Not everything your going to make will come out exactly as you had hoped. But all ways take from your mistakes and learn from them. While incredibly tasty this could have come out looking way better.
Dough
480g AP Flour
60g Sugar
10g Salt
3g Cinnamon
3 Sticks Butter Frozen
2-1/2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Vodka(or other high alchohol liquid)
Filling
– 2lbs. Pink Ladie (any firm, sweet apple)
– 2lbs. Granny Smith (any firm, sweet apple)
– 2Tbsp. Lemon Juice
– 1/3Cup(75g) Dark Brown Sugar
– 1/4 Cup(56g) Granulated Sugar
– 2Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon
– 1/2tsp. Kosher Salt
– 1/4tsp. Cardamom
– 1/2tsp. All Spice
– 1/2tsp. Nutmeg
– 1/4tsp. Clove
– 1/4tsp. Ginger
– 1 1/2Cups Apple Cider
– 1 Vanilla Bean (2tsp. Vanilla Extract)
– 2Tbsp. Corn Starch
Toppings (optional)
– 1 Large Egg
– 2Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
– Demerara Sugar (any raw, corse ground Sugar)
– Corn Syrup(optional
Method
Dough(can be made weeks ahead if frozen)
1. Freeze butter before using
2. Mix all of your dry ingredients well. And place in the freezer if you can.
3. Combine all of your wet ingredients and place in freezer for 10-15min to chill (have extra ice water on standby incase you need it for proper dough hydration)
4. Once your ready to make cube your butter and toss into the dry mix. Press butter to flatten it creating layers.
**If butter starts to melt, place in freezer for 5-10min to continue working**
5. Once you have crushed up all the butter into pea sized pieces, start pouring in you cold liquid.
**toss everything together at first to not overwork the dough**
6. Once dough becomes better hydrated and starts sticking together pour out onto a piece of parchment to shape into a square.
**splash ice water into dough if still to dry**
7. Cut square into fours and place ontop of each other and press down creating layers that will puff up,(repeat 2-3more times).
8. Dough makes top and bottom crusts, so divide into two discs, cover in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to make.
Filling
1. Start by coring and slicing up your 4lbs. of apples in 1/4″ thick slices. Place them into a large ice water bath with a splash of lemon juice to keep from turning brown(optional).
2. In a bowl mix together all of your spices and sugar.
3. Transfer apple slice into a colander for draining and toss your apples in your spice and sugar mixture.
4. Let apples sit in the colander inside a large bowl for at least 1hr. so the sugars pull the juices out of the apples.
** Hold onto these juices**
5. While the apples sit to drain, in a medium sauce pan, bring your apple cider and vanilla beans and vanilla bean stock to a simmer, and cook down till half its volume.
6. Pour any liquid you have collected from the apples into the saucepan and again cook down till half its volume
7. Mix your corn starch into a cup with about 4Tbsp. of water just so the corn starch mixes in better.
8. Pour corn starch into the simmering liquid and stir constantly until it boils and thick paste forms. Remove from heat.
9. Pour apple paste over apples and mix gently until well incorporated. Place in fridge and let cool completely before final assembly.
Final Assembly
1. With everything being chilled, roll out bottom crust and lay it into the pie dish. Place in fridge if it get to warm
2. Add apples into the pie dish(it WILL seem like a lot but it will cook down a lot.
3. Place in freezer for 5min just to chill it all down while you roll out top crust.
4. Place top crust over pie and crimp the edges any way you like, I like to fold the top crust under the bottom.
5. Now liberally brush with your egg wash mixture(1 Egg and a splash of milk) to help with browning. Then sprinkle with coarse sugar like raw sugar or demerara sugar.and place back in freezer till oven is preheated
6. Pre heat oven to 425°F with a sheet pan already in it to warm up
7. Place pie on sheet pan and bake at 425°F for 5min then reduce heat to 375°F and continue to bake for 1 and 1/2 hrs. Or until desired color is achieved
8. Remove from oven and let cool for atleast 1/2 to 1hr. Before serving.