Caramel Apple Pie

By Leite's Culinaria

Ingredients

3 pounds pie apples (such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, Northern Spy, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Gala)
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) unsalted butter (cut into small bits)
1 recipe whole-wheat pie dough
1 egg (beaten)
1 recipe homemade caramel sauce

Prep Time45mins
Cook Time90mins
Servings8

Instructions

Make the filling

Toss the apple slices, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom (if using) in a large bowl. Set aside.

Position an oven rack in the middle position and slide a baking steel, pizza stone, or heavy baking sheet onto the rack. Crank the oven to 375°F (190°C). Because of the baking steel, the oven needs a good 30 minutes to reach temperature.

Roll and fill the crusts

On a lightly floured work surface or silicone mat, roll both dough disks into a circle about 1/8-inch (3mm) thick. (The larger disk should be about 12 inches in diameter, while the smaller should be about 11 inches.) Ease the larger circle into a 9-inch (23 cm) glass pie plate.

Shingle the apple slices into the bottom crust, and dribble in any juices that puddled in the bottom of the bowl. Brush the rim of the bottom dough circle with water.

Dot the top of the apples with bits of butter. Cap the pie with the smaller dough circle.

Press the top and bottom crusts together to seal them. If there's any particularly floppy overhang, snip it off, leaving about a 3/4 inch (1.9cm) rim.

Fold the dough rim under itself and crimp the edges decoratively.

Brush the top with the beaten egg and cut a small hole in the middle to let steam escape while baking.

Bake the pie on the baking steel for 30minutes. Lower the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 45minutes more. TESTER TIP: If the edges are browning too quickly, cover them with strips of foil or use a pie crust shield.

Brush on the caramel

Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for severalminutes. (Keep the oven on.) Brush the top with a thick layer of the caramel.

Return the pie to the oven and bake it until the caramel is sizzling, about 5 minutes. If you wish, brush on another layer of caramel and bake for a few more minutes. Watch carefully--this is burn territory!