Apple Slab Pie

I had never heard of a slab pie until earlier this summer. I was totally intrigued by the idea and started digging around to find more. The regular pie shape does not lend itself well to picnics or potlucks. The slab pie works perfectly though. You can cut it up in advance so people can serve themselves and you could even eat it without utensils in a pinch. It also has the distinct advantage of a higher crust vs. filling ratio for those of us who really like pie crust-especially the part that's all gooey from the filling.

I used the pie crust recipe that I fell in love with last week (find it here) and just rolled it out to fit a jelly roll pan. It took me a while to get it to the right dimensions, and had I not already prepped that pan I would have seriously considered switching to a smaller one. It was a bit of a pain, but I'm so glad I persevered. The crust was flakey and delicate and was a perfect match for my grandmother's apple pie recipe. Naturally everyone prefers their own family recipe, but I really do love the play of this blend of spices with a fresh fall apple.

It might also taste really good with a cup of tea for breakfast. Any dessert I'm still thinking about the next morning is a winner in my book :)


My Grandmother's Apple Pie Filling:
6 cups Apples, roughly chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2- tbsp clearjel powder, flour or tapioca
1 tbsp butter, chopped into small pieces
Enough of your favorite pie crust recipe to cover a double pie. (Here's my go-to recipe)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients except butter in a large bowl and let sit while you roll out the crust. For a traditional round pie, roll into 2 circles about 1/8 in thick and 2 inches larger than your pie plate. For a slab pie, roll into a rectangle about 1/8 in thick and 1-2 inches larger than the pan. (Unless you are really comfortable rolling out pie dough, I would start with a 9x9 or 10x13 pan)

Once the bottom layer of crust is in the dish pour the fruit mixture in. Dot the butter over the mixture and then cover with the top crust and seal the edge. Cut several slits in the crust and bake for 45-50 minutes when the crust is crisp and slightly browned. (The slab pie version will be done on the earlier end and a traditional pie will be slightly longer. Check around 40 and watch the top for browning.)

Just for fun, I drizzled a little caramel sauce I had in the fridge over the pie. It was a yummy bonus, but don't go buying or making caramel for such a little drizzle.