Mile-High Apple Pie

4.0

(190)

8 Reviews

Martha's deep-dish apple pie packs over five pounds of apple inside a flaky all-butter crust.

Martha Stewart

Updated on November 25, 2024

Servings:

Yield:

1 9-inch pie

Martha’s deep-dish apple pie is packed with five and a half pounds of apples—it’s the ultimate recipe for apple lovers and a fantastic fruity dessert that delights at any family dinner or special holiday meal. It uses her favorite all-butter pâte brisée pastry for the flaky double crust and fills it high with Granny Smith or other tart apples (use one type or a mix). The apples are thinly sliced and tossed with lemon juice to prevent them from browning, then mixed with cinnamon sugar.

The pie bakes first at a high temp, then more slowly, and takes at least an hour, maybe one and a half hours to bake. Don’t rush cutting it; all fruit pies need to cool completely before they are sliced or the juices will run out and the pie will collapse—and that’s even more true with pie which has such a high ratio of filling to crust. So be prepared to wait several hours before serving—or make it the day before as it tastes even better the day after it's baked.

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Ingredients

½ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
Deep-Dish Pate Brisee
5 ½ pounds firm tart apples (about 14), such as Empire or Granny Smith
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Directions

Preheat oven; roll pie dough and fit into pie plate:

Preheat oven to 450°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out smaller piece of pâte brisée into a 15-inch round about 1/8-inch thick, dusting surface with flour to prevent sticking, as needed. Brush off excess flour. Roll dough around rolling pin, and place over a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Line plate with dough, pressing it into the corners and trim to within 1 inch of the pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate.
Roll out remaining dough and refrigerate:

Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 18-inch round. Transfer round to a baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
Make filling:

Peel and core apples, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place slices in a large bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon; toss with apple slices.
Add filling to pie plate:

Remove remaining dough from refrigerator; place apple mixture into prepared pie plate, mounding it in a tall pile. Dot filling with butter.
Place dough over apples and seal:

Place dough round over the apples. Tuck edge of top dough between edge of bottom dough and rim of pan. Using your fingers, gently press both layers of dough along the edge to seal, and crimp as desired.
Cut vents; brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar:

Using a paring knife, cut several vents in top of dough to allow steam to escape. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk with 2 tablespoons water to make a glaze. Brush surface with egg glaze; sprinkle with sugar.
Bake; reduce heat and bake:

Place pie plate on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake until crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Putting the pie plate on a baking sheet means that any juices that may overflow during baking end up on the baking sheet, not burning in your oven.
Let cool:

Remove from oven, and let pie cool completely before serving.

Let the pie cool completely before cutting—resist the urge to cut into this pie before it has cooled completely so the juices have time to thicken.