I wanted to make an apple pie this year for the Fourth of July since it was our country's 250th birthday and what is more American than apple pie? Since we were going to a large party, I decided to make a big slab apple pie that serves a couple dozen people. Pie is my favorite thing to make so I was eager to make my first pie of the summer. This pie is made on a cookie sheet so there is less filling and more crust (which is no problem because this crust is AMAZING). This works well for a potluck or large crowd because it's easy to serve. It's a pie that is like serving browies or some other dessert bar, no gooey mess to deal with like with a conventional pie. But it tastes like a perfect apple pie.
I have not made a slab pie before but I've eaten one. My neighbor brought one to a barbecue we had at our house back in 2015 when she brought a mixed berry slab pie for dessert. She gave me the recipe and I put it on my blog. Now, eleven years later...I'm finally making one. It turned out great, too. The original recipe is from Smitten Kitchen and I believe she adapted her recipe from Martha Stewart so the idea of a slab pie has been around for a long time. Pie has always been a main staple in our family. The grandkids learned to make pie immediately, as soon as they could reach the kitchen counter on a stool.
In August, it is always blackberry pie since blackberries grow wild here in the Pacific Northwest including in our own backyard. I'm always coming up with ways to use them up and pie is usually the first thing we make.
Now, the grandkids make their favorite apple hand pies which is another favorite we've been making since they were in preschool. We made them once again in March during our visit to Japan.
I don't think we could survive without pie in our lives. Of course, Thanksgiving is always a big pie event. I usually make pumpkin and pecan for my family but sometimes, I'll include a banana cream and chocolate cream. In 2019, we had a post-Thanksgiving family gathering to eat the Thanksgiving leftovers but there was no leftover pie so I made two more pies and my sister made another pumpkin pie.
Thanksgiving leftovers are always so good but people couldn't wait to line up to get more pie for dessert.
Or the time when Nick was in college and his baseball team had a fall potluck after their last "fall ball" game so I volunteered to bring dessert. You guessed it - pie.
I took four apple pies for the potluck (pictured with a few jars of plum jam from our tree). As I said, pie is my favorite thing to make and people love eating it.
Now, our daughter lives with an apple tree in her backyard. How lucky is that? So, you know what I had to make during our first visit? Bruce picked them
and I made it.
And they invited people over to their house so we could feast.
I take the extra pie crust after trimming the top crust and roll it out, dab some butter all over it and sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar. Then bake it along with the pie for about half the time, depending how big it is. Everyone is so eager to munch on this which is a good thing to hold them over before the pie is actually eaten.
Back to the slab pie. I made my recipe to fit the largest cookie sheet of 12" x 17.5" x 1". Smitten Kitchen uses a 10" x 15 x 1" or medium size sheet pan so I adjusted my filling to fit a larger pan. I kept the crust the same and it worked fine. The crust for a slab pie would yield a triple pie crust so when you divide it in half, you get two large pie crusts to fit your rectangle sheet pan and it works out perfectly. I divided one to be slightly larger for the bottom crust so to drape it over the 1" rim of the sheet pan. I sliced the finished pie with 4 cuts on the short side and 6 cuts on the long side of the pan to yield 24 pieces. I didn't cut the whole pie but let people serve themselves and noticed some people taking larger slices. It's so easy to cut that you really can just let people serve themselves. That's why this pie is perfect for a potluck or large gathering. There were about 30 people at the party we went to and there were other desserts there, as well. Last year, I took my chocolate covered strawberries that got completely eaten up. One of Bruce's golf buddies has this big Fourth of July party every year. They have a perfect spot for outdoor parties, right on Puget Sound with a wonderful beach and view. Here is a photo of us last year at the party with the host (far left) and his wife with another golf friend and wife on the right.
It's always a fun party with lots of good food and we look forward to it each year. We did have some slab pie leftover which Bruce was happy about and has been enjoying some everyday. It's also good for breakfast like an apple pop tart. However you want to eat it, you'll enjoy this apple slab pie for multiple reasons. And it doesn't have to be for the Fourth of July.
Serves 24
Crust
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. table salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, very cold, cut into small bits
3/4 cup very cold water
1 egg with a Tbsp. cream for an egg wash finish to brush on top of crust
Filling
5 pounds of apples, peeled and chopped into approximately 1/2-inch chunks (about 12 cups)
juice of a lemon
1-1/2 cups sugar
5 Tbsp. corn starch
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. table salt
additional butter for dotting on top of filling
Glaze
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp. cream, water, lemon juice or apple cider, as desired
To make crust:
1. Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and process until completely mixed.
2. Add the butter and pulse in food processor until the flour resembles a mixture of small peas.
3. Transfer flour mixture into a large bowl. Gently stir in the water with a fork, adding more, if needed.
4. Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead two or three times to form a ball.
5. Divide dough in half, with one slighly larger (for the bottom crust).
6. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and flatten a bit, like a disc. Chill in fridge for at least an hour or up to two days.
Prepare filling:
1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice until coated. Top with remaining filling ingredients and stir to evenly coat.
Assemble pie:
1. Heat oven to 375 degree F. Grease the bottom of the pan with shortening.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the largest dough half into approximatley 15" x 20" rectangle.
3. Roll the rectangle up to place on cookie sheet.
4. Once the dough is unrolled on the cookie sheet, add the apple mixture.
5. Dot the apple mixture with extra unsalted butter. Roll out the second half of the dough to approximately 12" x 17" and place the dough on top of mixture.
6. Fold the bottom crust's overhang over the edges sealing them together. Cut small slits to act as vents all over the to crust. Brush with egg wash.
7. Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack until just warm to the touch, another 45 minutes.
8. In a medium bowl, stir together conectioners' sugar and liquid of your choice until a pourable glaze consistency is reached. Use a spoon to drizzle over the top.
9. Serve slab pie in squares or rectangles, warm or at room temperature.
It will keep at room temperature for 3 days.
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