BA's Best Deep-Dish Apple Pie

Name: BA's Best Deep-Dish Apple Pie
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3.5 cup all-purpose flour; 2 tbsp granulated sugar; 1.5 tsp kosher salt; 1.5 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 4 lb Pink Lady apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced; 0.33 cup dark brown sugar; 0.25 cup granulated sugar; 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.5 tsp kosher salt; 0.25 tsp ground allspice; 0.25 tsp ground cardamom; 1 All-purpose flour; 1.5 cup unfiltered apple cider; 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 1 large egg; 2 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 1 Demerara sugar; 1 A 9-inch deep pie dish

From the kitchen of Carly

A proper deep-dish apple pie with a tender, flaky crust that actually stays crisp. Pink Lady apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a touch of lemon juice create a filling that's tart, sweet, and absolutely worth the butter-laden pastry work.

Deep-dish apple pie done right means a butter crust that shatters, apples that taste like themselves (not candy), and a filling that's thickened just enough to stay put when you slice. Four pounds of Pink Ladies get macerated with warm spices, then bound with a reduced apple cider reduction instead of flour or tapioca. The crust comes together with a lamination trick that builds texture. This is the pie you make when you're not afraid of a few extra steps.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

3 1/2 cupall-purpose flour
2 tbspgranulated sugar
1 1/2 tspkosher salt
1 1/2 cupchilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tbspapple cider vinegar
4 lbPink Lady apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
1/3 cupdark brown sugar
1/4 cupgranulated sugar
2 tbspfresh lemon juice
2 tspground cinnamon
1/2 tspkosher salt
1/4 tspground allspice
1/4 tspground cardamom
1All-purpose flour
1 1/2 cupunfiltered apple cider
1vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 tbspcornstarch
1 largeegg
2 tbspchilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1Demerara sugar
1A 9-inch deep pie dish

Instructions

Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined. Drop in the butter and process until the largest chunks are about pea-size. Tip the mixture into a large bowl.
Mix the vinegar with 1/2 cup ice water in a small bowl, then drizzle it over the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until shaggy clumps form. Knead a couple of times in the bowl to bring it together into a rough, fairly dry dough. Transfer the large clumps to your work surface, then drizzle 1 tablespoon ice water over any remaining flour mixture in the bowl and knead again to gather it up; add that to the pile on the surface. Working with half the dough at a time, press it into a single mass, tucking in any dry bits, then pat it into a 3/4-inch-thick square. Cut the dough into 4 pieces with a bench scraper or knife, stack the pieces on top of each other with any loose dry bits tucked between the layers, and press down firmly. Shape into a 3/4-inch-thick disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Repeat with the second half. Refrigerate both disks for at least 2 hours.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and cardamom until everything is well coated. Leave them to sit until the juices start flowing, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
Pull the dough from the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes to take the edge off its stiffness. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disk to 1/8-inch thick, working one at a time. Lay each round on a parchment-lined baking sheet and slide them back into the fridge while you finish the filling.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pour the apple cider into a medium saucepan, scrape in the vanilla bean seeds, and drop in the pod. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking occasionally, until the cider reduces by two-thirds. Pour off all the juices that have collected in the apple bowl and add them to the saucepan. Return to a boil and cook until the liquid reduces to about 1/2 cup, then fish out and discard the vanilla pod. Stir the cornstarch into 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl until dissolved, then whisk it into the cider. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is very thick and bubbling, about 1 minute. Cool it slightly, then pour over the apples and toss to coat.
Drape one dough round over the pie dish, lift the edges, and let it settle down into the dish (if it cracks or resists, give it a minute to warm up). Trim the overhang to about 1 inch. Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water and brush it over the dough edges. Scrape the apple filling in, building it into a mound at the center, then dot the top with the 2 tablespoons of chilled butter. Lay the second dough round over the filling and trim the top to a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the bottom overhang up and over the top edge, pressing firmly to seal, then crimp all the way around. Brush the surface with the remaining egg wash, sprinkle generously with demerara sugar, and cut a few vents across the top. Set the pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes.
Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the juices are thick and bubbling up through the vents, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (yes, a full 2 hours is right). Move the pie to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 4 hours before slicing.
The dough can be made up to 5 days ahead; keep it refrigerated, or freeze it for up to 1 month. The finished pie keeps well for 1 day: let it cool completely, then cover with foil and store at room temperature.

Tips from the kitchen

Apple cider reduction is the move: simmer it with the vanilla bean until it's concentrated and glossy, then cool completely before stirring in the cornstarch. This keeps the filling glossy and tasting like apples, not starch. Don't skip the maceration step, even if you're pressed for time. An hour minimum lets the apples release their own liquid and bloom the spices.
Laminating the dough by stacking and pressing creates distinct layers that shatter when you bite into them. Don't overwork it or you lose that texture. Keep everything cold and work fast.
The egg wash is just for shine, not color. A light brush is all you need. Demerara sugar on top gives you a textural contrast to the tender crust.
Roll to 1/8 inch thick, which sounds thin but holds the structure. If your dough tears, patch it with a scrap and keep moving.

Variations

Skip the spices, add 2 tablespoons of bourbon to the cider reduction for a flatter, more grown-up flavor profile.
Use half Pink Ladies and half Honeycrisps if you want more sweetness and juiciness from the second variety.
Make it a galette instead. Skip the pie dish and fold the dough up around the filling on parchment, which gives you a rustier look and more crust-to-apple ratio.
Substitute the vanilla bean with a star anise pod in the cider reduction for a slightly licorice note that works with cardamom.

Make ahead and storage

Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. It's best eaten the day it's made when the crust is crispest, but cold pie is no shame. Don't freeze once baked.