By Sarah Murphy-Kangas, In Praise of Leftovers
You definitely need to refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it out. I found getting a rectangular shape was much less forgiving than a round one, and had to patch things up a bit. In the end, the patching didn’t affect the final product at all (especially with your friend Icing to cover imperfections). And this crust recipe makes a bit more than you’ll need, but that’s good–to make a rectangle, you’ll need to trim the edges anyway. You could definitely use Granny Smith apples here, but I really love the vanilla-like sweetness of good Golden Delicious. And that there’s no cinnamon in this pie. Gives it a whole different flavor. And one more thing – the photo is only HALF of what this recipe makes – it fits just barely on a standard baking sheet.
For dough:
3-1/2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 cubes) + 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces
3 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening, cut into 3 pieces
1/3 cup ice-cold water
For filling:
4-5 cups thinly sliced Golden Delicious apples (about 8 small or 6 medium-large)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons flour
For assembly:
1 egg
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To make the dough:
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and vegetable shortening and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 10 to 12 pulses. Sprinkle 1/3 cup cold water over the mixture and pulse until the dough just starts to come together, 8 to 10 pulses more. If the mixture seems dry, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time. Do not overprocess.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and gather it into a rectangle that’s about 8 by 12 inches. Flatten slightly, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
To make the filling:
Combine thinly sliced apples with sugar, flour, and vanilla. Gently mix.
To assemble and bake:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water.
2. On a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dought into a 1/8-inch thick, 12×18-inch rectangle. Be sure to loosen the dough several times and reflour underneath so it doesn’t stick. Trim the dough into an 11×16-inch rectangle and transfer it back to the baking sheet. Turn the baking sheet so that a long side faces you, and brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Spread the apple filling evenly over the bottom half of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold the top half of the dough over the filling, pressing along the edges to secure the sides. Press lightly along the edges with the back of a fork to seal. Brush egg wash all over the top of the dough. Using a paring knife, cut 5 small steam vents in the dough at about 3-inch intervals.
3. Bake until the pie is golden brown, 45-55 minutes. Cool completely.
4. In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla to form a smooth glaze that’s just fluid enough to drizzle. With a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the top of the pie. Allow to set at least 2 hours before serving.
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