Salted Pretzel Apple Pie

A pretzel pie filled with apples, oh my!

I simply had to try this out myself – soft, warm, chewy pretzels – with plenty of salt – filled with sweetly baked apples, fresh out of the oven.

There are no surprises here. The flavor combination is outstanding.

 
Salted Pretzel Apple Pie

2 Tbs. butter, cubed, room temperature, plus more for greasing
2 1/4 tsp. dry active yeast
3 Tbs. dark brown sugar
3 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 cup cold beer
2 tsp. fine sea salt
2 Tbs. baking soda

6 large apples (Honeycrisp)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. sea salt

butter (for pan)
1 large egg yolk
pretzel or coarse sea salt

 

Grease a very large bowl with butter. 

 

Add 1/2 cup warm water (100-115°F) to the bowl of a stand mixer or another large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over. 

 

Add brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Let the yeast bloom until foamy, 5-7 minutes.

Stir in bread flour, beer, sea salt, and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter with a wooden spoon or spatula. 

 

Continue to stir until a shaggy mass forms. Mix with dough hook on medium-low speed until dough forms a smooth ball, about 2 minutes. 

 

The dough should be firm and might be a little tacky, but not sticky. If the dough is still sticky, add flour, 1 Tbsp. at a time, mixing until smooth. If the dough is too dry, add warm water 1 tsp. at a time. 

 

Continue to mix on medium-low speed until dough is elastic, 5-7 minutes. (Alternatively, turn out dough onto an un-floured work surface and knead by hand.)

Transfer dough to prepared bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 275°F. Line a small-rimmed baking sheet or pie pan with foil. Sprinkle baking soda, if using, onto the sheet and bake for 1 hour. Let cool.

Fill a small stainless-steel pot or skillet (not aluminum, copper, or nonstick) with 1 cup water. 

 

Add baking soda and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve baking soda. Let cool.

 

Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4″-thick wedges or small chunks.  Transfer apples to a large pot and add sugar, all-purpose flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, kosher salt, and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are softened but still have a little bite, 15-20 minutes. If the bottom starts to brown, reduce heat to medium-low and add water, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Let cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 325°F. 

 

Butter a 10″ cast-iron skillet or a regular pie plate (or several minis, in our case). 

 

Punch down dough on an un-floured surface to deflate, then divide in half – or eighths, depending on how many pies you bake. (The dough is very tough at this point). 

 

Return the unused dough to a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap while you work on the other pieces.

 

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a 13″ circle (or 4″ circles). Settle into prepared skillet and let the dough relax into the pan, just coming up and over the edge slightly. If it shrinks, stretch it by hand to create an even rim. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until increased in size by about 50%, 20–30 minutes.

 

Divide the remaining dough. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping the remaining pieces on a rimmed baking sheet covered with plastic, roll on an un-floured surface to form ropes. Arrange the rope in a U-shape with ends pointing away from you. Holding an end in each hand, cross ends, then fold them down toward you to create a pretzel shape about 11″ wide. 

 

Return to a rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Roll the remaining 2 pieces to form 2 more ropes. 

 

Twist ropes tightly around each other to make a twisted rope. Or, do whatever the hell you want. 

 

Add to baking sheet with pretzel shape and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until increased in size by about 50%, 20–30 minutes.

 

If the dough has settled into the skillet, stretch the dough to come back up just to the outside rim. Using a fork, evenly prick the bottom of the dough in the pan. 

 

Brush dough all over with baking soda mixture, if using. Beat egg yolk with 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl, then brush the dough with egg wash. 

 

Brush just outside the rim of the crust with egg wash and attach twisted dough rope to create a decorative rim. 

Fill the crust with the apple mixture. Center pretzel shape over apple filling, stretching the dough until the edges of the pretzel reach the twisted outside rim. 

Brush twisted dough rope and top of pretzel shape with baking soda mixture, if using, then egg wash. Sprinkle with pretzel salt.

 

Bake pie until pretzel is golden brown and firm to the touch, 25 minutes. If the underside of the dough seems underbaked, loosely cover the top with foil and continue to bake, checking every 2 minutes, until cooked through. 

 

Let cool completely before slicing, for at least 2 hours.