Vegan Apple Pie

Directions

1. Place the apple slices and salt in a large bowl and microwave at 600W for 5 minutes*. Mix, then microwave for another 5 minutes. Drain off any liquid released from the apples.
2. Mix in the brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger with the apples. Set aside to cool.
3. To a food processor**, add the flour, butter, sugar, and salt. Pulse until the butter has been broken up into pea-sized pieces.
4. Add half of the water, pulsing a few times to combine. Then add the remaining water and pulse again until a dough has formed.
5. Turn the dough into a bowl or floured surface. Use your hands to incorporate any stray bits into the dough. Don't overdo it, as your hands will start to melt the butter. Divide the dough in two and roughly form each into a ball.
6. Place 1 ball onto a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Sprinkle with some flour. Place the second piece of parchment over top and use a rolling pin to roll it into a ⅛ inch (¼ cm) thick circle, or about 4 cm wider than your pie plate. Repeat with the second ball of dough.
7. When rolled to size, carefully peel back the top layer of parchment, dust with flour, and place the parchment back on the dough. Flip the dough over and peel back the other layer of parchment. Dust with flour as well. This step helps prevent the dough from sticking to the parchment. Then place both rolled sheets into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
8. When ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Peel off a parchment sheet from the dough and flip it into a 9-inch (23 cm) glass pie plate so that the second parchment sheet is facing up. Use your fingers to lift and press the crust into the pie plate. Try not to stretch the dough. Peel the second sheet of parchment off the crust.
9. Fill the pie shell with the apple mixture.
10. To make a lattice top, use a pastry wheel or knife to cut the second crust into ribbons. Weave these pieces over and under one another. Alternatively, just cover the pie with the whole second rolled-out dough***.
11. Trim any excess dough beyond 1cm from the edges of the pie. Fold in the over-hanging dough and pinch to seal the edges. Brush with cream and a sprinkle of sugar to create a golden crust. Bake in the oven on the lower rack, placed on top of a metal cookie sheet, for 45 - 55 minutes or until the crust is golden.
12. Although nothing beats fresh-out-of-the-oven pie, we recommend waiting until the pie is completely cooled before serving. Waiting until the next day (if you can make it that long before digging in), and reheating individual cut slices, makes this a great make-ahead dessert. Enjoy!

Notes

• ^†5 medium apples weigh about 1kg. Use a few more apples if they are small. We suggest using apple varieties such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, and Mutsu, for their firm texture and tart flavour. Softer apples like Red Delicious, Fuji, Macintosh, and Gala tend to cook down too much when baked.
• * Alternatively, cook covered on the stove.
• ** If you don't have a food processor, use a fork to "cut" the butter into the flour, or grate frozen butter into the flour.
• *** A lattice top allows more moisture to cook off, resulting in soft apples, with just the slightest bite to them. A full double crust keeps the steam in, resulting in apples that are melt-in-your-mouth tender. A few slits need to be cut in the top of a double crust, to allow steam to escape.

Storage

• Baked pies can be stored, covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Rolled-out pie dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days (allow it to come close to room temperature before fitting into the pie plate, to prevent cracking). The rolled-out dough can also be wrapped and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• The filling can also be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• Assembled but unbaked pie can be wrapped with plastic wrap and kept in the freezer for up to a month.