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Gravenstein apple pie in a pie plate.

Gravenstein Apple Pie

5 from 5 votes
This delicious Gravenstein apple pie makes the most of the apple's short season. Gravensteins are so good in pies because they're not too sweet and hold their shape well during baking.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 159
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For Crust
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or whole wheat pastry
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 cup ice water
For Filling
  • 8 cups Gravenstein apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½-¾ cup brown sugar, light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Method
 

Make Crust
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter with a fork or your hands until the flour is crumbly and the butter is well integrated.
  2. Using a fork, stir in the water a little bit at a time (you may not need the entire cup) until the dough holds together. Knead it with your hands until it can form a smooth ball, then divide the ball in half, press each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and rest in the fridge at least a half hour.
Make Pie
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Rub a pie pan with butter and have a baking sheet ready.
  2. Whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and the pinch of salt in a bowl, then mix lightly through the apples. 
  3. Roll out half of the dough and fit it into the prepared pan. Pile in the apples in the pie pan and dot with thin slices of butter. Roll out the other half of the pie crust, place it on top of the apples, crimp the edges, and cut a few vents in the top.
  4. Place pie on a baking sheet, place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned, apples are cooked through, and the filling is bubbling. 
  5. Remove pie from oven and let it cool thoroughly before serving. I like to wait at least 2-3 hours so the filling will fully set.

Notes

 
    • Use cold butter - Yes, this is a big one! For the flakiest crust, use very cold butter. When the butter mixes in with the flour it will form chunks of butter and flour which in turn steam and melt in the oven, creating those gorgeous flaky layers.
    • Ice water - Likewise, make sure the water you use is actually ice water! I prep my ice water first before going on to make the crust so that it's very cold.
    • Rest the crust - Keep the crust cold in the fridge until you're ready to roll it out, especially important if your kitchen is warm (this gives the crust a fighting chance of being as flaky as possible). You can make the crust up to 3 days in advance and keep the wrapped discs in the fridge until you make the pie.
    • Make it refined sugar free - Use coconut sugar or maple syrup in place of the sugar in the crust and the brown sugar in the filling.
    • Use a pie shield - This pie bakes on high heat for almost an hour. If you notice the edges of the crust browning a bit too much, fit a sleeve of tin foil (carefully!) around the perimeter of the crust to protect it from over cooking.
    • Try different apples - This is a Gravenstein apple pie, but if you don't have Gravensteins in the backyard like I do, feel free to use another baking apple of your choice (see some suggestions below for what kind of apples are best for baking).
    • Other additions - Cinnamon is a classic addition to apple pie, but ginger is nice too, just make sure you don't add too many spices so that they don't overpower the taste of the apples. You could also add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the filling, or the zest of 1 lemon. Or, thinking outside the box, add ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese to the top of the pie. In my college days I made a Moosewood Cookbook recipe that included cheddar - it was a special, different savory touch to the familiar flavors of apple pie.