Apple Slab Pie
My grandma was much more of a “cooking grandma” than a “baking grandma”, so many of my memories surrounding her food revolve around dinners, not necessarily desserts. She did have a handful of sweet treats in her repertoire (things like icebox cake, ambrosia and biscotti) that she would serve, but the focal point was always the actual meal. The only pie I remember her ever making was apple, and it was never in a traditional round pie plate… it was always in a sheet pan or a 9×13-inch baking pan. I never asked why, but knowing my grandma, she would have figured that a 9-inch pie plate wouldn’t make enough to feed everyone on a typical Sunday. Having just enough was never enough for her; she wanted to make sure that if someone wanted seconds or thirds, there would be plenty left.
As someone who loves a high crust to filling ratio when it comes to pie, slab pie is right up my alley.
There is an abundance of butter, flaky crust, and just the right amount of juicy, spiced apple filling.
The filling set up beautifully and was perfect when the pie was sliced – it didn’t run and the apples didn’t slide out every which way, which is a huge pet peeve of mine when eating a big slice of pie. Most times I find that I end up eating the filling separately, since it ends up all over the plate and not neatly packaged inside the crust.
As you can see, this filling was perfectly sturdy and had just the right amount of apples and thickener. It was a thing of beauty!
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If you love pie in any of its many forms, you owe it to yourself to make a slab pie. It’s less fussy than traditional pie, and it will ensure that everyone can take a crack at seconds if they’d like.
It’s the only way my grandma believed in feeding people, and I’m happy to follow in her footsteps!
More Apple Pie Recipes For You:
- Apple Hand Pies
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Classic Apple Pie
- Maple-Apple Pie with Walnut Crumble Topping
- Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
One year ago: Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Two years ago: Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Three years ago: Skillet Apple Crisp
Apple Slab Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 3¾ cups (470 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons (1.5 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) salt
- 1½ cups (340 g) unsalted butter, very cold
- ¾ cup (187.5 ml) ice water
For the Filling:
- 3½ to 4 pounds (1.6 to 1.8 kg) Granny Smith apples, about 8 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped into ½-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) salt
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the Crust: Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the biggest pieces of butter are the size of tiny peas. Gently stir in the water with a rubber spatula, mixing it until a craggy mass forms. Using your hands, knead it two or three times to form a ball. Divide the dough roughly in half (it's okay if one is slightly larger). Wrap each half in plastic wrap and flatten a bit, like a disc. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or up to two days).
- Preheat oven oven to 375 degrees F. Line the bottom of 10x15x1-inch baking sheet or jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the Filling: In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice until coated. Add the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt, and stir to evenly coat.
- Assemble the Pie: On a lightly floured surface, roll one of your dough halves (the larger one, if you have two different sizes) into an 18×13-inch rectangle. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and gently work the dough into the corners and along the edges of the pan. Trim any overhang off the sides to ¾-inch.
- Turn the apple mixture onto the dough and spread into an even layer.
- Roll the second piece of dough (the smaller one, if they were different sizes) into a 16×11-inch rectangle. Drape over the filling and fold the bottom crust's overhang over the edges, sealing the two pieces of dough together. Crimp the edges, if desired. Using a paring knife, cut nine small slits over the surface of the top crust.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water and salt. Brush a thin coating of the egg wash evenly over all of the exposed crust.
- Bake the Pie: Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving, about 45 minutes. Leftovers will keep at room temperature, well-covered, for up to three days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Hi Michelle,
Just wanted to ask if i could freeze individual pieces of this pie once baked.
If so, would i leave overnight in the fridge to defrost?
Thankyou xox
Do you know how long the pie crust can be left in the freezer? I’ve had it in the fridge for 2 days now and I’m unable to complete it due to a sick toddler. So I’m going to throw it in the freezer. Thank you!
Hi Vicky, The dough should be fine for up to 2 months in the freezer. Enjoy, and I hope your toddler feels better!
Love the crust! I used salted butter and left out the salt, and it worked fine. I sprinkled bottom crust with a little sugar and prefaced 10 minutes, then let cool before adding the filling and top crust. That keeps it from absorbing the apple juice and getting soggy. I added more cinnamon, more lemon juice, and some sugar to filling, and dotted it with butter before adding top crust. Have taken this to a group dinner twice and got raves both times. This time I had to double and make a second slab pie to leave at home. Apple slab pie for breakfast is great!
That should say prebaked, not prefaced. Grr=autocorrect. I didn’t do that the first time, and it did make a difference.
Finally got my food processor for Christmas!! I can officially make pie dough!! Made this today and it was perfect, I can’t make pie dough great by hand so was waiting for my food processor to attempt this and it came out spot on!
Rallied my daughter for the apple chopping, took about 1 hour in my oven to turn beautifully golden brown and since in our house there are only two of us that like apple pie, lots and lots of seconds!! Lol : ) Thankyou Michelle, for great pictures, I actually saw this recipe a while ago on smitten kitchen but was a bit unsure because of the look of them, glad you posted it and changed my mind.
I am going to make this pie but wanted to use tapioca pearls instead of corn starch-would the measurements be the same?
Also, wanted to bake this the morning of my gathering, however, won’t have the time to put it all together and bake the same day. Is there a “make ahead” or “prep ahead” method I could use? I thought about assembling it all and then refrigerating but fear it may get soggy overnight! Thanks!
Hi Juli, You should process the tapioca pearls to make a powder, and use the same amount. You could make the crust in advance and keep it in the fridge, but I would not assemble it prior to baking, as it do think it would get soggy.
Yum! I made this yesterday for a Bible study potluck, and it was gobbled up QUICK! I think next time I would add a few more apples. But honestly it would just be a personal preference tweak. Everyone raved about it! This is the only way I will make pie for a crowd! Perfect for holiday meals, where you want a taste of all the desserts, but not a whole wedge of each.
Thank you!