Dutch Apple Pie- Yes, You CAN Bake a Homemade Pie!

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness." ~Jane Austen

I know what you're thinking: "I can't make a pie crust!"

To which I respond: "Then this is the recipe for you!"

Before you shake your head in disbelief and hit the "Back" button, let me just say that if you've ever played with playdough you can make this pie. If previous attempts have found you sweating into the pie crust as you attempt to roll it out then carefully lifting the crust into the pie tin only to have it fall into shreds, worry no more. This Dutch Apple Pie recipe asks you to do nothing more than smush the bottom crust into the pan and half crumble/half spread the top crust on.

Recipes for Dutch Apple Pie date back to 17th century Netherlands. The lack of a full pie crust on the top and additions of cinnamon, lemon juice or raisins are what distinguish a Dutch Apple Pie from the other variations.

This recipe took me 30 minutes to prepare; twenty of those minutes were spent on the apples. While you could save time and use canned pie filling you'll sacrifice taste. It's up to you but, in the grand scheme of things, what's 20 minutes? Your taste buds will thank you.

In days gone by I've substituted margarine for butter. Use margarine if you need to but once you taste the difference when you use butter you'll never substitute with margarine again. Buy the cheapest butter; brand doesn't matter here. And always use unsalted butter for baked goods, salted butter for cooking. That being said, it's time for the recipe:

Dutch Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

8 large tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced about 1/4" thick

Ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, egg and flour. Stir with a spoon for a few moments until mixture hangs together a bit. Use flour-covered hands to form dough. If the dough seems super-sticky, mix in another 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour. Press a little more than half the dough on the bottom and sides of 9-inch pie dish, square baking pan, or cast iron skillet.

3. Fill the pie shell with apples and dust them with cinnamon. (I was generous with the cinnamon and could have added more.) Crumble the rest of the dough over the top of the apples until they are more or less covered. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Baking Tip: Give your pie crust a golden brown shine. Beat one egg yolk and 1 tsp. water then brush the mixture onto the top pie crust before baking.



This Dutch Apple Pie may not win a beauty contest but it makes up for it in taste!