In Greek: μηλόπιτα, pronounced mee-LOH-peetah
The traditional tastes of apples and cinnamon come to life in this not-too-sweet one-crust apple pie that is cooked upside down.
Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 to 3 1/3 pounds of red apples
- unsalted butter for pan
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
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- For the pie crust:
- 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- a pinch of salt
- 3/4 cups of unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup of lukewarm water
- cornstarch for work surface
Preparation:
This recipe calls for a round baking pan, about 14 inches in diameter.
Peel the apples and slice thinly, removing seeds. Lightly butter the baking pan and sprinkle the bottom evenly with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Arrange apple slices to cover the bottom (more than one layer, if needed). Sprinkle the apples with 3 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon. Dot with 1/4 cup of butter cut into small pieces. Set aside.
Note: If you want to cover the apples, cover with something that will allow air to pass through.
In a large bowl, add all crust ingredients except the cornstarch. Knead well for 10-15 minutes, form into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C).
Sprinkle a work surface with cornstarch and roll out the crust with a rolling pin to a diameter slightly bigger than the pan. Place crust on top of the apples (draw overlap inside the pan edges; it will shrink a bit as it cooks), and bake at 355°F (180°C) for one hour and 10 to 20 minutes, until the crust is a solid golden color, and there's no liquid in the bottom of the pan.
Remove from oven and place a serving platter over the pan. Invert to transfer the pie to the platter, and serve.