If there is a sweet that lives in my heart, it is the Apple Pie! The combination of baked apples with a generous amount of cinnamon, all embraced by a light and fluffy short crust pastry, are the perfect combination to make me happy on a cold Fall afternoon!
And please, don’t come up with inventions and adaptations, because what I really like is the original pie! It is an incredible pie to share with family and friends, and so when i make it, i make it BIG!
You know that I like to know the story behind each recipe I bring to you. Its origins, curiosities, how it evolved over the time, so before we jump into the recipe let me tell you a little about the history of the famous Apple Pie.
Apple Pie is a dessert with an enormous popularity in the United States, but were the first European settlers who brought the recipe to North American lands. The first recipes of this pie date from medieval times.
“The typical American pie made from uncooked apples, fat, sugar, and sweet spices mixed together and baked inside a closed pie shell descends from fifteenth-century English apple pies, which, while not quite the same, are similar enough that the relationship is unmistakable.”
One of the first apple pie recipes appeared in England in 1390 and did not have any sugar, either in the filling or in the dough.
The big question is, “So why did the apple pie become an United States symbol?”
We already know that European settlers brought the recipe to the colonies, as well as the apples, which at that time did not exist in North America (only a few wild species extremely bitter which no one consumed). Of course that a recipe like this, easy, delicious and affordable, quickly made success and spread throughout American cuisine. During the Civil War, according to the book American Pie: an American Story, “both Union and Confederate troops scavenged for apples and commandeered the hearths—and flour bins—of white farmers and black tenants to bake pies.”
But it was only in the 20th that, through the media and the war, this dessert became a North American national symbol. The New York Times stated in 1902 that apple pie had become an “American synonym for prosperity”, and the mythical quote “as American as apple pie”, used by the journalist Charles Hurd to describe a World War II veteran was also used by the New York Times in 1928 to describe the domestic skills of the First Lady Lou Henry Hoover.
The Apple pie was then associated with the female love, with the warmth of home, with the coziness and during the Second World War the soldiers proudly proclaimed that they were fighting for the “mom and apple pie” in a clear allusion to the homeland.
Well, after this short summary about the apple pie and why it is considered a North American icon, we are more than ready to know the recipe and get hands on, right?
EASY | CHEAP | SWET | COZY | GENEROUS | FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Do not let be intimidated by the magnificent aspect of this pie, because although it looks super complex, it is very simple to make!
To make the short crust pastry, just mix all the ingredients, knead and let it rest for a few minutes, all in the name of the pie fluffiness.
The filling is made of two different layers, a layer of raw apples, previously sliced and macerated in sugar, and another layer of apples cooked with spices and port wine which, after being well cooked and reduced, create a divine filling!
The top of the pie is easier than it looks, but you can always create the pattern you prefer, or simply close with a simple dough circle. It is entirely up to your taste, time and patience.
This apple pie is a creation of @the_other_vegan, which again share with us a recipe to eat and cry for more!
So let´s move on and get to know all the details of this recipe and see how easy it is. Turn on the ovens and let’s go!
CRUST
6 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of yellow sugar
250gr of vegan butter
1 cup of cold water
1/2 coffee spoon of salt
FILLING
750gr of apples + 4 medium apples
1/2 cup + 2 tbs of water
3 tbs of yellow sugar
1 tsp of molasses
1/2 coffee spoon of nutmeg
2 tbs of Port wine
1 cinnamon stick
Juice of one lemon
GLAZE
1 tbs of rice syrup
1 coffee spoon of turmeric powder
1 tsp of water
CRUST
6 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of yellow sugar
250gr of vegan butter
1 cup of cold water
1/2 coffee spoon of salt
FILLING
750gr of apples + 4 medium apples
1/2 cup + 2 tbs of water
3 tbs of yellow sugar
1 tsp of molasses
1/2 coffee spoon of nutmeg
2 tbs of Port wine
1 cinnamon stick
Juice of one lemon
GLAZE
1 tbs of rice syrup
1 coffee spoon of turmeric powder
1 tsp of water
1- Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F).
2- Start by making the crust dough. In a bowl, add the flour, the sugar and the salt and mix. Add the butter and the water and knead all the ingredients for about 10 minutes until you reach a fluffy dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. If it sticks, add a little more flour and knead again.
3- Let the dough rest for about 25 minutes in a bowl covered with a dish towel.
4- In the meantime prepare the filling by washing the apples and cutting 750gr of it into little chunks that doesn´t need to be regular. Place this apple chunks in a saucepan over heat with the water, the sugar, the molasses, the nutmeg, the cinnamon stick, the port wine and the lemon juice. When it begins to boil, low the heat and let it reduce for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5- Slice finely the 4 apples that leftover, pour them into a bowl with 2 table spoons of yellow sugar, set aside and let them macerate for about 10 minutes.
6- Back to the crust, divide your dough in two, making one slightly larger (the bottom crust). Set the smaller one aside, and gently roll out the other half with the help of a rolling pin, and carefully drape over a 30cm tart pan with a removable bottom. Leave the edges hanging over and trim the areas of excess with a knife and add those back to the other dough. Pierce all the dough with a fork to prevent it from becoming blistered. Put it in the oven and let it bake for about 5 minutes. This step will prevent your bottom crust from getting uncooked in the end.
7- Remove your crust from the oven and start filling your pie with a first layer of the macerated apples, placing the slices one by one, side by side, until you fill the entire area. Sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon powder. Now add all the apple reduction filling on the top of your first layer and spread it all over the area. End with another layer of the macerated apples and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
8- Now grab the other half of the dough that left, roll out with a rolling pin, cut it into strips (of about 1cm) and do a lattice top, or just lay the whole dough over the apples for a traditional top, in this case you need to poke some little holes with a fork or knife, to let the steam escape. Crimp de edges with your fingers to close well the pie.
9- Bake your pie for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. After the first 15 min, brush the pie with the glaze previously made with the rice syrup, turmeric and water mixture. Put it back in the oven until the total time is completed and your pie crust is golden and gorgeous!
10- Let it cool completely before serving.
1- Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F).
2- Start by making the crust dough. In a bowl, add the flour, the sugar and the salt and mix. Add the butter and the water and knead all the ingredients for about 10 minutes until you reach a fluffy dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. If it sticks, add a little more flour and knead again.
3- Let the dough rest for about 25 minutes in a bowl covered with a dish towel.
4- In the meantime prepare the filling by washing the apples and cutting 750gr of it into little chunks that doesn´t need to be regular. Place this apple chunks in a saucepan over heat with the water, the sugar, the molasses, the nutmeg, the cinnamon stick, the port wine and the lemon juice. When it begins to boil, low the heat and let it reduce for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5- Slice finely the 4 apples that leftover, pour them into a bowl with 2 table spoons of yellow sugar, set aside and let them macerate for about 10 minutes.
6- Back to the crust, divide your dough in two, making one slightly larger (the bottom crust). Set the smaller one aside, and gently roll out the other half with the help of a rolling pin, and carefully drape over a 30cm tart pan with a removable bottom. Leave the edges hanging over and trim the areas of excess with a knife and add those back to the other dough. Pierce all the dough with a fork to prevent it from becoming blistered. Put it in the oven and let it bake for about 5 minutes. This step will prevent your bottom crust from getting uncooked in the end.
7- Remove your crust from the oven and start filling your pie with a first layer of the macerated apples, placing the slices one by one, side by side, until you fill the entire area. Sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon powder. Now add all the apple reduction filling on the top of your first layer and spread it all over the area. End with another layer of the macerated apples and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
8- Now grab the other half of the dough that left, roll out with a rolling pin, cut it into strips (of about 1cm) and do a lattice top, or just lay the whole dough over the apples for a traditional top, in this case you need to poke some little holes with a fork or knife, to let the steam escape. Crimp de edges with your fingers to close well the pie.
9- Bake your pie for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. After the first 15 min, brush the pie with the glaze previously made with the rice syrup, turmeric and water mixture. Put it back in the oven until the total time is completed and your pie crust is golden and gorgeous!
10- Let it cool completely before serving.
*Be careful when choosing the Port wine because not all are suitable for vegans (I used Dalva Porto LBV 2008).
*It can happen that some dough may be left over! Do not worry. Roll out the leftover dough, put some chocolate inside, close again, and take it to the oven for about 15 to 20 min! The result is beyond delicious!ond delicious!
*Be careful when choosing the Port wine because not all are suitable for vegans (I used Dalva Porto LBV 2008).
*It can happen that some dough may be left over! Do not worry. Roll out the leftover dough, put some chocolate inside, close again, and take it to the oven for about 15 to 20 min! The result is beyond delicious!ond delicious!
Tag @things_about_a_vegan_girl on instagram and hashtag it #thingsaboutavegangirl so we can see all the masterpiece you made!!!
Tag @things_about_a_vegan_girl on instagram and hashtag it #thingsaboutavegangirl so we can see all the masterpiece you made!!!