How To Bake Apple Pie in Convection

A freshly baked pie may take some time to prepare and bake but the result is so rewarding it’s definitely worth the effort. Convection Bake is the ideal mode for baking pies so that the crust is evenly baked through and the filling condenses perfectly. Good varieties of apples for baking are Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Golden Delicious.

For a perfectly baked pie crust and filling the Convection Bake mode ensures the best results.

INGREDIENTS

For the Pastry

2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tbsp granulated sugar

½ tsp kosher salt

2 sticks very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Approx. ⅓ cup ice cold water

1 egg beaten and mixed with a little water for the egg wash

For the Filling

6 large apples, peeled cored and sliced into ¼” thick slices

⅓ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp ground ginger

PREPARATION

For the Pastry

The first step is to make the pastry, this can be done by hand, in a food processor or even a stand mixer.  I find making the pastry in a food processor the easiest. For best results, make sure the butter is very cold and cut into small ½” pieces and also that the water you add to bring the pastry together is ice cold.

Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a  food processor bowl and pulse to combine.

Add the cubed butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

With the motor running, trickle in the ice cold water until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from the processor, dust lightly with flour and flatten into a disc.  Wrap the pastry tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

When it’s time to roll out the pastry and assemble the pie, remove the pastry from the refrigerator and let it soften slightly before rolling out. Divide the pastry into two pieces making one slightly larger for the base. Line a 9” pie dish with the larger piece of pastry and roll out the smaller piece to a 9” diameter.  Refrigerate the pastry while preparing the apples.

For the Apples

Peel core and slice the apples into ¼” thick slices and mix with the sugar, flour and spices.

Layer the apple slices in concentric rings into the prepared pie pan and set aside to rest for 15 minutes, to allow the juices to be drawn out. While the apples are resting, arrange the oven racks so you can bake the pie in the lower part of the oven and heat the oven in the Convection Bake mode to 350 degrees.

When ready to bake, brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash. Place the smaller pastry disc over the apples and press the edges together. Trim the pastry to ¾ - 1” and fold the overhang over itself to crimp the edges. Brush the top of the pastry with more egg wash and make a few decorative slits in the pastry to vent the steam.

If you are concerned about the filling bubbling out of the pastry onto the oven floor during baking you can bake the pie on a rimmed baking sheet.  Now that the bottom heating elements in our ovens are concealed this is less of a problem, however some apples are definitely juicer than others and some bubbling may occur.

Pies typically bake at 375 F for approximately 1 hour and ten minutes, but when baking in Convection it’s best to reduce the temperature by 25 degrees to avoid overcooking the edges. The exact cooking time will depend on the size of the oven. 

The recipe I used in the video used a much higher baking temperature and I found it overbaked the pastry. So I recommend you use 350 F degrees. That temperature might have worked well in the recipe writer's oven but since all ovens are different for best results it’s important to use the timing and temperature that work best for your oven.