Recipe

What is it about baking that makes it such a natural de-stresser? We can't answer that one, but we'll continue to indulge because—let's be honest—we could all use some extra soothing right now. Here's a recipe from one of our favorite food bloggers, Michelle Lopez of Hummingbird High. P.S. Check out her new cookbook, Weeknight Baking: Recipes to Fit Your Schedule, for more delicious eats, from brownies and pretzel pies to confetti cinnamon rolls.

Day 1: Make the Pie Dough and Prep the Apples

In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the water and vinegar. Add the ice and whisk. Refrigerate while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and place them in a small bowl. Freeze while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Beat on low until just combined, about 15 seconds. Add the butter all at once and beat on low until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal, with pea-sized pieces of butter throughout, about 3 minutes.
Remove the ice water mixture from the refrigerator. With the mixer on low, add 6 tablespoons of liquid from the ice water mixture. Beat on low for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough clumps around the paddle and/or the sides of the bowl. If the dough seems too dry, add more liquid from the ice water mixture 1 teaspoon at a time.
Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured counter with the spatula. Quickly knead the dough into a rough ball. If making a double-crust pie, divide the dough in half with a bench scraper and shape each half into a rough ball (each should weigh about 11 ounces). Wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap and flatten into a small disc. Refrigerate overnight.
Next, prep the apples. Start by coring one apple and cutting the fruit into four quarters. Slice each quarter into 1/8-inch slices. Repeat until you have 4 1/2 cups worth of fruit. Toss with the lemon juice and transfer to an airtight container or ziptop bag and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2: Make the Pie Filling and Assemble the Pie

Make the filling: Remove the apples from the refrigerator and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt and toss to coat.
Make the pie crust: Remove one of the dough discs from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a 10- to 11-inch circle. If the dough is too hard to roll out, give it a few whacks with your rolling pin, rotating the disc after every whack to ensure that it's flattening evenly. Use cookie cutters to stamp out shapes in the dough to create ventilation for the filling. Freeze while you work with the second disc of dough.
Remove the second dough disc from the refrigerator and follow the instructions above to roll it into a 10- to 11-inch circle. Transfer the dough circle onto your pie plate to make the bottom crust. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the apple pie filling into the bottom crust, spreading the filling evenly across the pan.
Remove the top crust from the freezer and carefully transfer to the bottom crust, centering over the filling. Use kitchen shears to trim off any dough overhanging over the edge of the pie plate, leaving 1 inch of overhang. Fold the overhanging dough onto itself, aligning the edge of the dough to the inner edge of the pie pan. Pinch along the fold all the way around to create a crimp. Dust your fingers with flour. Take your thumb and press it into the folded overhang, using your thumb and index finger on the opposite hang to pinch around your thumb and create a crimp. Repeat, crimping the dough around the entire pan, flouring your hands as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

Day 3: Bake the Pie

Once the pie is frozen solid, position a rack in the lower-third of the oven and preheat to 375° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Make an egg wash by whisking together the remaining egg white and water.
Remove the pie from the freezer and place on the center of the sheet pan. Working quickly, use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pie with the egg wash.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the fruit filling is bubbling slowly in the center. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving. The pie will keep at room temperature, under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down, for up to 1 day. After 1 day, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 more days.

Pro Tip:

Making pie is a time consuming process because the pie dough needs to be chilled after making and before rolling it out, then again after being rolled out and assembled into pie. You cannot skip this process—room temperature dough will stick to your counter and rolling pin, and if you do manage to wrestle it into the pie pan, it will likely melt and lose its shape during the baking process. Because of this constant resting and chilling, it’s rare that I make a pie from start to finish in one day. I’ve divided the recipe up over the course of 3 days to reflect this—it may seem like a lot, but I promise you’re only going to be in the kitchen working for 15 minutes at a time. If you INSIST on making this pie all in one day, you can rest the dough in the refrigerator for an hour, then freeze the assembled pie for at least 4 hours before baking.