LOOKING for: Apples that don't shrink in pie

16 years ago

I made an apple pie and used have gala and half 20 ounce apples in it. They are both supposed to be good in baking and I had the pie loaded with them. Actually, I had used a little more apple in the pie than what the recipe called for. Once I baked it however, it was a totally different story.

The apples had shrunk so much that there was a tremendous gap between the apples and the top layer. It tasted great, but I was so disappointed in that much of an empty space. If I hadn't made it myself, I would say someone just didn't use enough apples.

I am totally puzzled as to why this happened. The only thing I can think of is after I put it together, I froze it for about 2-3 weeks, but that shouldn't have affected the pie, should it?

Any thoughts?

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Comments (5)

ginger_st_thomas
16 years ago
A tip I got at joyofbaking.com is to prepare the apples as usual but sprinkle them with the spices & sugar & let the apples sit for a few hours & they'll release their juices.
Then drain the juices off & boil the liquid down with some butter. Pile the apples & the reduced juices into the crust & make sure the top crust is well vented.

The problem is that the apples are juicy & as they bake they release the juice & shrink. The above procedure will prevent the gap.
bellamart
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks, Ginger! Yes, I did get alot of juice that came out of the pie when I baked it. Thank God for tin foil! lol I've never heard of letting the apples and spices sit and then boiling down the liquid. How long do you suggest to boil and how much butter?
ginger_st_thomas
16 years ago
Sprinkle the apples with a little fresh lemon juice before you add the sugar to help them not turn brown. If you use a lot of apples, add maybe 1 1/2 to 2 TBL butter when you boil the juice mixture down to about 1/2 the original amount.
Tracey_OH
16 years ago
I've had really good luck using granny smith apples for my apple pies. They seem to hold their shape and size very well.

Tracey
robbi_drake
16 years ago
I agree with tracey. I use either Granny smith or spies, but my favorite is a nice tart Macintosh. They don't shrink much and they are super for baking or eating.