Salted Apple Pretzel Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Make the pretzel dough:
• 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 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. Dough should be firm and might be a little tacky, but not sticky. If dough is still sticky, add flour, 1 Tbsp. at a time, mixing until smooth. If 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 unfloured 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 sheet and bake 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.
• Make the pie filling:
• Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4"-thick wedges. 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 bottom starts to brown, reduce heat to medium-low and add water, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Let cool to room temperature.
• Make the pie:
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a 10" cast-iron skillet. Punch down dough on an unfloured surface to deflate, then divide in half (an easy way to do this is to use a scale and divide by weight). Return one half to greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap while you work on the other piece.
• Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 13" circle. Settle into prepared skillet and let dough relax into 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 second piece of dough into 3 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping remaining pieces on a rimmed baking sheet covered with plastic, roll on an unfloured surface to form 1 (36"-long) rope. Arrange 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 rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Roll remaining 2 pieces to form 2 more (36"-long) ropes. Twist ropes tightly around each other to make a twisted rope about 35" long. 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 dough has settled into skillet, stretch dough to come back up just to outside rim. Using a fork, evenly prick bottom of dough in pan. Brush dough all over with baking soda mixture, if using. Beat egg yolk with 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl, then brush dough with egg wash. Cover only outer rim of dough with foil. Bake dough in skillet until light golden brown and dry, 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly, at least 5 minutes.
• Brush just outside rim of crust with egg wash and attach twisted dough rope to create a decorative rim. Fill crust with apple mixture. Center pretzel shape over apple filling, stretching dough until edges of pretzel reach 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, 12-15 minutes. If underside of dough seems underbaked, loosely cover top with foil and continue to bake, checking every 2 minutes, until cooked through. Let cool completely before slicing, at least 2 hours.
• Do Ahead
• Pretzel dough can be made 1 day ahead. Let come to room temperature, then let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Apple pie filling can be made 2 days ahead. Store in a resealable container and chill. Bring to room temperature before baking. Baking soda solution can be made 3 days ahead. Store in a resealable container at room temperature.

Steps:

• For the pretzels: Pour the warm milk into a medium bowl and sprinkle the yeast over. Let the yeast bloom until softened and foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla and 1 cup of the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. Stir in the softened butter until incorporated, then add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, chopped apple, cinnamon and kosher salt to make a sticky dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly buttered large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Punch the dough down to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover it and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces.
• Working with one piece at a time, roll and stretch the dough with the palms of your hands into a 24-inch-long rope. Lift the ends of the rope to make a U shape, then cross one end over the other twice to make a double twist in the middle. Fold down the ends and attach them to the bottom of the U, creating a pretzel shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups hot water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, let some of the excess water drip off, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until the pretzels are puffed and deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• For the caramel glaze: Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until completely melted and smooth. Whisk in the heavy cream until combined, then transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth (it should be thick enough to drizzle over the pretzels but not so thin that it drips away). Immediately transfer to a small piping bag or resealable bag, snip the corner and drizzle over the cooled pretzels. Let the glaze set, about 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Prepare the pie crust: Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add butter and toss until butter pieces are completely separated and coated with flour mixture. Using your hands, work butter into flour mixture until well combined and butter pieces are no larger than a pea. Add 1/4 cup cold water and gently stir with a spatula until completely absorbed. Add remaining 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, gently stirring between each addition, until dough begins to form into a ball. Depending on how humid it is in your kitchen or how hydrated your flour is, you might not need to use all of the water.
• Transfer dough to a clean work surface and gently knead, being careful not to overwork it, until smooth and slightly tacky. Divide dough evenly into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a flat disk and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Chill dough in a refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. If chilled longer than 1 hour, let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes before rolling.
• While the dough is chilling, prepare the caramel sauce. Heat sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely melted and amber in color, 10 to 15 minutes. Add butter to melted sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and completely combined, about 1 minute.
• Carefully add heavy cream to sugar mixture, stirring constantly, until bubbly, 15 to 30 seconds. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in sea salt. Set caramel sauce aside to cool slightly at room temperature until ready to use.
• Prepare the filling: stir apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until well combined. Set apple mixture aside at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Pour apple mixture through a strainer into a large bowl. Set apple mixture aside, and transfer the liquid to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove saucepan from heat and set aside at room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Position oven rack in bottom third of oven.
• Working with one dough disk at a time on a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll each disk into a 1/8-inch thick circle that measures 12 inches in diameter. Place one dough circle in a 9-inch pie pan and gently press dough into the corners and sides of the pan.
• Stir together apples and reduced apple liquid in large bowl; arrange apple mixture in the pie crust, and drizzle with 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce. Place remaining dough circle over apple mixture and press into apple mixture and into edges of pan. Using your fingers, fold edges under and crimp to seal. Brush top and edges of dough with egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cut eight 1-inch slits in dough with a sharp paring knife to allow steam to escape. Place pie on a rimmed sheet pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is light golden in color, about 20 minutes. Without removing the pie, reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and continue baking until dough is deep golden brown and the filling is starting to bubble, about 25 minutes. Gently cover pie with aluminum foil, and continue baking until a knife inserted removes mostly clean, about 25 minutes.
• Remove pie from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Serve pie with remaining caramel sauce, if desired.

Steps:

• To prepare dough:.
• Proof yeast and the 1 TBS sugar in the 1 cup of warm water and allow to rest for 5 minutes until foamy.
• Mix the flours with 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 TBS oil in bowl and then add proofed yeast mixture.
• Stir to form a shaggy dough.
• Place onto lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until a smooth, but slightly sticky dough is formed.
• Place into a greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and let sit until doubled (45-60 minutes).
• While waiting for the dough to rise prepare filling and streusel.
• To prepare filling:.
• Peel, core, and thinly (1/4" thick) slice the apples and then cut each slice into 8 pieces (I used my peeler/corer/slicer all in one contraption).
• Saute the apple pieces with 1/2 of the TBS of butter, the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and the pinch of cloves until the apples are tender, but not mushy.
• Remove from heat and stir in the additional 1/2 TBS of butter.
• To prepare streusel:.
• Mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together.
• With fork cut in the 4 TBS of butter to a crumb consistency.
• Stir in the chopped pecans.
• When dough has risen, punch down, place on lightly floured board, and cut into 8 equal pieces.
• With hands, roll each piece into a 15" long cylinder.
• Flatten the cylinder down with a rolling pin to measure 3" wide by 17" long.
• Place 1 1/2 TBS of the filling mixture along the length of each piece and fold the long edge over to meet the other side.
• Pinch along the seam to thoroughly enclose the filling.
• Roll the dough with your hands to form an even cylinder and fully encapsulate the filling.
• Take the two ends of each filled cylinder and form into a circle that is overlapped by a couple of inches of dough on either side, twist the ends and lay over the opposite side to form a pretzel shape and press to seal.
• Play with the shape a bit to get the right form and then place each one on a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet.
• Repeat for all 8 pieces.
• Allow to rise on cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
• While they are rising, boil 2 cups of water and add 1/3 cup of baking soda.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Beat 1 egg white with 1 TBS water and lay it on a flat plate.
• Lay the streusel topping on a flat plate, too.
• When the pretzels have fully risen, drop one at a time into the boiling water and count to 10.
• Remove with a large slotted spatula/spoon to slightly drain and then drop onto the egg white, turn to coat, then drop into the streusel and turn to coat.
• Lay each completed pretzel back on the lined cookie sheet.
• Repeat this procedure until all pretzels are done.
• Place into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes (check on them at 12 minutes).
• Immediately remove from cookie sheets and place on racks to cool.
• *Note:I haven't including the rising time in the"Time To Make" category, but there are two rises for this dough.
• The first is 45-60 minutes and the second is 15 minutes.
• The recipe is written to make use of the rising times for preparing the filling and streusel.