This gluten free apple pie has a traditional backside crust, greater than 2 kilos of tart, thinly sliced apples, and a thick, buttery brown sugar crumble on high.
I’ll stroll you thru all my secrets and techniques to verify the underside crust stays crisp (by no means soggy), the apples bake to tender perfection with out precooking, and the crumble retains its form—each time. Plus, it really works in any deep pie pan you could have.
Secrets and techniques to the right apple pie
This Dutch-style gluten free apple pie skips the highest crust in favor of a thick, crisp brown sugar crumble—like the very best a part of a espresso cake—and that’s a part of why it bakes up so superbly.
It begins with a sealed, parbaked backside crust to maintain the bottom crisp. The apples are sliced skinny in order that they soften totally within the oven, no precooking wanted, and we depart behind a few of their juices to stop a soggy crust.
The crumble holds its form as a result of it is chilled totally earlier than baking. Every layer finishes baking on the identical time, so each slice comes out with a young apple filling, a golden backside crust, and a crisp, buttery topping.
Substances defined
This pie has three parts: crust, filling, and crumble topping. The elements overlap a bit, however each performs a definite position:
- Unsalted butter – Brings collectively the flour and sugar within the topping and provides moisture, richness, and buttery taste.
- Gluten free pie crust – Use my flaky gluten free pie crust recipe, parbaked and sealed with egg white so it doesn’t take up moisture from the filling. It’s also possible to use a store-bought crust, if yow will discover one you want.
- Apples – Granny Smith apples are tart, agency, and maintain their form. You may combine in a couple of sweeter apples like Honeycrisp or Gala for stability. In the event you start with 2 1/2 kilos of entire apples, it is best to have about 2 kilos (32 ounces) ready sliced apples.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens each the filling and topping, and helps the crumble crisp within the oven.
- Mild brown sugar – Provides colour, moisture, and caramel taste to the topping.
- Cinnamon – Important for that cozy apple pie taste in each the filling and topping. The extra you employ, the extra chew it has and darker the topping colour can be.
- Nutmeg – Optionally available, however freshly grated nutmeg brings heat and complexity. Use a microplane or the best holes on a field grater to grate an entire dried seed.
- Salt – A pinch within the filling and topping balances sweetness and sharpens taste.
- Gluten free flour mix – Provides construction to the topping (and to the pie crust). Make sure to use one thing with xanthan gum so the crumble does not soften into the filling throughout baking. I like Higher Batter’s authentic mix, Nicole’s Greatest Multipurpose (with 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum added), and Bob’s Pink Mill 1-to-1 with an extra 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum.
The right way to make gluten free apple pie (step-by-step)
This recipe comes collectively in 3 elements: the underside pie crust, the crumble topping, and the apple filling.
1. Make and parbake the crust
Begin by making ready a single recipe of my gluten free pie crust. Roll it out, form it into an 11-inch spherical, and drape it over the rolling pin to switch it to a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, then crimp the perimeters. Dock the underside with a fork to stop puffing, then chill for 10 minutes within the freezer.
Line the chilled pie crust with baking paper, and fill it with ceramic pie weights or dried beans to maintain the underside from puffing up and the edges from falling. Partially bake the crust at 375°F for 10 minutes.
💡 Professional tip: In the event you don’t have pie weights, you should use dried beans or lentils as a substitute. Simply save them afterward for baking use solely, not cooking.
Take away the weights, brush the crust with egg white to seal and preserve the crust crisp, and bake for 3 extra minutes to set the crust and preserve it from absorbing moisture and turning into soggy.
2. Make the crumble topping
Whisk collectively the gluten free flour mix with xanthan gum, brown and white sugars, cinnamon, elective nutmeg, and salt. Stir in melted butter till the combination is clumpy and moist.
💡 Professional tip: The extra floor cinnamon you employ, the darker the topping can be.
Chill the combination till very agency—this step is crucial. A agency topping holds its form within the oven as a substitute of melting into the filling.
3. Put together the filling
Peel, core, and slice your apples thinly in order that they soften within the oven with out precooking. Toss with sugar, cinnamon, and salt, then let the apples sit briefly to launch extra juice.
While you’re able to assemble, depart that liquid behind. An excessive amount of juice results in a soggy crust.
4. Assemble and bake
Layer the sliced apples (with none further juice) evenly within the parbaked crust. It’s going to look full—apples shrink as they bake. Break the chilled topping into massive irregular clumps with a fork and scatter over the apples.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, till the topping is golden and the apples are fork-tender. Test round half-hour—cowl the crust edges with foil in the event that they brown too rapidly.
5. Cool earlier than slicing
Let the pie cool at room temperature for at the least 1 hour. This helps the filling set and retains the slices clear once you lower into it. You may warmth up particular person slices within the toaster oven at 300°F if desire a heat slice with melty vanilla ice cream.
Skilled ideas for achievement
Use the appropriate apples
Granny Smith apples are my favourite right here—they’re tart, agency, and maintain their form properly. You may combine in sweeter agency apples like Honeycrisp, Gala, Empire, McIntosh, or Cortland for a extra nuanced taste. Keep away from comfortable apples like Pink or Golden Scrumptious, which have a tendency to interrupt down and switch mushy.
💡 Professional tip: In the event you’re not sure whether or not your apples are agency sufficient, stir 1 to 2 tablespoons of tapioca or arrowroot (or cornstarch in a pinch) into the filling for further insurance coverage.
Slice the apples skinny
The important thing to skipping the stovetop step is slicing the apples thinly and evenly. Skinny slices bake by similtaneously the crust and topping—no precooking wanted.
Parbake the crust—and seal it
Parbaking (which simply means partially baking) creates a head begin for the crust so it doesn’t take up an excessive amount of moisture. Brushing it with egg white helps seal it much more. Don’t skip the egg wash and pre-bake!
Go away the liquid behind
As soon as your apples are tossed with sugar, cinnamon, and salt, enable them to take a seat in order that they launch some juice. Go away that liquid behind once you add the apples to the crust. It’s the best method to preserve the crust from turning soggy.
Let it cool earlier than slicing
Even as soon as it’s baked, the pie wants time to set. Let it relaxation at room temperature for at the least 1 hour earlier than slicing to permit the juices to settle and reabsorb.
Chill the crumble topping
Don’t skip the chilling step. A agency crumble combination holds its form within the oven and provides you these bakery-style nuggets of buttery crisp topping. In the event you’re quick on time, use the freezer to hurry issues up.
Ingredient swaps and crust choices
Dairy free
Exchange the butter in each the crust and the topping with a mix of half vegetable shortening (like Crisco or Spectrum) and half vegan butter (comparable to Soften or Miyoko’s). That blend offers you the appropriate stability of construction and taste.
Egg free
The egg white helps seal the crust earlier than baking. In the event you want another, brush the crust with milk, cream, melted butter, and even aquafaba as a substitute.
Retailer purchased pie crust
Don’t really feel like making crust from scratch? Use a frozen gluten free pie crust you want. Dock it with a fork, brush with egg white, and bake it straight from frozen as instructed for the selfmade crust in the recipe.
Double crust pie
Choose a traditional double crust pie? Simply double the crust recipe. Use one half for the bottom and the opposite for the highest. Skip the crumble topping, roll out the second crust, seal and crimp the perimeters, lower a couple of vents within the high, and bake as directed.
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Deep dish pie pan 9-inches (glass, porcelain, or metallic—See Recipe Notes)
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Rolling Pin for the pie crust
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Porcelain weights or dried beans (sufficient to fill the crust)
Stop your display from going darkish
Make & form the crust
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Put together the pie crust in accordance with the recipe directions by Step 6 of the second set of directions in that recipe, titled “Easy out the chilled dough.”
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Preheat your oven to 375°F.
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Place the dough on a flippantly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper, mud flippantly with flour, and roll into an 11-inch spherical, about 3/8-inch thick.
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Roll the pie crust loosely on the rolling pin after which unroll it over the ready pie plate.
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Press the pie crust gently into the underside and up the edges of the pie plate and, with kitchen shears, trim the crust in order that only one/4-inch of extra is overhanging the plate.
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Tuck the 1/4-inch of extra underneath itself, and crimp the sting gently all the best way across the crust. Pierce the underside of the pie crust with the tines of a fork and place the pie plate within the freezer to relax for 10 minutes.
Par-bake the pie shell
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Take away the pie plate from the freezer and place a big piece of unbleached parchment paper within the heart of the crust. Place sufficient pie weights or dried beans to fill the pie crust, on high of the paper.
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💡 Tip: No pie weights? Use dried beans or lentils as a substitute, and retailer them afterward for reuse as weights solely.
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Place the pie plate with the weights within the heart of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
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Take away the pie plate from the oven, and take away and put aside the paper and pie weights. Brush the underside and sides of the crust with the egg white, and return the pan to the oven.
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Bake for one more 3 minutes, and take away from the oven. Scale back the oven temperature to 350°F.
Make the crumble topping
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In a medium-sized bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and whisk to mix, figuring out any lumps within the brown sugar.
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Add the melted butter, and blend to mix properly.
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Place the bowl within the fridge or freezer to relax for at the least 10 minutes or till very agency.
Make the filling
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In a big bowl, place the ready apple slices and toss with the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Permit to take a seat briefly to let the apples launch some juice.
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When the pie crust has completed baking, switch the sliced apple filling to the pie crust, abandoning any rendered liquid from the apples.
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Take away the crumble topping from the fridge and break up into massive chunks with a fork. Scatter the topping everywhere in the high of the pie in an excellent layer. Press gently on the crumble topping to make sure that it adheres to the filling.
Make-Forward Possibility
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At this level, the unbaked, assembled pie within the parbaked pie crust may be coated securely and frozen till prepared to make use of.
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Simply bake from frozen in accordance with the remainder of the recipe instructions. You could want so as to add a couple of minutes to the ultimate baking time.
Bake the pie
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Place the pie within the heart of the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or till the crumble topping is evenly golden brown and the apple filling is effervescent across the edges.
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If vital to stop the perimeters from burning, cowl the crust with foil in the course of the ultimate quarter-hour of baking.
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Take away the pie from the oven and permit to chill fully (about 1 hour) earlier than slicing and serving.
Use a deep-dish pie plate (at the least 1.5 inches deep) so there’s sufficient room for all of the filling. Glass or porcelain maintain warmth a bit higher than metallic which might velocity up the baking time. In the event you’re not utilizing metallic, you possibly can start checking for doneness round 40 minutes to be protected.
Flour blends
Within the topping, use a high-quality all function gluten free flour mix with a finely floor rice flour, like Higher Batter authentic, Nicole’s Greatest multipurpose (with ½ teaspoon xanthan gum), or Bob’s Pink Mill 1-to-1 (blue bag) with an added ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum.
For DIY blends, see the All Objective Gluten Free Flour Blends web page.
Serving: 1slice | Energy: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 1g | Fats: 12g | Saturated Fats: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 3g | Trans Fats: 0.5g | Ldl cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 429IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Vitamin info is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Storage & make forward directions
Make forward
Assemble the entire pie—uncooked filling and topping included—within the parbaked crust, then wrap it tightly in freezer-safe plastic wrap. Freeze for as much as 2 months. Bake instantly from frozen, including a couple of further minutes as wanted.
Storage
Retailer leftover slices or a totally baked, cooled pie in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Let sit at room temperature earlier than serving, or reheat at 300°F till warmed by. For greatest texture, sprinkle slices flippantly with water earlier than gently reheating to refresh the topping and filling.
FAQs
A Dutch apple pie (additionally referred to as an apple crumb pie) has a buttery crumble topping as a substitute of a high crust. A standard apple pie makes use of a double crust—one on the underside and one on high. Each variations are fruit-forward, not like a custard-based pie like gluten free pumpkin pie, and excellent for a gluten free vacation dessert.
Use a deep dish pie plate that’s at the least 1.5 inches deep. Shallow pans gained’t maintain all of the filling or crumble topping. I’ve examined this pie in ceramic, glass, and metallic pie plates—all work properly, however glass and ceramic retain warmth higher and brown the crust extra evenly.
Scale back the apple filling to 1.5 kilos of apples, and you might not be capable of use all the crumble topping. The baking time could also be about 5 minutes shorter, so control it.
Sure—simply put together it from frozen simply as directed within the recipe. You’ll nonetheless get a crisp base with out making a selfmade crust.
Sure! Put together the pie crust in accordance with the recipe directions by step 5, chilling the unshaped wrapped crust, and preserve it within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature for a bit earlier than you form it, although, or it’s going to crack.
This often occurs when the crust isn’t parbaked lengthy sufficient—or isn’t sealed correctly with egg white. It could actually additionally occur in the event you use comfortable apples or embody an excessive amount of juice from the filling. At all times depart behind the additional liquid earlier than assembling.
Sure—agency pears work properly. Peaches or nectarines will also be used, however they’ll want further thickener like tapioca starch since they’ve much less pectin than apples.
First peel the apples with a vegetable peeler, then slice in quarters, core every by slicing at an angle, and slice every quarter thinly and evenly. A pointy knife or mandoline works properly—apple peelers can waste an excessive amount of fruit by not peeling shut sufficient to the flesh, so I skip them.
Sure—in the event you choose a double crust, skip the crumble and high the pie with a second crust. See the directions above for make a Double Crust Pie. Simply keep in mind to chop vents within the high to let steam escape. It’s also possible to use the oat-based crumble from my gluten free apple crisp for a unique texture.
