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Super Apple Pie

Alton Brown

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Apple of My Pie

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (109)

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Times:

Prep
1 hr 0 min
Inactive Prep
6 hr 0 min
Cook
45 min
Total:
7 hr 45 min
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Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 ounces vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 5 to 7 tablespoons applejack
  • 12 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 2 3/4 cups, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

For the filling:

  • 3 to 3 1/2 pounds apples, mixture of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Golden Delicious, about 6 large apples
  • 1/2 cup sugar, divided
  • 3 tablespoons tapioca flour
  • 2 tablespoons apple jelly
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise

Directions

For the crust:

Place the butter, shortening and applejack into the refrigerator for 1 hour.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar by pulsing 3 to 4 times. Add the butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until the texture looks mealy. Add the shortening and pulse another 3 to 4 times until incorporated.

Remove the lid of the food processor and sprinkle in 5 tablespoons of the applejack. Replace the lid and pulse 5 times. Add more applejack as needed, and pulse again until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Weigh the dough and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

For the filling:

Peel and core the apples. Slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the apples with 1/4 cup of the sugar, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool. Toss the apples with the remaining sugar, tapioca flour, jelly, cider, lime juice, salt and grains of paradise.

For assembling and baking the pie:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator. Place the dough onto a lightly floured piece of waxed paper. Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll out into a 12-inch circle. Place into a 9 1/2 to 10-inch tart pan that is 2-inches deep. Gently press the dough into the sides of the pan, crimping and trimming the edges as necessary. Set a pie bird in the center of the bottom of the pan.

Place the apples into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie. Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl. Roll out the second pie dough as the first. Place this dough over the apples, pressing the pie bird through the top crust. Press together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of pie. Trim any excess dough. Place the pie on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake on the floor** of the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer to the lower rack of the oven and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the apples are cooked through but not mushy. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 4 hours or until almost room temperature.

**If you're using an electric oven with coils on the bottom of the oven, place the pie on the sheet pan on the lowest rack over the coils, NOT directly on top of them.

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Read more Comments & Reviews (109)

Comments & Reviews

  • recipe Super Apple Pie
    Steve Hollywood Beach, CA 03-15-2010

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    Best Ever Apple Pie!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    Pie Day 3 14 2010. I made it for a party and it was a hit! This was the best apple pie I've ever tasted, and I made it... myself! Like everyone else, it took a long trip around LA to find all the equipment and ingredients. I never did find the apple corer in a shop but I had no problem slicing the apples with a knife. They do have them at Amazon. Initially I tried to make it with Apple flavored Vodka. Not a good choice. After touring several liquor stores I found the Apple Jack at BEVMO but they also had Laird's Apple Brandy right next to it for just a couple bucks more. I got that and it is heavenly. I should have just bought everything at Amazon and saved all the gas. Cooking the recipe in an electric oven, I found I can cook it on a Pizza Stone. That concentrates the heat on the bottom of the pan. The bottom of the crust is a nice golden brown. You'll also want to rotate the pie in the oven to make sure it cooks evenly. My first pie burned slightly on top. Read more
  • recipe Super Apple Pie
    jeff louisville, KY 02-14-2010

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    Best (and most expensive) apple pie ever

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    I've had a lot of apple pie over my 42 years, and this was the best tasting one yet. I may be biased because i made it, but,... this was my first attempt at doing some real baking, and it came out virtually perfect. I followed the recipe exactly. I ordered all the hard to find stuff (the tart pan, the tapioca flour, and the grains of paradise. and even the pie bird) from amazon.com. the grand total for all that stuff was $91. plus $18 for the Apple Jack, plus the apples, butter, apple jelly. I call this my $100 pie, but it was worth every cent. The crust came out perfectly, and it was the first time i've ever made a homemade pie crust.The apples were not mushy. I think the grains of paradise really adds a unique flavor, so I highly recommend tracking some down. i saw one review as worst crust ever. i think they didn't mix something right, or their oven is not working properly. i had no problems at all. It really is a long drawn out process, but as Alton says, "You're patience will be rewarded."Read more
  • recipe Super Apple Pie
    Kristen Poundridge, NY 02-03-2010

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    Worst crust ever

    Rated: 1 stars out of 5
    Love my regular apple pie recipe but saw the show on TV and loved the idea of apple jack and the half butter/half shortening... (shortening makes it easier to roll). Result--tough, tough tough. and Burnt Even with all 7 tbs of applejack the dough was crumbly and dry. After 3 hours of rest to "soak up the applejack" it still didn't roll well. The apple reduction on top burnt the crust. I saw the burn setting in and put foil, loosely, on top which helped. Stick to the Pie and Pastry Bible recipe--perfect everytime. Read more
  • recipe Super Apple Pie
    Carol Holliston, MA 01-24-2010

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    WORTH LOOKING FOR EVERTYTHING

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    IT TOOK ME ALL DAY SATURDAY TO LOCATE A TART PAN, APPLE JACK, A PIE BIRD AND TAPIOCA FLOUR. I HAD TO SUBSTITUTE GRAINS OF... PARADISE AS SHOWN IN OTHER COMMENTS, BUT I DID ORDER ONLINE FOR THE SECOND PIE. I NEVER DID LOCATE A 2" TART PAN, BUT A 1 1/2" WORKS GREAT. I HAVE PREPARED THIS PIE THREE WEEKS IN A ROW, AND IT IS BY FAR THE BEST APPLE PIE I HAVE EVER MADE. IT TRULY DOES TASTE MOST LIKE APPLES RATHER THAN AN APPLE FILLING IN A SYRUP FILLING. I HAVE LEFT APPLES DRAIN OVERNIGHT RATHER THAN JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS. IT PRODUCES MORE APPLE JUICE TO USE ON THE CRUST. Read more
  • recipe Super Apple Pie
    Megan Barrington, RI 01-07-2010

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    A Hit at Our New Year's Day Party

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    I made this pie for my husband's family's New Year's Day Party and it was a big hit. I usually don't like apple pie filling,... but there was nothing that I didn't like about this pie. I split making this pie into two as I made the crust and cut the apples on one night and let them cool and drain in the fridge overnight, and finished putting it all together on the next afternoon after I got home from work. The filling of the pie was perfectly soft but not mushy. I couldn't find tapioca flour and used tapioca pudding mix instead. I used cardamom, ginger, and coriander in place of grains of paradise which I could not find in any local store. It definitely added a spiced flavor to the pie that was great and my husband says reminds him of apple strudel from Austria.Read more
  • recipe Super Apple Pie
    John Pleasanton, CA 12-31-2009

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    First Pie I Made

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    This was the first pie I have every made and it turned out GOOD EATS! Thanks,
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