When it comes to baking, I’m always intrigued by a new spin on an old favorite. Not to say that I don’t fully appreciate the simplicity and beauty of a perfect and well done classic recipe. I’ll never tire of a traditional, straight forward apple pie with a huge scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream.
But I was introduced to the pure magic of a cheddar pie crust as an encasement for a traditional apple pie, by Kelly of Evil Shenanigans. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I want to beer-ify (it’s a word) that perfect pie. Kelly’s cookbook, Not So Humble Pies is all about how to take that sweet little pie you’ve always loved and turn it into something they’ll never forget.
She even agreed to let me post my modified and beer-ified version of the crust that’s in her book. Maybe because she watched me greedily inhale two pieces of her pie in record time and was afraid of my possible reaction to not having said pie in my life any longer.
Here is my beer version of an apple pie with a cheddar crust. Which served as dessert, then breakfast the following day, then dinner.
It’s pretty versatile.
Beer Soaked Apple Pie With Cheddar Beer Crust
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6-8 tbs beer pale ale, or wheat beer work best
- 2 tbs melted butter to brush on prior to baking
Filling:
- 7 cups Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and sliced (Granny Smith are the only apples that will not turn mushy during this process)
- 16 oz pale ale or wheat beer
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 tbs flour
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp corn starch
Instructions
- Combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor, pulse a few times until its combined. Add the butter and process until well combined, about 2 minutes.Add the remaining flour and process until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Move to a bowl and add the cheese and 6 tbs beer, mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix. If the dough is too dry, add more beer until the right consistency is reached.
- Split into two equal sized portions and form into disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and chill until very firm, about two hours. Because this dough is so soft, it is very important for the pie dough to be very cold and very firm.
- Place the apples, lemon juice and 16 ounces of beer in a bowl and allow to soak at room temperature for 2 hours. If the apples are not fully submerged, toss every half hour to redistribute. Remove the apples from the beer and allow to drain and dry for about 30 minutes, or until fully dry.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Add the apples and the remaining filling ingredients to a bowl and toss to coat.
- On a well floured surface, place one of the disks, add flour to the top of the disk as well.
- Roll out into an even thickness. Marble rolling pins are very cold and don’t disrupt the fat inside the dough, making them an excellent choice for rolling pie dough. When you place your dough in the fridge to chill, add your marble rolling pin as well, allowing it to chill.
- Add you pie dough to a pie pan and press into shape, removing any excess. Add the filling.
- Roll out the second disk of pie dough and add to the top of your pie. Press the top crust and the bottom crust together at the edges, cut holes to vent steam.
- Brush with 2 tbs melted butter.
- Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cover the edges with foil of the edge starts to brown too quickly.