pinch together any tears (much of the apple filling will be left exposed). Using a pastry brush, brush the reserved brown butter onto the dough and exposed apples. Sprinkle the dough and apples with the sanding sugar.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the crust is browned; try lifting the corner of the galette with a metal spatula—the bottom should be browned as well. (If the top of the galette crust or the fruit begins to brown too much before the galette is baked through, tent the top with foil for the remaining baking time.) Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, if you like.
Notes
[i]How to store[/i]: The best way to store leftover galette is to allow it to cool completely, then wrap tightly and refrigerate. Rewarm in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 10 minutes, until warmed throughout. Galette, like pie, will get soggy starting on the third day.