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Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Pie

Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Pie

This is the best vegan gluten free apple pie I've ever had. This recipe from The Art Of The Pie cookbook is epic, and is always a show-stopper. 

Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 1 9-inch deep-dish pie
Author Tess Masters

Ingredients

crust:

  • 3/4 cup (95g) tapioca starch
  • 3/4 cup (98g) cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup (116g) sweet white rice flour, plus more for rolling dough
  • 1/4 cup (87g) potato starch
  • 1/3 cup (41g) sorghum flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3g) Celtic sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon (12g) sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Jean Layton’s Pixie Dust (recipe below)
  • 8 tablespoons (112g) vegan butter stick
  • 8 tablespoons (112g) vegetable shortening
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) apple cider vinegar
  • 5 to 7 tablespoons (60 to 84g) ice water
  • Almond hemp, or soy milk, for glazing

filling:

  • 10 cups heritage apples, skin on, quartered and cored, to mound up high in the pie pan
  • 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3g) Celtic sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) ground cinnamon
  • 2 gratings nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1g) allspice
  • 1 tablespoon (12g) apple cider vinegar (or 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30g) apple liqueur (optional)
  • 1/2 cup (73g) gluten-free all-purpose flour

assembly:

  • 1 knob vegan butter (the size of a small walnut, cut into small pieces for dotting the top of the filling)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons (4 to 8g) sugar, for sprinkling on top of the pie

Dr Jean Layton’s pixie dust:

Instructions

  1. To make the crust, mix the dry ingredients together and place them in a food processor.

  2. Add all the fats (cut up into tablespoons-size pieces) and pulse 15 to 20 times until well combined. Add the vinegar and pulse 5 times more. Add 5 tablespoons (60g) of water and pulse 10 times. (The dough should feel very soft and somewhat sticky. Add more ice water if needed.)

  3. Scrape the dough out of the food processor, and quickly pull it all together into a large ball about the size of a softball. Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and form each into a chubby disc about the size of a hockey puck.

  4. Chill the dough for 2 hours.
  5. Unwrap one disc of chilled dough and place it on a large sheet of plastic wrap that has been dusted with sweet white rice flour. Sprinkle another teaspoon on top of the dough and cover it with an additional large sheet of plastic wrap. With a light touch, quickly roll out the dough to approximately 9 to 10 inches (23 to 25cm) in diameter and to 1/3-inch thick (a bit less than 1cm).

  6. With plastic on BOTH sides, drape the dough over the rolling pin and carefully peel off the outer layer of plastic wrap. (The inside plastic layer will be touching the pin.) Carefully place the dough-covered rolling pin in the middle of the pie pan. Unfold the dough and keep the plastic wrap on. Use your fingers to adjust and smooth the dough. (There may be some overhang of dough on the sides of the pan.) With the plastic wrap still in place, place the dough-filled pie pan in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to re-chill.

  7. When chilled, carefully peel the plastic off using quick little tugs and fill the pie pan with already prepared filling. Roll out the top dough as before and place it on top of the filling. Keeping the plastic in place, adjust the top as needed. Pinch off any extra dough around the edge. With plastic wrap covering the edge, carefully crimp or finish as desired. Carefully remove the plastic wrap using quick little tugs.

  8. To vent, cut one circle about 1 inches (about 3.5cm) in diameter and remove.
  9. Chill, and before baking brush with a bit of almond, hemp, or soy milk.
  10. To make the filling, slice the apples into 1/2-inch (1.5cm) thick slices, or chunk them up into pieces you can comfortably get into your mouth.
  11. In a large mixing bowl, put the apples, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vinegar, calvados, and flour, and mix lightly until most of the surfaces are covered with what looks like wet sand.
  12. Pour the mixture into an unbaked piecrust, mounding high, and dot with butter.
  13. Roll out the remaining dough, lay it over the fruit, and cut 5 to 6 vents on top. Trim the excess dough from the edges and crimp.
  14. Cover the pie and chill in refrigerator while you preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
  15. Lightly brush some of the almond milk over the entire pie, including the edges, and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes.
  16. Reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 30 minutes longer.
  17. Open the oven and carefully sprinkle sugar evenly on top of the pie, then continue baking for 10 minutes more.
  18. Look for steam and a slight bit of juice coming out of the vents before removing the pie from the oven. Get your ear right down almost to the top of the pie and listen for the sizzle-whump sound. 
  19. Cool the pie for at least an hour, and then serve with ice cream and cashew cream. 

Recipe Notes

Recipe from Art Of The Pie © 2016 by Kate McDermott. Reproduced by permission of Countryman Press.
Photo by Andrew Scrivani