The day before Thanksgiving, we packed the car and headed to my Uncle’s cabin in Linville Falls, NC. It was a Thanksgiving dream! There is nothing like playing games, watching Christmas movies, eating comfort foods, and sitting around a fireplace with the family. The weather was gorgeous, so we were able to get out and hike some pretty amazing (and challenging) trails. This year, I wanted to contribute something new to our Thanksgiving dinner, so I decided to experiment with a homemade lattice apple pie.
Today I’m sharing the recipe I used, which is perfect for beginners. Most of you probably have these ingredients in the pantry already. The directions are straightforward, which is helpful if you are a rookie baker like me! You can find the original recipe at Taste of Home, but I have adjusted it after trying it out. I’ll explain why soon, but here is what you need to know:
Ingredients
Filling
- 4-6 medium apples (I used 3 honeycrisp and 3 granny smith)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2-1/2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pastry
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- Teaspoon of baking powder
- Teaspoon of salt
- (1) 1/3 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup cold water
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoon sugar
Directions
- Peel apples and cut them into thin slices. (We didn’t have a sharp knife or an apple slicer, so this part took the longest. If you use an apple slicer, be sure to slice those pieces in half so they are thin enough.)
- In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, water, corn starch, cinnamon and nutmeg; toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide in half, making one half slightly larger. (This originally called for about 6 tablespoons of water, but I needed a LOT more. This dough batch is doubled, so just fill up a cup and gradually add as needed).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger portion of pastry to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to plate; trim even with edge of plate. Add filling; dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry; make a lattice crust.
- To make the lattice crust, take a butter knife and cut out long strips from the rolled out dough. Lay the strips parallel to each other with about 1/4 inch in-between until the pie is covered. Roll out the dough again and cut out more long strips. Take 1 strip at a time and weave each one perpendicular to the first layer. The dough tends to shrink up while weaving, so be sure to cut long enough strips.
- Trim, seal and flute edges. Brush with milk; sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 40-50 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. (I would recommend checking in at 30 minutes. I baked 2 pies at 50 minutes and they were a little too crispy for my liking!)
Adjustments
Originally the recipe called for 5-6 medium sized apples. This ended up being way too much for one pie. Naturally, I made two! I just decreased the amount of apples needed assuming you only want one. The dough recipe didn’t make enough for one whole pie, either. I decided to double this portion to have more to work with when making the lattice. It is better to have more, than not enough, since it is the messiest part of the recipe. Finally, I substituted baking tapioca with corn starch. If you decide to use baking tapioca, double the quantity called for. We just already had corn starch on hand.
I hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I did. There is nothing like a homemade lattice apple pie during the holidays!
What is your favorite pie filling? Let me know in the comments!