Bacon-Latticed Apple Pie

From the kitchen of Carly

Crispy bacon strips crisscross over spiced apples in a buttery, flaky crust. The bourbon-spiked pastry adds subtle depth while brown sugar caramelizes the filling. This isn't your grandmother's pie, but she'd approve.

Bacon-Latticed Apple Pie

Bacon-latticed apple pie where the savory smokiness cuts through spiced fruit and buttery crust. The bourbon in the dough adds depth you won't taste directly but will feel, and the bacon grid looks restaurant-worthy but costs nothing in effort. This is a show-off pie that actually rewards you for making it.

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

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 1 1/4 cupall-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1/2 tspkosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tbspgranulated sugar
  • 8 tbspcold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 tbspbourbon
  • 1/2 cupice water
  • 5 mediumapples, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 3/4 cuppacked brown sugar
  • 1/4 cupgranulated sugar
  • 2 tbspcornstarch
  • 1 tbspground cinnamon
  • 1 pinchfreshly grated nutmeg
  • 6 slicebacon
  • 1egg
  • 1beaten

Instructions

  1. Fit a stand mixer with the flat beater attachment. With your fingertips, blend the flour, salt, and sugar together inside the bowl. Drop in the cold butter and run the mixer on low until the texture resembles coarse damp sand. Switch the machine off and use your fingertips to break apart any larger butter chunks you can spot. None should remain bigger than a pea.

  2. In a measuring cup, stir the bourbon together with the ice water. Restart the mixer on low and slowly drizzle in this bourbon water mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stop the moment the dough begins pulling away from the bowl sides; you may have leftover liquid. To test, pinch a small bit between your fingertips. The dough should hold together smoothly, neither sticking nor crumbling. Gently bring everything together into a disk shape. Swaddle in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes minimum, or as long as 3 days.

  3. Combine the sliced apples in a bowl with the lemon juice, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Use your fingertips to toss everything together, ensuring each apple slice gets evenly coated by the sugar and spices.

  4. Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Roll the chilled dough out into a round, rotating it a quarter-turn every few passes, until it spans 12 to 14 inches across at 1/8 inch thickness. Carefully fit the round into a 9 inch pie plate. With scissors, trim the dough around the rim, leaving a generous 1 inch hanging over the edge.

  5. Crack the egg into a small dish, keeping the yolk whole and unbroken. Brush a thin coat of just the egg white over the entire bottom and sides of the pie shell using a pastry brush. Save the remaining egg with its yolk intact for the lattice glaze later. This egg white layer acts as a moisture barrier, preventing the bottom crust from absorbing apple juices and turning soggy. Refrigerate the prepared shell for 30 minutes.

  6. Scoop the spiced apple filling into the chilled crust. Lay 3 of the bacon slices across the top horizontally, spaced evenly. One slice at a time, weave the remaining 3 bacon slices vertically through the horizontal ones, lifting every other horizontal strip to create a classic basket-weave lattice pattern. To crimp the pastry rim, fold the dough overhang inward at a slight angle and press firmly downward with your thumb.

  7. Work your way completely around the pie, crimping as you go. Tuck the trimmed ends of each bacon slice neatly into the crimp itself as you reach them. Beat the reserved whole egg in a small bowl and brush it gently over the exposed pastry edges (not the bacon). Refrigerate the assembled pie for 20 minutes so the dough firms up before baking.

  8. Bring the oven to 425°F. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil to catch any drips.

  9. Settle the pie onto the foil-lined sheet and slide both into the oven. Bake 20 minutes at the high heat. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Continue baking until the pastry turns deep golden and the bacon crisps fully, around 30 minutes more. If the pastry edges color too rapidly, lay strips of foil over them. After baking, gently tip the pie to one side to drain any pooled liquid from the filling. Cool the pie at room temperature for 1 full hour before slicing into wedges.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Keep your butter genuinely cold, not just chilled, so the crust shatters instead of turns tough. If the kitchen is warm, chill the flour and bowl too.
  • Cook the bacon until it's just barely crisp before weaving it, so it stays pliable and doesn't snap. It will finish cooking in the oven.
  • Egg wash on the bottom crust seals it against sogginess. Don't skip it, and use only the white for the base layer so the yolk doesn't bake too dark.
  • Toss the apples with lemon juice first to prevent browning, then add the sugar and spices so they coat evenly without breaking down the fruit.

Variations

  • Skip the bourbon if you want a cleaner crust, just add the full 1/2 cup ice water in small amounts until the dough comes together.
  • Use a simple strips lattice instead of weaving, or swap the bacon for a classic top crust dusted with coarse sugar.
  • Layer thin slices of sharp cheddar under the apple filling for a traditional American pairing that's quietly excellent.
  • Brown the butter for the crust for a nuttier, deeper flavor that pairs beautifully with cinnamon-spiced apples.

Make ahead and storage

Keep covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Frozen unbaked pie keeps for 3 months, baked pie for 1 month; thaw at room temperature or reheat gently in a 300-degree oven until the filling is warm.