Makes 10 servings
I prefer making pies with pre-baked fillings because they take a shorter time to bake, and the crust comes out beautifully. There’s a rich but simple sweetness in this pie along with bright notes from the citrus, spices and vinegar.
Filling:
2½ pounds pie apples (Granny Smith, Pippin, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, Jonagold), 6 to 8 apples, 8 cups, peeled, halved, cored and each half cut in 8 slices
2/3 cup raisins
Zest of an orange
½ cup brown rice syrup (Lundberg Organic)
½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and ginger
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Thickener: 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or kuzu root starch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons apple cider, apple juice, or water
Pastry:
1½ cups combined whole wheat pastry flour and organic unbleached white pastry flour
¼ teaspoon each unrefined sea salt and aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 cup oil suitable for baking temperatures (Spectrum brand preferred)
Water to texture desired, 3 to 4 tablespoons
Glaze: 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup mixed with 1 teaspoon water
Streusel Topping:
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour or part unbleached white pastry flour
2 tablespoons high heat oil
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
1. To prepare filling, in a large pot, place all ingredients except those for the thickener. Stir well and bring to boil. Turn heat to medium and cook covered until apples are tender, but hold their shapes, and dried fruit is plumped, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. To thicken juices, stir thickener-cider mixture and drizzle over fruit in pot. Tilt pan or gently stir to distribute evenly. Watch sauce thicken upon simmering.
2. Preheat oven to 400°. Mix pastry ingredients starting with flours, salt and baking powder. Stir in oil followed by enough water to create a smooth moist dough. Roll dough out thin between sheets of waxed paper; sprinkle flour on the bottom sheet and on top of the dough. Transfer to an oiled 9-inch pie plate and flute the edges. Pre-bake for 10 minutes.
3. Mix ingredients for streusel topping. Transfer filling to pastry. Sprinkle streusel on top of filling. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Brush edge of pie with glaze and return to oven for 5 minutes more. Allow pie to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Variation: Gluten-Free Pastry: Substitute Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Mix for flours.
For 10 servings, per serving:
Calories: 285 Protein: 3gm Saturated Fat: 0.3gm Fiber: 4gm Carbohydrates: 62gm Fat: 3gm Cholesterol: 0 Sodium: 82
Calories from Protein: 4% Calories from Fats: 9% Calories from Carbohydrates: 87%