Texas Best Mile High Apple Pie
With a buttery extra flaky crust and just under three and a half pounds of apples sliced thin and mounded into a deep pie crust, this is sure to be one of the most epic apple pies to ever hit your table! Our chef took her restaurant pastry crust and added real butter to the blend to give it the extra flakiness you'd expect in a dessert crust. Plus, the apples are a combination of McIntosh apples and Granny Smith apples (the apple pie winners) making this the ideal combination of two different varieties. It is a tart-sweet contrast in the filling.
This filling is also made special by the addition of Dutch Speculaas spice blend. Finally we top off this pie with a raw Turbinado sugar, giving it a sparkle, crunch and sweet brilliance!
Mile High Apple Pie
Super Flaky Pie Dough
2 ¼ cups Texas Pure Milling All-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6 -8 Tbsp. ice water
Apple Filling
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ Texas Pure Milling All-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. Apple Pie Spice or Dutch Speculaas Spice Blend
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
2 pounds McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 egg white, beaten lightly
2 Tbsp. Turbinado Course Sugar in the Raw or granulated sugar, for topping
Directions:
Wash and sanitize hands, work surfaces and tools.
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into small cubes and coat with flour. Rub the flour and fat mixture gently with fingers between your hands until the flour appears yellow and the fat is in small pea-sized clusters.
Sprinkle 6 tablespoons ice water over mixture and add more if the dough seems dry. Using a stiff rubber spatula continue to stir and press the dough until it is coming together.
Divide dough into 2 even pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling it out.)
On a lightly floured counter, roll one disk into a 12-inch circle. Gently transfer the circle to a 9-inch pie pan (allowing the extra dough to hang over the edges). Work the dough gently into the plate and press into the bottom of the pan, allowing the excess overhang to remain. Roll the second disk of dough into a 12-inch circle on lightly floured counter, then transfer to parchment paper.
For filling:
Combine the sugar, flour, and spice together in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and apples and toss until combined.
Load the apple mixture into the dough-lined pie plate and pile them a little higher in the center. Light and loosely wrap the remaining pie dough disk onto a rolling pin cover the apples, allowing ½ inch of dough to drape over the edge of the apples and align with the bottom crust.
Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of pie plate so that the top and bottom align with ½ inch total all around the pan. Pinch edges of top and bottom crusts firmly together. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of pie using your fingers.
Cut 8 1-inch holes in the top of the of dough. Evenly brush the top of the pie with the egg white and sprinkle evenly with the turbinado sugar or granulated sugar.
Preheat oven to 425° F. Place the pie on a sheet pan in the center of the oven and bake until golden brown 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° F. Rotate sheet pan. Bake an additional 25 minutes until crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling. Let pie cool on a wire rack at room temperature for at least 3 hours before slicing.
