Best Homemade Harvest Apple Pie
Submitted by kathi
Best homemade harvest apple pie: a tender egg-and-vinegar crust filled with cinnamon-spiced Granny Smith apples and a brown sugar crumb, splashed with cider and finished with pastry apple cutouts.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
110 minCOOK
40 minREADY
150 minThis is apple pie dressed for autumn, from a pastry crust trimmed with little dough apples to a filling sweetened with real apple cider. It is a project pie, the kind worth making when you want to show off.
The crust is the secret weapon. A beaten egg adds richness and structure, while a splash of cider vinegar tenderizes the dough by keeping the gluten in check, the trick behind a crust that is both flaky and forgiving to roll, even for nervous bakers.
The filling skips the usual loose sugar toss. Instead, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a little flour are cut with shortening into crumbs, then tumbled with tart Granny Smith slices, which cling and bake into a thick, spiced coating. A sprinkle of cider over the top deepens the apple flavor.
A milk-and-sugar wash gives the top crust its golden, sparkly finish, and those apple cutouts make it look like it came from a bakery window.
Pro Tips
- The egg and vinegar make this dough sturdy and tender; chill it well, then roll on a lightly floured surface for easy handling.
- Use firm, tart baking apples like Granny Smith so they hold their shape and don’t turn to mush.
- Shield the crust edges with foil for the last 10 minutes if they brown too fast.
- Cool the pie to barely warm before slicing so the filling sets instead of running.
Variations
- Mix in a sweeter apple like Honeycrisp for a more balanced filling.
- Add a pinch of nutmeg, cloves, or a handful of raisins.
- Crumble extra brown-sugar mixture on top for a Dutch crumb-topped version.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
For crust:
Combine flour, granulated sugar and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter flavor shortening, using a pastry blender or 2 knives until all flour is blended in to form pea size chunks.
Combine water, egg and vinegar. Pour into flour mixture. Mix lightly with a fork until dough forms a ball.
Divide dough in half. Press between hands to form two 5 to 6 inch pancakes. Wrap in plastic or aluminum foil. Refrigerate.
Flour rolling surface and pin lightly. Roll dough for bottom crust into a circle. Trim 1inch larger than upside down 9 inch pie plate.
Loosen dough carefully. Fold into quarters. Unfold. Press into pie plate. Trim edge even with pie plate.
For Filling:
Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter flavor shortening with a fork until crumbs form.
Toss apples with crumb mixture. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle cider over filling.
Roll top crust same as bottom. Use a cookie cutter to make a cut out in the center. Remove cut out. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and cinnamon. Bake separately.
Place on top of pie halfway through the baking time. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Lift top crust onto the filled pie.
Press edges together. Cut even with the edge of pie plate. Use tiny apple cutter to make vents in top crust for escape of steam.
Use cutter to make additional tiny apple cut outs from extra pastry. Brush rim with water. Press apple cut outs gently in place all around edges.
For Glaze:
Brush top with milk. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Bake at 375℉ (190℃) for 30 to 40 minutes.
Cover edge of pie with foil the last 10 minutes, if necessary to prevent over browning. Cool until barely warm or to room temperature before serving.
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
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