Sad news had made for a particularly restless night a couple weeks ago. At 4:30 in the morning I gave up the notion that anymore sleep was going happen and swung my feet over the side of the bed then headed to the kitchen.
In a daze I began slinging flour, butter, and water together in a bowl. Cutting, kneading, collecting, and rolling.
Next came the apples. Peeling, slicing, seasoning, and tossing followed by pouring, topping, crimping, and baking.
I don’t know when I started using cooking as a form of therapy, but few things are more cathartic for me than being in the kitchen. Bringing something together from scratch offers a sense of accomplishment not to mention you’re left with something delicious to treat yourself with.
At some point in the process I decided a regular pie wouldn’t do. This needed to be a giant pie. A slab pie is great for feeding a crowd so not only did Jay get his apple pie fix, but so did his mother, brother, and most of my coworkers. If you’ve got a crowd to feed for Thanksgiving, a slab pie is for you.
This recipe is similar to the all butter crust apple pie from a couple weeks ago. In fact, it’s the exact same just multiplied by 1 1/2 times. I also topped it with a cinnamon sugar icing. Totally optional, but the shape of this pie reminds me of a Pop Tart and a Pop Tart without icing is a sad, sad thing.
This is certainly not the prettiest things I’ve baked, but this is what you get when you start a baking project on just a few hours of sleep long before the sun comes up. I’d love to see your much better looking creations so if you give this a go, be sure to tag @dailyciabatta on Instagram.
Apple Slab Pie
For the Crust
- 3 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tsp Salt
- 3 Sticks Cold Unsalted Butter
- 1/2-1 cup Ice Water
For the Filling
- 9-11 Medium Apples (I used a few different kinds but any firm, tart variety like cortland, empire, or granny smith would work)
- 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/3 Cup Sugar
- 2 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
For the Icing
- 1 Cup Confectioners’ Sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp Milk, plus more as needed
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Dough
Get started on the crust by mixing the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and using a pastry cutter or fork work the butter into the flour until crumbly. Butter should be about pea-sized.
Fill a glass with one a cup of water and add ice to it. Slowly drizzle the water in about a tablespoon at a time stirring until just combined. Add enough water to barely bring everything together. The dough might still feel a little dry and that’s ok.
Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to bring the dough together into a ball. Divide the dough in two and wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge and allow to cool for at least an hour or up to 3 days. The dough can also be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for 3 months.
For the Pie
Preheat the oven to 400. Peel the apples and slice thin. Place in a large bowl and toss with flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out one of the discs into a large rectangle large enough to fill an 11/14 baking sheet. Trim the edges and fill with the apples. Roll the next dough disc out and place on top. Crimp the edges and use a paring knife to slice a few holes in the top.
Place the pie in the oven and cook for 45-50 minutes. If the crust starts to get too brown, cover with tinfoil and continue to bake.
Once the pie has cooled, make the icing by whisking the sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla together. Spread over the top of the pie, slice, and enjoy!
