Vegan Lattice-Topped Apple Pie

Our house smells amazing with the fall spiced of freshly baked apple pie. I was never a big fan of apple pie until I tasted the best one from a farmers' market a few years back. Oh boy, it was truly delicious, a buttery flaky crust filled with sweet tart apple slices, not runny at all and served with vanilla ice cream. Since then I have been baking apple pie and every time it turns out tasty. Apple pie should not have soggy bottom crust and juice should not ooze all over when sliced. That's my kind of pie!

This vegan version apple pie is very simple to make. I use 4 types of apples, granny smith, golden delicious, honey crisp and gala. Normally apples peels are removed but I use organic apples, so I don't peel. Crust is very forgiving as well. I blind bake for 15 minutes to avoid soggy crust. I mix apple slices with sugar to reduce runny filling and let it sit for an hour. Then drain apple-sugar syrup and simmer till reduced by half before it is mixed back with the apple slices again. I use tapioca flour as thickener and pumpkin spice for Fall flavor. For the top crust, lattice pattern is the best for steam to escape. Weaving lattice may look complicated but it's quite easy. See pictures below.  Use dairy butter instead if you like.  

Ingredients~

For the crust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup vegan butter
1/4 tsp baking powder
3-4 tbsp ice cold water

For the fillings:
5 cups apple slices, medium-thin(granny smith, gala, fuji and golden delicious)
3/4 cup raw sugar 
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tapioca flour
1/4 tsp pumpkin spice
2 tbsp coconut milk
1 tsp raw sugar to sprinkle 

Method~
In a large bowl, toss together apple slices, raw sugar and lemon juice. Let it sit for an hour and prepare the crust. Using a pastry cutter or your finger tips mix together flour, baking powder and vegan butter until it becomes crumbly. Add the ice water and keep mixing until just moistened. Make two round balls and flattened to form disks. Wrap with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. 

Prepare the apple filling, drain the apple syrup and simmer in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat until syrup is reduced by half. Let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out the one disk from the center to the edge on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness and 13 inch round circle. Transfer to a 9 1/2 inch pie dish. Pat the rolled dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Trim the overhangs. Pierce the dough all over with fork and line the crust with a parchment paper. Add dried beans to fill the crust and bake for 15 minutes. Take out from the and remove parchment paper and dried beans. Let it cool for five minutes.

While baking the crust, take out the other dough from the refrigerator and mix the trimmings from the first dough together. Roll the crust 1 inch larger than the pie dish. Using a knife of fluted pastry cutter,cut into 10 even strips about 3/4 inch and 6 strips about 1/4 inch. 

Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Add the syrup back to the apple slices along with tapioca starch and pumpkin spice mix. Toss to combine. Pour the apple filling into the baked bottom pie crust and brush the edge with coconut milk or water. 

Lay every other 5 strips over the pie filling, starting with longer one in the middle and shorter one on the edge. Fold back every other strips half way. Lay another longest strip and fold back opposite strip and fold down the other. Take another one and lay next the center one and fold down and over again. Repeat the process until it is all covered. Make two three strands braids with the remaining 6 pieces of 1/4 inch strips.  Brush the rim of the crust again with coconut milk or water. Lay braids on the edge and carefully join them together. Roll the extra dough and cut with small leaf cutter. Decorate as you like. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 20 minutes and cover edges loosely with aluminium foil. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake for 40 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Apple pie taste better a bit warm with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!!

Happy Fall Baking!