Level up your classic apple pie with this Free-From Dutch Apple Pie.
I thought there couldn't be anything better than a classic homemade apple pie. Then I learned about a Dutch Apple Pie and am forever hooked. While I will always have a soft spot for the traditional apple pie, this Free-From Dutch Apple Pie has stolen my heart, and stolen a place on our holiday table.
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For those who don't know, a Dutch apple pie is a crumb-topped apple pie. The main difference between a Dutch apple pie and a traditional apple pie is just the topping. A Dutch apple pie has a regular crust, but a crumble topping made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and butter.
In our case, we needed to revamp the crumble ingredients a tad, but works out just as well:
Flour: Our flour of choice was Oat Flour. I think it gives it the extra sweetness to the crumble. It also felt fitting for this recipe, since the topping for Dutch apple pies can also include nuts or oats. That being said, any all-purpose gluten-free flour could replace the oat flour.
Butter: Instead of butter, I use palm shortening to keep it dairy-free and corn-free.
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Free-From Dutch Apple Pie
Equipment
Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
For the Crumb Topping:
¾ cup oat flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3½ tablespoons palm shortening or cold butter
For the Pie:
5-6 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and diced
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
⅓ cup date sugar**
¼ cup maple sugar**
2 tablespoons maple syrup
⅓ cup flour (we used oat flour to keep it gluten-free and sweet)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons oil
Recipe Notes:
If you prefer, you can use coconut or light brown sugar sugar instead.**
Directions
For the Crumb Topping:
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, light brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Add the shortening/butter and rub it into the mixture until you get a crumbly texture that sticks together and clumps up when you press it together. You want a mixture of small crumbs and larger pea-sized crumbs.
Place the bowl of crumbs in the fridge to chill for at least 20 to 30 minutes, or until needed.
For the Pie:
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Carefully roll out the pie crust. Using about 2 tablespoons of the oil, grease the pie pan, then gently place in your pie crust, allowing the excess to hang over the edge. Don't worry if it breaks at all! You can press the crust back together.
Decorate the edges how you would like - we typically crimp our edges. Once you finish your pie crust edge design, cover the top lightly with plastic wrap and stick the pie pan in the fridge to chill.
Toss the apple slices with lemon or lime juice in a large bowl.
Add the sugars, syrup, flour, and cinnamon to the bowl and toss to coat. Allow apples to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes in the sugar and spice mixture to release more juices.
Remove your pie crust-lined dish from the fridge and disregard the plastic wrap.
Pour the apple filling into the crust, using a spatula or your hands to arrange and pack the apples in tightly, mounding them slightly in the middle.
Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apple filling, patting it down slightly to get it into the nooks and crannies of the apples.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing into it. If you are pre-baking ahead for a holiday, let the pan cool completely before covering the top with foil and storing it in the fridge. When ready to reheat, remove from the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour beforehand to let the pie come to room temperature first. This will allow the reheating process to go quicker. Reheat in the oven to 350° F for about 15 to 20 minutes.
