Best Frozen Apple Pie Food

THE BEST APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and process until the largest pieces of butter are pea-size. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Stir the vodka, vinegar and 1/4 cup ice water in a small bowl (or 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water if you're not using vodka). Drizzle the wet ingredients over the dough, and then mix with a fork until shaggy pieces form. Knead the dough in the bowl with your hands a couple of times until it comes together (it will look quite dry, which is fine). Transfer the large clumps of dough to a work surface. Drizzle 1 tablespoon ice water over any remaining smaller bits of dough in the bowl and knead again to bring it together. If the remaining dough is still too dry to come together, add more ice water in 1 tablespoon increments. Add to the dough on the work surface and press together into a single mass, incorporating any dry bits. Then pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick block. Divide the block into 4 pieces with a bench scraper or knife. Stack the pieces on top of one another, tucking any unincorporated dry bits in between the layers. Flatten the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick block. Repeat this process (cutting, stacking and flattening) three more times; this creates layers of butter in the dough that produces a wonderful flaky, almost puff pastry-like crust.
• Divide the dough in half and form into 1-inch-thick discs; wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or preferably overnight. The dough can be made 3 days ahead. Keep it refrigerated or freeze it for up to 3 months.
• To fill and assemble: Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/2-inch wedges. Toss the apples, brown sugar, flour, butter, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl. Let the fruit sit for 30 minutes to extract the juices.
• Meanwhile, soften one dough disc at room temperature for 5 minutes. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick (about 16 inches in diameter). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate. Soften the second disc at room temperature for 5 minutes. Then roll it out to the same thickness and diameter as the first disc.
• Carefully transfer the second disc to a 9-inch pie dish. Lift the edges so the dough slumps down into the dish. Press the dough firmly against the sides and bottom of the dish. Trim the edges, leaving about a 1-inch overhang. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to firm up. Remove the first disc from the refrigerator and let it soften for 5 minutes.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line another rimmed baking sheet with foil and place it on the center rack.
• Scrape the apple filling into the pie dish, creating a mound in the center. Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl and brush the edges of the dough. Place the other disc over the filling. Trim the edges, leaving about a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the bottom edge up and over the top edge; press together to seal. Crimp the edge and brush the top with egg wash. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Cut several vents in the top evenly spaced. Freeze the pie for 10 minutes.
• Put the pie dish on the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Continue to bake for 45 minutes, and then loosely tent with foil. Continue baking until the crust is a deep golden brown and the juices are thick and vigorously bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes longer. The juices will start to bubble at around 75 minutes, but they will thicken and bubble faster in the last 15 minutes; don't be tempted to pull it out until the bubbles are really going. (If using a clear pie dish, check underneath to make sure the bottom crust is evenly browned.) Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let it cool at least 4 hours before serving. (Yes, it smells amazing, and yes, people love warm pie. But if you don't give it time to set up properly, the filling will be runny when you cut into it.)

FROZEN APPLE PIE FILLING RECIPE - (3.8/5)

Steps:

• Take a Ziplock bag and dump in everything except the apples and lemon juice and butter. Hold the top of the bag and shake it up really good. . (I did 10 of these bags at a shot, and let the kids help me, since they would just measure the same thing over and over into each bag) Peel, core and slice your apples and dump them into the bag. Chop the butter up into chunks (I tried to get at least 8 chunks.. it helps to freeze the butter before chopping it up) and dump that in the bag. Zip it shut with lots of air and flip the bag over and shake it all really good until everything is coated well. Open the bag, pour in the lemon juice, squish it around and suck all the air out of the bag with a straw and zip it shut. Squish it flat and lay it flat in the freezer. Don't wait until all the bags are done before putting them in the freezer.... they get WAY to juicy.. and don't pour the lemon juice ON the apples before putting in the bag, because then the mix in the bag doesn't coat the apples well. When you want pie, take it out and lay flat on the counter for about 30 minutes (covering with a warm wet t-towel helps speed it along) OR in the fridge over night. Squish it around to make sure the butter is evenly distributed and dump in a 9" regular raw pie shell & cover with a crust. Set the pie on a drip pan (you WILL need it) and bake as you would a normal pie (I did about 20 minutes at 400°F, and then 45 at 325°F). It takes approximately 9 apples to make a pie, and we used about a bushel to do 20+ pies. \

FREEZER APPLE PIE

Steps:

• To make the crust: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the 4 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar for 1 minute. Add the butter and mix just until it's a crumbly, sandy mixture. The pieces of butter should still be visable. In a small bowl, stir the water and vinegar together. With the mixer running at medium speed, drizzle in the water-vinegar mixture and mix just until a dough forms. Again, the bits of butter should be visable.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide the dough in half, and shape it into 2 round, flat disks. Wrap them separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using. When the time comes to roll out the dough, let the dough warm up for a few minutes at room temperature. Dust a work surface with just a few tablespoons of flour and keep some extra flour at hand. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and start rolling outward from the center with quick, light strokes. Don't worry if the edges split a bit; concentrate on getting a good circle going from the center. Lift up and rotate the dough a quarter turn every minute or so to help ensure even rolling. If it gets sticky, sprinkle on a bit more flour, but don't do this more than 2 or 3 times; the dough will absorb too much flour. Instead, put it back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm the butter up. Keep rolling until the circle is at least 2 inches larger than the pan.
• Set a 10-inch metal pie pan nearby. Transfer the crust to the pan by folding it gently in quarters, lift it up, position the center point on the center of the pan, and unfold it into the pan. Make sure that the dough is allowed to settle completely into the pan. Don't stretch and press the dough into the corners; stretched dough will likely shrink back when you bake it. Instead, lift the edges of the crust to let it settle down into the corners. If the dough tears a bit, don't be concerned; it's easily repaired. Using scissors or a sharp knife, trim the dough to within 3/4-inch of the rim. Use any extra scraps to patch the crust, pressing with your fingers (wet them if necessary) or set aside. Leave the edges of the bottom crust hanging over the rim. Roll out the second piece of dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Roll the dough up onto the rolling pin, then unroll it onto the sheet pan. Chill the finished crust or crusts for 20 to 30 minutes before filling the pie.
• To make the filling: Add sugar to a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring sugar to a boil and cook until caramelized, sugar will be a light amber color. Carefully add the butter, spices and apples. Cook for about 5 minutes, until almost tender. Off the heat add the Southern Comfort and flambe the mixture, cooking for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the mixture. Reserve the juice (it can be frozen) for a sauce for the pie. Toss the apples with the cornstarch and spread them out on a sheet pan to cool.
• Fill the pie with the cooled apples then rest the top crust on top, trim the top and bottom flush to the pan. Pinch the edges together, turning them under all the way around. Then press the thumb and forefinger of one hand together. Use them to gently push the thick dough rim outward, while pushing inward with the forefinger of the other hand, so that they intersect in a "V" with the dough in between. Repeat all around the rim to make a wavy edge. Snip a "X" shape vent in the top center of the pie using scissors or a sharp paring knife. Wrap the pie in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to bake and serve.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Before baking the frozen pie, brush the surface of the piecrust with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 10 minutes then turn the oven down to 375 degrees F and bake until light golden brown, about 1 hour.