This is a classic pie recipe for the fall season with strong Thanksgiving dessert potential. The lattice can be a bit tricky but it’s a lot of fun to weave, and ends up being very rewarding. Best served warm a couple hours after baking with ice cream, or served cold for breakfast the next morning.

Crust:
2 cups flour (all purpose)
1 tsp salt
3⁄4 cup unsalted butter (1 1⁄2
sticks)
4 tbsp cold water

Filling:
About 10 apples (Cortland or
other firm tart variety)
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1⁄2 tsp cinnamon

Materials:
Two large bowls
Measuring spoon set
Fork
Knife
Pastry knife
Rolling pin
Cutting board
Peeler
Pie tin
Large spatula

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine salt and flour in a large bowl. Leave butter out of the fridge to warm up slightly; it should still be firm. Cut butter into chunks and incorporate half into flour mixture with fingertips. Once evenly distributed and mixture resembles cornmeal (fine, butter should be no larger than crumbs), add remaining butter using a pastry knife (or fingers).

Continue to mix butter until some small chunks remain (less fine then previously). Add water one tablespoon at a time and mix well with a fork before adding more. Form dough into three balls, one slightly larger than the other two. Leave dough in fridge when not working with it. No need to let dough set before rolling it out but regulate its temperature, it’s important to not let butter melt. Peel, core, and slice apples. Add sugar and let sit for five minutes. Assess firmness of apples: if overly juicy then use additional flour or cornstarch. Mix in cinnamon, and rest of the flour and cornstarch and set aside.

Cover surface in flour and place largest of the three balls of dough down. Lightly compress with hand to flatten. Gently roll out dough, changing the direction you roll by 45 degrees each time to get a circular shape. When necessary, slide a spatula under dough to prevent sticking, adding flour both on top and underneath as needed. Once dough is a bit larger than pan, loosely wrap it around rolling pin. Unwrap the dough above tin, letting it fall into place. Lightly adjust dough to fit the pan, not pressing directly into corners. Take off excess dough around rim, and add extra dough to next ball. Place apple pieces into pie tin, add in dense layers, and attempt to minimize air space. You don’t need to use all the apples but should fill to above the top of the pan.

Roll out one of the remaining balls of dough to just larger than pie tin. Cut dough into strips of desired width. Evenly lay strips out across the top of the apples with little space between for a tight lattice. Repeat with last ball of dough, rolling out and cutting into equal strips. Flip back every other strip onto pie until halfway folded. Now lay one of the new strips up against the spot where they are folded back and flip the strips back down. The strips should be alternating over under, over under the new one. Repeat this process but the strips that were just under should be over the next strip and so on. This weave will create the checkerboard pattern. Pinch up and form dough around rim.

Place in 450°F oven for 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350°F and bake for approximately 35 more minutes. Adjust baking time as needed; filling should bubble up a little before being taken out. Enjoy!

This piece also appears in our November 2021 print edition.