It’s feast time! I’m excited to be featured in the holiday feast issue from the Flathead Beacon—especially because my contribution, Crumble-Top Deep-Dish Apple Pie, made the front cover of the print edition. If you can’t pick up a copy locally, you can find the story online.
If you read to the end of the story, you’ll find the other reason I’m so excited to share this piece: Starting next month, I will be joining the Flathead Beacon as a food columnist. I’ll share more about that project—and some changes coming to this blog—when the first column goes live.
This week’s feature story in the Flathead Beacon includes my recipe for one of my favorite holiday pies: a single-crust apple pie with a crumble top. For the deep-dish version, I packed 4 pounds of apples into the pie plate. Learn more about why I love this pie and get the complete recipe here.
Make it, share it.
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You can use a store-bought or gluten-free crust for this pie, but I prefer a homemade one. It takes little time, and I have several tips that make homemade crust easy. If you’re new to making pie crust, the single bottom crust for a deep-dish pie is a good place to start: You can practice mixing and rolling without worrying about showcasing your crust skills on the top of the pie. Instead, the crumble top lets the apples peek through and complements their fresh flavor.
Ready to give it a try? Full details are in the recipe below, but here are the basics:
You need just 3 main ingredients plus salt and ice-cold water.
1. Work the fats and then liquid into the flour.
2. Chill the dough.
3. Roll and fit into the pie plate.
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Deep-Dish Pie Crust
1 teaspoon flaky kosher salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup coconut oil, chilled
3–4 tablespoons ice-cold water
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Work in the butter and coconut oil with your fingertips until the dough becomes mealy. Drizzle in a tablespoon of water at a time, working it in briefly with your fingers, until the dough starts to cling together. On a piece of parchment paper, press the dough into a disk, wrap it up, and chill for at least 1 hour.
When ready to make a pie, remove the disk from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until the diameter is at least 1 inch larger than the top of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fit the dough into the pie plate, trimming away any that hangs more than an inch over the edge. Flute the dough along the plate’s lip, pinching it between your thumb and forefinger to form a wavy edge. Makes 1 single crust.
Tips & Tricks
- I use this same crust recipe for standard pie plates, which usually leaves me with leftover pastry that I reroll, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake for a snack. Expect to use all of the dough when rolling this crust for a deep-dish pie.
- When you’re ready to tackle a top crust for a deep-dish pie, simply double this recipe and divide the dough into two disks before refrigerating. Apple pies can be baked with a top crust; I also use a top crust for berry and peach pies.
- You’ll get a flakier, tender crust if you keep the dough as cold as possible while you work. I chill all the ingredients and a medium bowl for at least 30 minutes before starting. That way, when my hands work in the fats, the dough doesn’t get too warm and tough.
- Pie dough will keep wrapped and sealed in a zip-close bag in the refrigerator for several days. I let the dough warm up slightly before trying to roll it; you want it to be cold but still soft enough you can dimple it with a fingertip. You can also seal pie dough in a freezer-proof bag and freeze it for several months.
- Crumble-Top Deep-Dish Apple Pie is a family favorite, but pies don’t always need to be fruity or sweet. This crust recipe works for Creamy Pumpkin–Rum Pie, Late-Season Tomato Pie, and other crust-filled dishes like quiche.
Want more Twice as Tasty recipes? Get my books! Click here to order a personally signed, packaged, and shipped copy of The Complete Guide to Pickling directly from me. I also share tasty ways to use pickles in The Pickled Picnic, a digital collection in an easy-to-read PDF format; it’s only available here.
Twice as Tasty 