Kitchen Sessions with Pastry Chef Maggie Davidson and Apple Pie

Watch the video with Pastry Chef Maggie Davidson!

BASIC PIE CRUST: Double pie crust for a 9” pie

7 ounces butter
2 ¼ cups pastry flour or bleached all purpose flour
Or: 1 ¼ cups cake flour and 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
5-7 Tablespoons ice water
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

Cut the butter into ¼” cubes and place in the freezer. Stir together the flour(s), salt and baking powder in the mixing bowl and place bowl in the freezer. Let all items chill for about an hour. When ready to mix, place the butter cubes in the mixer bowl, attach the paddle and mix until the butter is about the size of early peas. Add 5 tablespoons of the ice water and all the vinegar. If the dough does not come together with the smaller amount of water, add the remaining 2 tablespoons. The dough should just come together and not be wet. Remove the dough from the mixer, knead it a couple of quick turns and place it on a lightly floured sheet pan. Cover with plastic and chill for about one hour.

Roll to about 1/8” thick on a table that is well floured, turning the dough often to keep the underside floured. Gently lift dough into buttered pie pan and trim excess dough.
• If making a one-crust pie shell, flute the edges. Bake at 325 degrees for 5 minutes with pie weights, remove weights and bake for 2-3 more minutes, until white and dry. Fill with desired filling and bake according to filling.
• If making a two-crust pie, fill pie shell, top with second crust, trim and flute the edges. Brush the surface with heavy cream, milk or egg wash (equal parts egg to water) and sprinkle, if desired, with sugar. Bake according to filling.

STREUSEL:

In a mixer with a paddle, or with your hands, combine:

8 oz. bread flour
8 oz. brown or golden cane sugar
8 oz. butter, cold and cubed
4 oz. rolled oats
2 t. kosher salt

Mix until crumbly and top pie with mixture. It can be made ahead and frozen for future use. Also, it is good on muffins and coffee cakes.

APPLE PIE:

6 -8 large tart apples
1 cup golden cane sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 Tablespoon flour

Peel, core and cube apples into ½ inch cubes. Toss with remaining ingredients and pour into pie shell. Dot the surface with butter, if desired. Top with second crust, if desired, and flute edges together. Slash or cut top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, or until mixture bubbles from the vents. If necessary, cover the rim or fluted edge with aluminum foil to prevent them from becoming too brown.

Watch the video with Pastry Chef Maggie Davidson!

BASIC PIE CRUST: Double pie crust for a 9” pie

7 ounces butter
2 ¼ cups pastry flour or bleached all purpose flour
Or: 1 ¼ cups cake flour and 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
5-7 Tablespoons ice water
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

Cut the butter into ¼” cubes and place in the freezer. Stir together the flour(s), salt and baking powder in the mixing bowl and place bowl in the freezer. Let all items chill for about an hour. When ready to mix, place the butter cubes in the mixer bowl, attach the paddle and mix until the butter is about the size of early peas. Add 5 tablespoons of the ice water and all the vinegar. If the dough does not come together with the smaller amount of water, add the remaining 2 tablespoons. The dough should just come together and not be wet. Remove the dough from the mixer, knead it a couple of quick turns and place it on a lightly floured sheet pan. Cover with plastic and chill for about one hour.

Roll to about 1/8” thick on a table that is well floured, turning the dough often to keep the underside floured. Gently lift dough into buttered pie pan and trim excess dough.
• If making a one-crust pie shell, flute the edges. Bake at 325 degrees for 5 minutes with pie weights, remove weights and bake for 2-3 more minutes, until white and dry. Fill with desired filling and bake according to filling.
• If making a two-crust pie, fill pie shell, top with second crust, trim and flute the edges. Brush the surface with heavy cream, milk or egg wash (equal parts egg to water) and sprinkle, if desired, with sugar. Bake according to filling.

STREUSEL:

In a mixer with a paddle, or with your hands, combine:

8 oz. bread flour
8 oz. brown or golden cane sugar
8 oz. butter, cold and cubed
4 oz. rolled oats
2 t. kosher salt

Mix until crumbly and top pie with mixture. It can be made ahead and frozen for future use. Also, it is good on muffins and coffee cakes.

APPLE PIE:

6 -8 large tart apples
1 cup golden cane sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 Tablespoon flour

Peel, core and cube apples into ½ inch cubes. Toss with remaining ingredients and pour into pie shell. Dot the surface with butter, if desired. Top with second crust, if desired, and flute edges together. Slash or cut top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, or until mixture bubbles from the vents. If necessary, cover the rim or fluted edge with aluminum foil to prevent them from becoming too brown.