Curb your comfort food craving with a slice of warm, homemade Apple Pie and a scoop of probiotic Vanilla Bean Frozen Kefir. It’s a sigh-inducing bite of tart, juicy apples marinated in a spicy blend of cinnamon and nutmeg; flaky, flavorful crust; and creamy vanilla bean frozen kefir. Cinnamon and nutmeg have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, and apples have prebiotic fiber to fuel the 12 live and active probiotic cultures in our vanilla kefir. Baking is an excellent form of therapy and has the power to relieve stress and anxiety. It’s a slow, mindful process that requires physical strength to knead the dough, knowledge to correctly measure the ingredients, and it feels good to feed your friends and family during a time of crisis. The fact that this pie tastes so delicious and is good for our gut health is giving us major fillings.
Servings: 6-8Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 8 cups peeled apples, sliced ¼-inch thick 6-8 apples, 3.5 pounds
- 2 tbsp Organic Plain Whole Milk Kefir
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup to ½ cup granulated sugar (amount depending on how sweet you want your pie, see notes)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Pie Crust
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 7 tablespoons ice cold water
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Plain Whole Milk Kefir
- coarse sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling, optional
Directions
Apple Filling
- Place the peeled, sliced apples in a large bowl. Add the vanilla, kefir, ¼ cup flour, coconut sugar and brown sugar to the bowl with the apples. Sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt over the apples. Stir to combine. Set aside while you make the pie crust.
Pie Crust
- Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. (Alternatively, the pie crust dough can be made by hand in a large bowl using a pastry cutter to cut in the butter.)
- Pulse to combine the dry ingredients. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse 8 to 10 times, until the largest butter pieces are the size of small peas. Add the ice cold water and pulse just until the dough comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form it into a ball. Cut the ball in half and shape each half into a round disk. Wrap one of the disks in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the second disk of dough out into a 12-inch round and transfer it to a pie dish. (To transfer the rolled out dough easily, wrap it around your rolling pin to help move it.)
Assembly
- By this time, the apples should have released some of their juices. Stir the apple mixture to make sure everything is well combined and then pour the apples and their juices into the pie crust.
- Roll out the second pie dough disk to a 12-inch round. You can place the dough round on top of the pie as is, or you can make a lattice-top pie crust. If putting the full dough round on top of the pie, cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape as the pie bakes.
- Brush the pie crust with the egg wash (to help with browning and to help the coarse sugar stick) and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Refrigerate pie for 30 minutes before baking.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400° F with a rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Bake the pie at 400° for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350° F. Continue baking the pie for 40-50 minutes more, until the filling is bubbly. Check on the pie partway through the baking time and tent it with foil as needed to prevent the crust from over-browning.
- Let the pie cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the filling to thicken.
- Top with Vanilla Bean Frozen Kefir when served!
- Store pie at room temperature for up to one day, or in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 5 days. Pie can also be frozen, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 months.
