The Intelligent and Ridiculously Straightforward Approach for Making Flawless Apple Pie

Each September, I announce on Instagram, each formally and emphatically: “It’s fall, y’all.” It’s a practice nobody requested for, but I proceed to ship on dutifully 12 months after 12 months. This announcement doesn’t come when the mornings begin to really feel chilly, the air begins to really feel crisp, or the primary leaves begin to fall, however slightly when all three occur on the similar time. This 12 months, that second got here surprisingly early—proper after Labor Day—which meant an earlier begin to fall baking. The very first thing I at all times make after my formally unofficial declaration of fall? Apple pie.

Whereas this web site boasts no scarcity of apple pie recipes (we’ve obtained 4 of them, to be actual), Stella Parks’ simple, old style model is the best. Not like many recipes by which you need to pre-cook your apples to realize a succulent pie filling, Stella’s skips that step fully whereas nonetheless producing a pie with a thick, saucy filling. Her simple trick is to macerate the apples. 

Why (and How) You Ought to Macerate Your Apples

When making an apple pie, you wish to draw out as a lot liquid as doable from the fruit so that you don’t waterlog the crust, and also you additionally wish to be sure that the apples are tender. Many apple pie recipes name for pre-cooking your apples to resolve these issues, however this may be time-consuming, on condition that it’s a hands-on activity. If the fragile apple slices aren’t monitored carefully whereas cooking, they will shortly overcook, leading to mushy fruit. Macerating apples helps break down the fruits’ buildings and reduces their quantity—no cooking or pot-watching required.

Whereas we advocate macerating in a zip-top bag to restrict the apples’ publicity to air, you can use a bowl so long as you cowl it tightly with plastic wrap pressed immediately into the slices. Even then, you need to nonetheless count on some oxidation. After peeling, quartering, and coring the apples, reduce them into half inch-thick slices, ensuring they’re as uniform as doable—this can guarantee there may be an excellent floor space throughout all of the slices and that all of them break down and launch their juices at about the identical price of time. As soon as your apples are sliced, add them to the bag (or bowl) with the brown sugar, spices, and salt known as for in Stella’s recipe. From there, the apples want to take a seat for a minimum of three hours at room temperature, or as much as eight hours within the fridge, which supplies you loads of time to make, roll, and form your pie crust. Throughout this resting time, the tart juice from the apples will accumulate on the backside of the bag. Flavored with brown sugar and spices, this liquid acts as a concentrated syrup within the pie filling. 

The way to Flip Macerated Apples Into Pie Filling

To make sure the pie filling is sweet and thick, we advocate including a contact of tapioca starch to the apples. This ingredient absorbs extra liquid, thickening the filling with out making it gloopy. Add the tapioca starch to the bag of apples after about three hours when the fruit has contracted by a couple of third, then zip it again up and provides it shake. (You may wish to use about 1 ounce per 4 1/2 kilos of apples.) Ready so as to add the starch after all of the juices launch from the apples ensures the starch will soak up evenly into the liquid. From there, you’re able to tuck your apples into the pie plate. (Probably the most thrilling half…apart from consuming the precise pie.) 

What Sort of Apples Ought to You Use for a Juicy, However Not Mushy Pie?

Some apple pie recipes counsel utilizing quite a lot of apples for a extra advanced taste. Completely different apple cultivars, nonetheless, have completely different textures and flavors, and utilizing an assortment could have disastrous outcomes. Some could break down extra shortly and launch extra liquid than others, making a watery, mushy pie with inconsistently cooked apples. For the most effective style and texture, we advocate utilizing one number of apples per pie. We like tart apples like Granny Smiths, since their excessive pectin ranges maintain onto their form properly within the oven, holding the filling thick as an alternative of runny. For further depth of taste, we incorporate brown sugar and heat spices.

The Takeaway

Macerating your apples eliminates the frequent apple pie-baking step that requires pre-cooking the fruit. It’s a simple, hands-off method that minimizes cleanup and requires little greater than apples, brown sugar, spices, somewhat salt, and a zip-top bag. The maceration course of creates a syrup that we embrace within the apple filling for further taste, and a small addition of tapioca starch helps thicken that filling. The result’s a saucy, luscious apple pie that you simply’ll wish to make all season lengthy. 

It’s fall, y’all!!!