Deep-dish Dutch apple pie. Filled with layer upon layer of soft, cinnamon-scented apples, this pie is, without a doubt, my favorite Thanksgiving pie and the one I make every year. It’s my girls’ favorite, too. The tart-like crust is slightly sweet and the whole thing is crowned with a streusel topping. This beauty bakes for a full two and a half hours and I’ll let you imagine the magic that comes from having a pie in your oven for that length of time. The final result of this deep-dish 14-apple pie is well worth the time it takes to peel and slice 14 apples.
Be sure to use this crust recipe as it accommodates the deeper pie. The egg yolk adds a little structure; the sugar, a little sweetness, almost like a tart crust.
Ideally, plan to start the pie two days before you want to serve. On day 1, make and refrigerate the crust. Bake the pie on day 2. On day 3, you’re ready to reheat the pie in the oven and serve. You can also make the crust and bake the pie on the same day to make it a two-day process, but it must refrigerate overnight after it’s baked, so keep that in mind before you begin. It’s a labor of love, but so worth it!
You’ll need a deep-dish pie pan with a removable bottom. This is the one I use. Most importantly, do not forget to place filled pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet. The filling will leak as it cooks down, and, speaking from experience, you don’t need an oven cleaning “intermission” to take place before the rest of your holiday cooking can resume.
Deep-Dish Dutch Apple Pie
Recipe adapted from McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant Cookbook
Makes one 9 by 4-inch pie
Crust:
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, cold & cubed
3-4 tablespoons ice-cold water
1 egg yolk
Filling:
14 medium-Granny Smith apples (about 4 lbs), peeled and sliced to between 1/4 & 1/8-inch
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Streusel Topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
Make Crust:
Sift flour, sugar and salt together into a medium bowl and stir well to combine dry ingredients. Cut in cubes of butter with hands or a pastry blender until the majority of the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add first 3 T of ice-cold water and egg yolk and combine just until it begins to form a somewhat shaggy ball. If it still seems crumbly, add the last tablespoon of water. Turn dough out onto square of parchment or plastic wrap and pull corners in from all corners (flipping over if needed), to form a round disc, about 8 inches across. Seal tightly in ziplock or glass-lock container and refrigerate for an hour.*
**If you want to make the dough ahead of time, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to three days (just let sit on counter to soften enough to roll before using) OR freeze in ziplock bag, thawing dough overnight in refrigerator a day before you’re going to use.
Make Filling:
Peel, core and slice apples into 1/4 inch slices. Be patient with this part.
In your largest mixing bowl, combine apple slices with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, flour and water, until apples are coated evenly.
Make “Dutch” Streusel Topping:
Combine all streusel ingredients until coarse crumbles form. Set aside in refrigerator while you roll out pie dough.
Roll out Pie Dough:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Get lowest oven ready as you’re going to want to bake the pie at the bottom of your oven. Using plenty of flour, roll out chilled pie dough into a circle about 18 inches across. See this tutorial for more pointers. Wrap circle loosely around your rolling pin and place in center of deep-dish (with removable bottom) pie pan. Gently press dough into pie pan to line bottom and sides, as evenly as possible. You’re not going to flute the edge of this crust so just press it right to the edge of the pan like you were lining a tart. It doesn’t have to be pretty, but patch any cracks or holes.
Fill and Bake Pie:
Place lined pie pan on ungreased, rimmed baking sheet. Add apples to lined pie pan, mounding and in the center and gently applying pressure to use up all the filling. It will seem like they’ll never ever fit, but trust me, they will cook down considerably.
Sprinkle streusel topping liberally over filling, pressing and spreading until entire surface is covered. You will have to mound the streusel crumbs in the center and press firmly to get most of them to adhere, especially to the sides.
Bake pie at 300 degrees on lowest oven rack for two and a half hours, until well browned. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on cooling rack for 1-2 hours. Gently press apples down into the bottom of the pie until they are just about to the level of the crust. Once fully cool, cover well (I use my lidded cake platter) and place in the refrigerator overnight. This helps the filling set and the flavors blend.
Serving the deep-dish Dutch apple pie:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove pie from pie pan and place pie on foil or parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly cover pie with foil so it doesn’t get too brown. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Recipe FAQs:
Can you freeze this apple pie?
This pie does not freeze well because of its sheer height as well as the crumble on top, struggling to hold on. The good news is it’s very make-ahead friendly and needs at least one day in the fridge to set up, so you can plan ahead.
What is the best kind of apple to use in a pie?
I love granny smith apples for pies because they hold their shape and give a nice balance to the sweetness of dutch apple pie; however, you can mix it up and use a combination of apples such as granny smith and jonagold (a sweeter variety). Braeburn apples are also delicious pie apples and they hold up well. If you find them at a decent price, the renowned honey crisp is also a favorite with it’s perfect combination of sweet-tartness and wonderful texture. What have you tried and loved?
Deep-Dish 14-Apple Pie
Crust
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, cold & cubed
- 3-4 tbsp ice-cold water
- 1 egg yolk
Filling
- 14 medium-Granny Smith apples (about 4 lbs), peeled, cored & sliced to between 1/4 &1/8-inch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 6 tbsp flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Streusel Topping
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 6 tbsp butter
MAKE CRUST:
Sift flour, sugar and salt together into a medium bowl and stir well to combine dry ingredients. Cut in cubes of butter with hands or a pastry blender until the majority of the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add first 3 T of ice-cold water and egg yolk and combine just until it begins to form a somewhat shaggy ball. If it still seems crumbly, add the last tablespoon of water. Turn dough out onto square of parchment or plastic wrap and pull corners in from all corners (flipping over if needed), to form a round disc, about 8 inches across. Seal tightly in ziplock or glass-lock container and refrigerate for an hour.******If you want to make the dough ahead of time, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to three days (just let sit on counter to soften enough to roll before using) OR freeze in ziplock bag, thawing dough overnight in refrigerator a day before you’re going to use.
MAKE FILLING:
Peel, core and slice apples into 1/4 inch slices. Be patient with this part. In your largest mixing bowl, combine apple slices with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, flour and water, until apples are coated evenly.
ROLL OUT PIE DOUGH:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Get lowest oven ready as you're going to want to bake the pie at the bottom of your oven. Using plenty of flour, roll out chilled pie dough into a circle about 18 inches across. See this tutorial for more pointers. Wrap circle loosely around your rolling pin and place in center of deep-dish (with removable bottom) pie pan. Gently press dough into pie pan to line bottom and sides, as evenly as possible. You’re not going to flute the edge of this crust so just press it right to the edge of the pan like you were lining a tart. It doesn’t have to be pretty, but patch any cracks or holes.
FILL AND BAKE PIE:
Place lined pie pan on ungreased, rimmed baking sheet. Add apples to lined pie pan, mounding and in the center and gently applying pressure to use up all the filling. It will seem like they’ll never ever fit, but trust me, they will cook down considerably. Sprinkle streusel topping liberally over filling, pressing and spreading until entire surface is covered. You will have to mound the streusel crumbs in the center and press firmly to get most of them to adhere, especially to the sides. Bake pie at 300 degrees for two and a half hours, until well browned. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on cooling rack for 1-2 hours. Gently press apples down into the bottom of the pie until they are just about to the level of the crust. Once fully cool, cover well (I use my lidded cake platter) and place in the refrigerator overnight. This helps the filling set and the flavors blend.
SERVING THE DEEP-DISH 14-APPLE PIE:
CHECK OUT THESE PIE RECIPES FOR MORE IDEAS!