Glazed Flat Apple Pie

I can see why I became addicted to reading food blogs, about five years ago. They're so visual.  I fall into the category of folks who tastes with my eyes.  All it takes is for a mouth-watering photo to pop out of the screen, and my brain goes into crave mode.

Seriously, it's become a problem and I can't help myself.  That's exactly what happened when Cathy of "Wives With Knives" posted her recipe for Glazed Apple Pie Bars.   I could not stop thinking about that recipe!

 Braeburn, Jonagold and Granny Smith Apples

...and, I'm not even a fan of apple pie!  Blasphemy, I know. I've mentioned, numerous times, that pie crust doesn't rock my world.  But, that has changed, now that I found a pie crust recipe that I like. I'm convinced that adding egg and vinegar makes for a very tender pastry crust.  (I used my food processor to make the pie crust.) I'd have to ask Alton Brown why that is, but it works-- and you can't taste the vinegar, either.

However, I find that the dough can be a little testy to work with, because it breaks apart and requires a bit of patching.  That's why I found making a pie in a half-sheet baking pan makes the task easier to do. Thanks, Cathy, for that tip, because I have one of these pans and I use it all the time.

Plus, this Apple (and potato) Peeler makes the work of peeling, coring and slicing an breeze. 

 

There are two ingredients, that I order from King Arthur Flour (online) that I cannot be without. One of them is their Boiled Cider.

I add it to any recipe that uses apples, because it kicks up the flavor in  a very good way.  It's super concentrated, so you can even use it to make apple cider. 

The other ingredient that I love is Instant ClearJel.  I mix this to the sugar, before adding it to any fruit pie filling.  Instant ClearJel doesn't "cloud" my fillings and does a great job of preventing runny pies. Win!  For this pie filling, I used 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and some fresh lemon juice.

Once the apple filling was spread onto the bottom half of the pie crust, I dotted it with unsalted butter, then topped it with the second crust.  TIP:  Parchment paper makes this easier to do.  Once the crust is rolled, on top of the parchment paper, I can just flip it onto the baking sheet. Much easier!

I like to make an egg wash, to brush on top of the pie crust.  (You can also use heavy cream.)  I buy sparkling sugar -- where else-- from King Arthur Flour.  I sprinkle it on top and then set the pie on a large baking sheet (or my baking stone) at 375F for about 35-45 minutes.

I debated about adding the glaze, since there was, already,  sugar on top...but I ultimately decided to try it.

As an afterthought, I realized that caramel would be a fun twist or even maple to the glaze would be fun. This time, I stuck with powdered sugar and water.

My cooling racks fit perfectly over my kitchen sink, so that's where I do all of my "drizzling". It makes cleanup so much easier!  (You're welcome.) Cathy adds chopped walnuts, which sounds fantastic. My son doesn't like them, so I opted out.

I was losing natural light, fast, so I couldn't get really good shots of the pie-- and I was anxious to taste this pie. I sliced into it, while it as still warm. Vanilla ice cream would have been a nice touch, but I went au naturel.

TASTING NOTES:  This  crust is my new favorite (always subject to change).  It's very tender.  I loved the cinnamon in the filling, but you could certainly leave it out.  Using a blend of apples is a good way to go, because you have sweet and the Granny Smith tart, plus you have different levels of apple texture...from soft to slightly crispy.  I liked the crunchiness of the sugar and the glaze was a nice touch, as well. This pie was a hit with all of us, and a friend described this as "the best strudel he has ever eaten".  I can see why, because the pastry is so tender.

This recipe goes on the top of the pile as a "keeper recipe".  Cathy, thanks for inspiring me to make a pie in a non-traditional pan.  This would be perfect as  a potluck kind of dessert, because you can make smaller slices to go around.

As always, you will find a printable recipe card at the very end of this post. If you can't view it, click here.