Yields:
1
Prep Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs
Jump to recipeWhen it comes to quintessential American desserts, it doesn't get much more patriotic than this apple pie recipe. It was developed by former White House Executive Pastry Chef, Bill Yosses and it was President Obama's favorite dessert.
This pie is stuffed to the gills with apples—a mixture of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp to be exact—and topped with a buttery crust fit for a president, prime minister or whoever else might stop in at the White House. To keep that crust perfectly crisp and avoid a soggy bottom, Chef Yosses insists that is important to par-bake your bottom crust before adding you apple filling.
We love this pie on it's own but if you really feel a need to top it off we recommend some fresh whipped cream or, if you're up for a challenge, homemade vanilla ice cream. Any way you serve it, this pie will be welcome with open arms onto any dessert table.
Tried this recipe? Let us know how it came out in the comments below!
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Ingredients
For pie dough:
- 3 cups
all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp.
salt, divided
- 10 oz.
(2 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6-7 tablespoons ice water
- 1
egg
For apple pie filling:
- 3 lb.
apples, skinned, cored, and cut into 1/2" wedges (Honeycrisp, Gala, Granny Smith, Macintosh)
- 1 cup
granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup
artisanal honey, preferably local
- 1/3 cup
cornstarch
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp.
ground cinnamon
- 1
lemon, zested and juiced
Directions
For crust:
- Step 1In a food processor, briefly pulse together the flour and 1/2 tsp salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms chickpea-size pieces. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until mixture is just moist enough to hold together. (For a more traditional pie crust, you can replace 1 oz. of the butter with 1 oz. lard which gives the crust flavor and a crisp snap when baked.)
- Step 2Divide the dough into two equal amounts and form dough into balls. Press down into circles and wrap the circles with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out and lining the pie pan.
- Step 3To prepare the pie shell, roll out the two pieces of chilled down on a lightly floured flat surface to rounds about 14” diameter. Use one of the rounds to line a greased pie pan, leaving a 1" overhang. Chill the dough in the pie pan for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Refrigerate the other round until needed for the pie top.
- Step 4To bake bottom crust, preheat oven to 375°. Remove the pie pan with the bottom crust from the refrigerator, fold the edge of the overhang under itself, and pinch the dough to form a fluted edge. Place aluminum foil directly onto the crust and fill with baking weights, rice, or navy beans to hold it in place.
- Step 5Bake the pie shell for 30 minutes.
- Step 6Remove from oven and take out the foil and baking weights, allow pie shell to cool.
For pie:
- Step 1In a large saucepan, lightly toss together fruit, sugar sifted with cornstarch, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon juice and zest. Allow this fruit mixture to stand for 20 minutes.
- Step 2Preheat the oven to 375°. Place the saucepan over medium heat and heat the fruit mixture, stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil about 10 minutes, and the mixture has thickened slightly. Watch that the fruit does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool.
- Step 3Mix the egg and 1 tsp. salt and, using a pastry brush, paint the rim of the pre-baked pie shell. Fill with the semi-cooked fruit filling and then remove the second round of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator and lay it over the filling, pressing very gently around the edges to make sure the egg wash seals the top pie dough to the bottom pre-baked crust. With a paring knife, puncture the top pie dough in a wide circle about 10 times with the tip of the knife to form steam vents. With a pastry brush, paint the top dough with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Step 4Bake the pie for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the pie filling is starting to bubble out the vents and the top pie crust is golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
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