GF Apple Mini Slab Pie
I love apples. All apples. Really, there's an apple for just about every mood.
Lately I've been feeling somewhat sentimental and lovey. Granny Smith is the perfect apple for today. It lends itself to be sweetened like a lemon, but once sweetened, it really does feel a bit like a hug from grandma. Notes of nostalgic nutmeg, lots of warm cinnamon, and brown sugar make this the classic apple pie
to go with your favorite ice cream or mellow medium roast cup of coffee.
About the crust. I'll admit that it can be a bit tricky to pull off the very first time. It's of the utmost importance to use the right GF flour blend. Antimo Caputo GF Flour performed well when I used it to make the crust for this pie. It's one of the most interesting GF flours on the market, because it actually contains a deglutinated
wheat starch. This, and other key ingredients give it the flexibility you'll need when rolling out and shaping the crust. On that note, Caputo GF flour DOES contain wheat, so it should be avoided by those with wheat allergies. If you're a bit ambitious, just know that it is possible to make a flaky delicious gluten-free crust with only 4 simple ingredients. It can be helpful to roll your dough between layers of waxed paper, using the ends of the paper to assist you in doing your folds, as I'll mention later in the directions.
I'm usually a sucker for Honeycrisps, but lately I've had a penchant for tart, crisp Granny Smiths. They work best for this pie, in my opinion. Especially if you choose to dress up the crust with sparkling sugar. It keeps the sweetness level in balance, and the flavor profile of the recipe as written. The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity.
Tools and utensils you will need:
Melon baller (to core the apples)
Crust:
Ingredients:
2 gluten-free flour (Antimo Caputo GF Flour is recommended; or any 1-1 GF all-purpose flour that contains xanthan gum or guar gum.)
260 g cold European-style butter, cubed
5 g sea salt
120 g ice cold water
Whisk together GF flour and sea salt.
Put cubed butter in the bottom of a large-capacity food processor.
Pour the flour mixture over the butter cubes.
Close the lid and pulse for 20-22 quick pulses.
Pour the chunky mixture into a large heavy bowl.
Evenly drizzle a thin stream of the cold water over the flour mixture while gently tossing through it with a large fork. Don't feel tempted to add more than 10 additional grams of water.
Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured slab and gather the dough into a ball. It may seem difficult to make it all stick together, but you can do it!
Wrap the dough in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour. (It is preferable to set the dough on a wire rack in the refrigerator so that the cold air can circulate evenly around the dough ball.
Now's the fun part! Roll out a 2 1/2' sheet of waxed paper and dust it with the GF flour. Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap it and place it in the center of the length and width of the waxed paper. Cover it with a paper towel and let it rest at room temperature for 8 to 10 minutes, maximum.
Remove paper towel. Flour your hands while over the dough ball to lightly dust it. Now, with floured hands, gently flatten the dough ball slightly. Then, dust a little more flour on the dough ball.
With a non-stick rolling pin, roll dough into an 8 1/2" x 11" rectangle. Dust off excess flour from surface of dough rectangle with a pastry brush. Use the ends of the waxed paper underneath to gently fold the dough in thirds, like a letter. Make sure to brush off the excess flour between the layers. That's important if you want to see layers in your finished product. You've now completed a "turn". Now the dough block (rectangle) needs to go back in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to bring the butter in contains back down to the proper laminating temperature.
Do two more turns, remembering to dust with flour when needed, and brushing away excess flour between layers. Use a new sheet of waxed paper whenever it is needed.
Refrigerate to dough block for 20 minutes.
Do two more turns, and refrigerate the dough block for 1 hour, or until ready to use. For best results, shape and bake the dough within 1 to 2 days.
Pie Filling
Ingredients:
8 extra fancy Granny Smith apples, approximately 700 g (peeled, cored and sliced 1/4" thick)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or more if you want
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 level tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of sea salt
Directions
Combine apples, brown sugar, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large saucepan, or cast iron Dutch oven. Toss ingredients until well coated.
Apply medium heat and gently toss and stir until sugar coating liquifies.
When sauce around apples begins to bubble, keep stirring apples until the mixture thickens to desired consistency, 5 to 8 minutes more.
Transfer apple mixture to a heatproof bowl, and allow it to cool to room temperature. If using up to a day later, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembly
Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon cream or half and half
Sparkling sugar
Preheat oven to 355 degrees.
Measure and cut 3/4 of the dough block, wrapping up the 1/4 piece to return to the refrigerator until ready to use.
Roll out dough on floured marble slab or pastry board to a 9 x 9" square.
Cut into 1/2" strips with pastry cutter.
Lay 8 strips, spaced evenly across the filled pan.
Gently fold back every other strip about 4". Lay down a strip perpedicular to the others, and weave it in, folding back the flap to enclose it. Continue doing this until the entire top of pie is woven. Use remaining two strips to decorate the pie as you choose.
Beat together egg and cream in small bowl. Egg wash the entire pie, taking care not to egg wash the cut ends of the strips. Sprinkle the top of the crust decoratively with sparkling sugar.
Bake for 44 minutes or until golden and super fragrant. Allow to slightly cool before serving.
Enjoy, and have a miraculous day.
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