Oatmeal Crusty Top Apple Pie
Submitted by alisao
Oatmeal crusty top apple pie pairs a tender lard-and-oat bottom crust with a brown sugar streusel topping. Cinnamon-spiced apples bake under a crunchy oat crumble for a single-crust pie that drinks like dessert and breakfast at once.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
35 minREADY
60 minOatmeal crusty top apple pie cuts the fuss of a double-crust pie in half. Instead of fighting a top sheet of dough, you scatter an oat-and-brown-sugar crumble over the apples and let the oven do the rest. The streusel goes deep golden and crisp while the fruit underneath collapses into a soft, cinnamon-spiced jam.
The bottom crust gets the same oat treatment with a small amount of lard for old-school flake. It rolls a touch more tender than standard pastry, but a metal spatula slides under the dough nicely and any tears patch up with finger pressure.
Pro Tips
- Use firm baking apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn. Soft varieties like Red Delicious turn to mush and weep too much liquid.
- Toss the sliced apples with the brown sugar and cinnamon right before filling the shell. Sitting too long pulls juice out and makes the bottom soggy.
- Cut the lard cold straight from the fridge. Soft lard blends instead of staying in pea-sized pockets, and pockets are what make pastry flake.
- If the topping browns before the apples are tender, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Variations
- Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the streusel for extra crunch and richness.
- Swap a tablespoon of the brown sugar for maple syrup in the filling and finish with a pinch of nutmeg.
- Use butter in place of margarine in the topping for deeper flavor and better browning.
Ingredients
Directions
For pastry, stir oats, flour and salt, then cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Blend in water and form into ball of dough with fingertips.
Let stand 5 minutes, then roll to fit an 8 or 9 inch pie plate.
It is a bit tender to lift, so pass a spatula under as you fold it in two.
If it breaks, simply join it together.
To fill, stir apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Pack into pie shell.
To top, mix oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Cut in margarine until mixture is crumb-like, then cover apples.
Bake for 35 minutes at 375℉ (190℃) F, or until golden brown on top.
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