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Slovenian apple pie

Recipe for Slovenian apple pie, which is almost a torte. Made with a sour cream, crumbly and cookie-like crust, topped with grated apples which make a very juicy filling. Easily sliced into pieces and perfect for serving to a group or potluck parties. Very easy to make. | sugarsalted.com

5 from 1 reviews

A pie that’s almost a coffee cake, buttery, soft and packed with apples. Recipe makes one 23-cm | 9-inch pie.

Ingredients

Scale

Crust

  • 355g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 120g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
  • 155g (1 1/3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 85g (6 TBSPs) sour cream

Filling

  • 700g (1 1/2 pounds) apples (about 3 very large apples)
  • 50g (1/4 cup) white granulated sugar
  • 30g (2 TBSPs) Demerara (light brown) sugar
  • 13 TBSPs breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice (from about 1/2 small lemon)

+Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

  1. First make the crust: Sift flour, baking powder, salt and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. In another large bowl beat the butter and egg yolks until creamy. Add vanilla paste and sour cream and mix until combined. Add flour in 3 additions, beating well after each one. You’ll end up with a well formed, but soft dough. At this point transfer it to a working surface. If it’s sticky add a few pinches of flour. Flatten the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
  2. Meanwhile, peel and grate the apples with a box grater. Transfer to a bowl, add the sugars, breadcrumbs, cinnamon and lemon juice. Toss to coat the apples completely; set aside.
  3. Set oven to 180°C (356°F) and line the bottom of a 23-cm | 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease the paper and the sides of the pan.
  4. Take dough out of the fridge and split it in two parts, one slightly bigger than the other.
  5. Roll out the bigger half on a floured surface and transfer to the pan. Gently press into the bottom and about 2cm (1 inch) up the sides. Top with the filling (but discard any water left by the apples in the bowl) in an even layer, smooth top with the back of a spoon. Roll out the smaller half of dough and place it over the pie. Tuck it in at the sides and make a few slices in the top crust.
  6. Bake pie for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Run a thin knife around the sides of pie, then remove from pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  7. Serve as is or with a side of vanilla ice cream or, as in my case, with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Notes

The reason why my pie has a beige color is because I used vanilla bean powder instead of vanilla bean paste. If you use powder, whisk it into the flour and not into butter. If the dough tears, as you’re putting into the pan, simply pinch it back together. To make the star in the center, roll out the dough for top crust, cut out a star and set aside. Transfer dough to the cake pan, tuck it in and then top with the star cutout. This time, I used a mix of Gala and Granny Smith apples. I often make this with Golden Delicious, Jonagold and Idared apples too. If you’re using a very sour variety, add more sugar to the filling. Pan sizes: you can make this exact pie in a 20-cm | 8-inch square pan too. Double the recipe to make a larger rectangular pie. Pie keeps for up to 3 days, stored airtight in the fridge.