Every Fall, I go apple picking in north Georgia and the first thing that comes to mind is apple pie. When you have delicious, fresh picked apples, I don’t think there’s any better way to enjoy them (other than just eating them on their own). I love adding orange to apple pie, it gives it such a nice rounded flavor. I also love to add a variety of spices to give a real depth of flavor. Most apple pies have that beautiful top layer of pie pastry, which you can either simply lay on top or get creative with by doing a lattice pattern or something even more intricate. I linked my pie crust recipe above. Keep in mind you will need to make it twice for this pie.

This pie serves around 6 people.

Ingredients:

2x perfect pie crust (see pie crust recipe)

3 lbs apples (granny smith, rome, fuji)

¼ tsp (1g) salt

¼ cup (30g) all purpose flour

1 tsp (3g) orange zest

1 tsp (3g) lemon zest

¾ cup (180g) brown sugar

½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

½ tsp (2g) nutmeg

½ tsp (2g) allspice

½ tsp (2g) ginger

1 ½ tsp (6g) cinnamon

2 tbs (20g) lemon juice

3 tbs (33g) unsalted butter

1 egg

Extra granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205C).

2. Prepare perfect pie crust, use one portion to line the buttered pie dish, form the other portion into a disk and refrigerate. 

3. Peel, core and slice the apples in to thin slices, about ¼ inch thick. 

4. In a large bowl, combine the apples, salt, flour, lemon zest, orange zest, brown sugar, granulated sugar, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cinnamon and lemon juice. Toss well to coat the apples and mix everything together. 

5. Pile the apple mixture in to the prepared pie crust. 

6. Remove the other portion of pie dough from the refrigerator and roll in to a large flat circle. 

7. Place small globs of butter using the 3 tbs of unsalted butter all over the apples in the pie pan. 

8. Roll the other rolled out dough on top of the pie, pressing down on the edges and cutting off the excess. Seal the edges with a fork. You can also cut the dough into strips for a lattice pattern on top!

9. Make an egg wash by mixing the egg and 1 tbs water together, then brush the top of the pie dough generously. Sprinkle over the extra granulated sugar, and cut a couple slits in the dough to let steam escape. 

10. Bake at 400 Degrees for 15 Minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 (180C) and bake for another 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the inside is bubbly. 

11. Let cool for 20-30 minutes before serving.

    Wrap tightly in plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.