Apple Slab Pie with Buttermilk Crust

 

Rollin’ into apple season with my hands in the air all woot woot — well, sorta.  I am never ready for summer to end but this Apple Slab Pie with Buttermilk Crust does ease that pain a smidge.

Summer is the best.  It’s sunny, it’s warm, no coats nor layers nor hundreds of blankets.  No shivering (except in heavy a/c), no slippers, just footloose and fancy-free. 

The days are long, the sun sets late, open windows, green trees, fresh cut grass, and oodles of flowers, time spent outdoors, nice nights by the fire pit.

I am squarely not one of the “I love fall” or “fall is the best season” people.  Everything dies off outside then promptly turns into dreary sun-less slushy winter.  I am very much a spring summer girl. 

But.  I like apples.  A lot.  Baking with apples, definitely.  So it's a tough one for me, heh, wanting fall for the apples but wanting summer to stay.  And wanting fall for Honey Cake but yet....summer.

No, we're not moving southward.

And of course, apple pie is just, well, I mean, c'mon, apple pie.  It's what one thinks of when they think of fall.  Or, haha, that's my equation:  fall = apple pie.

Now, I've got the best ever ever ever apple pie on this lovely site.  I've also got a single crust apple pie that's topped with crumbly walnuts too. 

But this here Apple Slab Pie with Buttermilk Crust, this here is a crust-lovers delight.  The proportion of crust to filling is near equal (my non-measuring not-exact-science observation), slices are more portable than a pie-dish pie, and it is hella rockin' sublime.

The original slab pie recipe came from Smitten Kitchen though I tweaked it and tossed a buttermilk pie crust at it rather than a regular one as yeah, it's hella rockin'.

Put the two together, scoop on some vanilla ice cream, and Apple Slab Pie with Buttermilk Crust is gonna blow your mind, your flippin' socks off, and you'll be beaming.

If you don't have buttermilk, you can certainly jump the homemade buttermilk bandwagon or if none of that is appealing, your favorite pie crust (pre-made or homemade) will be fantastic.

I know, I'm heavy on the buttermilk or buttermilk batty or whatever but as I've said before, if I'm making you buy some, I feel obligated to have other recipes at the ready to help use up leftovers.  Besides, it's a terrific baking ingredient.

You'll need a 10x15 baking sheet* for this, which, I didn't already own so I apologize if I've added an extra stop on your shopping run.  But do get it because you'll put this Apple Slab Pie on repeat, guaranteed.

Only other atypical equipment you'll need is a pastry cutter* although you can use a food processor* instead if you prefer, for making the crust.  Oh and a rolling pin.*  Kinda key!

Righty-o, so make a full batch of the buttermilk crust from that apple pie recipe I keep linking.  Give it the hour or so chill and it's time for slab pie heaven.

You'll find all the instructions for this pie crust in the other post.

Roll out one half of the dough to a large rectangle, about eighteen by thirteen-ish and plop it into your spiffy baking sheet, tucking it nicely into the corners.  Just leave those edges sticking up for now.

Still deciding if these super floppy roll out pastry mats* are worth it.  I still suck at pie crust rolling.  When you've got the dough the right size, roll it up on the pin for easy transport, then unroll over the pan.

Mmk, bottom layer tenderly in that baking pan.

In a large bowl, toss the sugars, the cornstarch (or arrowroot* for my fellow corn allergy pals), the salt and yeah, that's it for now.  Stir, get rid of those sugar lumps.

Peel up your apples, although you could probably leave the peels on.  Know that the apples won't break down as much if you do.  But slice 'em up into chunks that are a fat quarter of an inch thick, meaning no need to measure but thicker than a quarter inch.

Be sure, though, to use two to three different types of apples for the that mind blowing flavor and texture.  Always mix your apples.

As you're peeling and cutting, toss the 'em into the bowl and stir everything around.  You won't need to lemon juice your apples this way, in case you're short on lemons or juice.

All right!  This is easy, huh?

Filling!

Now merely dump the well-stirred filling into your bottom crust and spread it out evenly.

Filled!

Roll out that other dough half into a sixteen by eleven-ish rectangle.  Here you can cut out cool designs or circles or shapes with cookie cutters* or, ditch that whole artsy fartsy business altogether. 

Layer that rectangle atop your slab-pie-in-the-making, fold the dough halves together and pinch to seal. 

If you skipped the artsy fartsy portion, use a paring or sharp knife and slice some vent holes in the dough.

Giving the top a nice wash of heavy cream or egg with water is next using a pastry brush* and then it's bake time!  Yay! 

Went with cream on this one and a nice sprinkle of demerara sugar* for that added crunch.

Ready?

Well oh ok wait, the lighting sucked here.

Gah.  Drool.

Seriously.

**thump** (I just fell off my chair.) 

Apple Slab Pie with Buttermilk Crust, my friends.  Whewie, what a winner!

Apple Slab Pie with Buttermilk Crust

Yield

18 slices

Prep time

45 Min

Cook time

45 Min

Inactive time

1 Hour

Total time

2 H & 30 M

A crispy crunchy crust lovers delight, this bursting with apples Apple Slab Pie with a Buttermilk Crust is sheer fall heaven.

Ingredients

• 1 crust recipe from Buttermilk Crusted Apple Pie
• 1/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (71 g) packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons (21 g) cornstarch or arrowroot
• 1 teaspoon (2.6 g) ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon (0.65 g) ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon (0.48 g) ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon (0.75 g) fine sea salt
• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds (1588-1814 g) various apples, peeled, cored and cut into fat 1/4" chunks
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream or one egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water
• Turbinado or demerara sugar (or any) for sprinkling, optional

Instructions

1. Prepare the pie crust as directed in the Buttermilk Crusted Apple Pie recipe.
2. Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugars, cornstarch or arrowroot, along with the spices and salt, stirring to break up the sugar lumps.
4. Peel, core, and slice the apples into slightly larger than 1/4" pieces and add them to the bowl, stirring to mix the apples with the sugars and spices.
5. Roll one half of the buttermilk pie crust to approximately 18" x 13" and place the rolled piece in a 10" x 15" x 1" rimmed baking sheet, lightly pressing the dough into the corners.
6. Pour the contents of the apple filling bowl into the bottom crust piece and spread the apples out evenly.
7. Roll the second half of the crust into a rectangle about 16" x 11" and if desired, cut out vents in a decorative way.
8. Place the second rolled out piece over the filling, folding the dough halves together and pinching to seal.  Cut venting holes with a sharp paring knife if vents were not previously cut.
9. Brush the entire top with the heavy cream or egg combined with water wash evenly and sprinkle with sugar if desired.
10. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the crust has turned golden brown and the apple filling is bubbling.
11. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a rack for about 45 minutes then serve.  Store covered on the counter for about 3 days, then move to the refrigerator.

Notes:

Adapted and/or inspired by Smitten Kitchen.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

235

Fat (grams)

7.32

Sat. Fat (grams)

4.4

Carbs (grams)

40.95

Fiber (grams)

2.6

Sugar (grams)

23.39

Protein (grams)

2.72

Sodium (milligrams)

160

Cholesterol (grams)

14

Please see the "info" section for nutrition details and information about gram weights.

apple, pie, apple pie, slab pie

recipes

American

*The baking sheets, pastry cutters, food processors, rolling pins, pastry mats, arrowroot, cookie cutters, pastry brushes, and demerara sugar are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.