Salted Caramel Double-Crust Apple Pie

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flaky Pastry Dough (page 313)

FILLING

3 pounds (1.35 kg) apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch-thick (6 mm) slices

½ cup (100 g) sugar

1 to 3 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Egg wash: 1 large egg, beaten

CARAMEL SAUCE

¾ cup (150 g) sugar

⅓ cup (110 g) honey

¼ cup (60 ml) water

4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream

FOR FINISHING

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, or

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Make the dough as directed and divide into 2 disks, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap and refrigerate as directed. When ready to assemble and bake the pie, remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up on the counter until it becomes more pliable, about 30 minutes.

MAKE THE FILLING: Toss the apples with the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

Position an oven rack in the middle position, with plenty of room above it-the pie is tall. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). If you have a baking stone or heavy baking sheet, heat it also.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each of the disks of dough to a round about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Transfer the larger dough round to a 9- or 10-inch (23 or 25 cm) pie plate (you'll have plenty of

dough for the larger size). Pile the apple filling into the bottom crust, along with any juices that have accumulated. Top with the smaller dough round. Let any extra dough hang over the sides of the plate.

Without stretching the dough, press the two layers of dough together to seal them and then trim off any extra dough, using kitchen scissors or a paring knife, to about ½ inch (1.25 cm) over the edge of the dish. Pinch the dough together and fold it under to make a thicker rim, then crimp by pressing with the tines of a fork or flute by pushing the dough toward the pie with the thumb and forefinger of one hand and away from the pie with the index finger of your other hand. Brush the whole surface of the pie with egg wash and cut a small hole in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape during baking.

Bake the pie, on the baking stone, if using, for about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake until the crust is dark golden brown, about 45 minutes more (a total of 1 hour 15 minutes). If the edges are getting too dark before the center is golden, wrap the edges in foil or use a pie crust shield.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE CARAMEL: Put the sugar, honey, and water in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. The pan needs to be big enough for the mixture to bubble up to about four times its original volume, so err on the side of too large; you do not want a spillover.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, without stirring, until it starts to turn dark amber around the edges, about 5 minutes. Give the pan a swirl and cook until the mixture is a dark golden brown and smells like caramel, another 3 minutes or so. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the

butter (watch out for bubbling up or spattering). When the butter is incorporated, add the cream and stir. Set aside to cool to room temperature or just barely warm.

Take the pie out of the oven (leave the oven on) and let cool for about 5 minutes. Set the pie on a sheet pan to catch any caramel that might bubble over and brush or spoon about ½ cup (120 ml) of the caramel over the top; reserve the rest of the caramel to serve at the table. Return the pie to the oven (on the sheet pan) and bake until the caramel is bubbling, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle the top with the flaky sea salt.

Let the pie cool for about 3 hours before cutting into it. Resist the temptation to cut into the pie right away. The juices need to thicken before you dig in. Reheat the caramel sauce gently before serving.

Refrigerate any leftovers and reheat in a 375°F (190°C) oven for about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Note: The amount of cornstarch

to use is hard to tell, as you don't

really know how much juice

your apples will give off, but you can get an idea by starting with 1 tablespoon. After the apples have sat for 15 minutes or so, check to see if a lot of liquid has accumulated. If so, toss with another tablespoon or so. You get tasty apples no matter what you do, but for a less juicy, more set filling, use more cornstarch.

This is a grand pie-deep-dish, double-crust, and topped with a layer of caramel with more served at the table. The crust is fairly thick-because pie is all about the crust, right?-so be sure to thoroughly bake the pie; it will take at least an hour. And leave another several hours for the finished pie to cool so the juicy apple filling thickens and develops just the right texture. This

is true of every pie. If you want warm pie, bake it, cool it, then

gently reheat the whole pie or a slice. Pie that's piping hot from the oven will leak out thin juices, fall apart, and never reach its

full pie potential. —Makes one 9- or 10-inch (23 or 25 cm) double-

crust pie