Our apple slab pie recipe will easily serve more than twice the amount of people as a traditional pie with no extra work required! It’s the best treat for those, like us, who like a little more crust and a little less filling.
And while we prefer the combo of tart Granny Smiths and sweet Braeburns, you can really mix and match your favorite varieties. That being said, not all apples make tasty pies. Some are too sweet, some too mushy or watery. Some even taste funny after baking. Golden Delicious, Gala, Honeycrisp and Pink Lady all hold up well under heat and release a deliciously balanced flavor.
Apple Slab Pie Recipe
what you'll need
- crust
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, very cold and cut into ½” cubes
- 1 cup water, ice cold
- filling
- 2 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½" cubes
- 2 lbs Macintosh apples, or Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½" cubes
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- granulated sugar, for sprinkling
- glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
let's do it
- Begin by making the pie crust. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt together until combined. Use a pastry blender, a fork or your fingertips to blend the cold butter cubes into the flour until the pieces are no larger than the size of a pea. Add the water and stir until the dough begins to form, then use your hands to press the dough into a cohesive ball. Divide dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of a jelly roll pan (approximately 10" x 15") with parchment paper or spray well with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the cubed apples, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside while you roll out the crust. NOTE: When working with fresh fruit, the amount of thickener you need depends on how ripe the fruit is. If you’re using super sweet, ripe fruit, increase the cornstarch by 1 or 2 Tbsp.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the pie crusts (if one half is slightly larger than the other; roll out the larger one first). Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18" x 13" in size. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it to the prepared jellyroll pan. Line the entire bottom and sides of the pan and trim off any overhang.
- Pour apple mixture over the crust and spread evenly. Roll the top crust into a 16" x 11" rectangle large enough to cover the top of the pie. Tuck the edges of the top crust between the edge of the bottom crust and the pan, pinching the edges to seal the filling inside. Brush the entire top crust with beaten egg and sprinkle with a light coating of granulated sugar.
- Bake until crust is golden brown on top and filling is bubbly, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a rack until room temperature (or slightly warmer). While the pie is cooling, stir all ingredients for the glaze together in a small bowl. When the pie is barely warm, drizzle the glaze over the crust. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
One Last Thing
When making the glaze, you can adjust the drizzling consistency to your liking by adding a few drops of milk or a bit more powdered sugar.
