Cinnamon Roll Pie with Apples from Lomelino's Pies

I often get access to advanced reader copies of cookbooks through Edelweiss, and usually flip through and note a few recipes to try. This is a recipe I could not get out of my head! So while I need to give a disclaimer and say that I was given a digital copy of this cookbook, the desire to make this pie is all my own. Lomelino's Pies: A Sweet Celebration of Pies, Galettes, and Tarts, comes out October 24.

This is a crowdstopper pie, a centerpiece pie, and it does take a little bit of extra effort, a little more than a typical two-crust pie would take. But I made it inside an afternoon, so it's absolutely doable.

What a genius idea is this, to use pie crust like cinnamon roll and make that into a crust? It is a stunning visual and I couldn't wait to try it, but I've been biding my time until I had local apples (Mutsu from Granddad's, just like last week) and time to make it.

The apples are mixed with dulce de leche, orange juice, and a few spices, so it isn't quite the typical apple pie inside.

Piecrust
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
16 tbsp (8 oz) cold butter
5-7 tbsp ice-cold water

Apple Filling
2 3/4 lbs apples*
2 tbsp (1 oz) butter
3/4 cup dulce de leche
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Crust Filling
5 1/4 tbsp (2 2/3 oz) butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom

Glaze**
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
pinch of sea salt
1-2 tbsp pearl sugar, Turbinado, or raw cane sugar

Pie Crust

1. Mix the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl.  Dice the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to pinch in the butter until the dough is crunchy.
2. Add the water (begin with the smaller amount and gradually add more if the dough feels too dry) and mix it with a fork. If you pick up a bit of the dough and it coheres when pressed together, it has enough water.
3. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the dough, flatten the dough somewhat, and t hen cover the dough completely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Apple Filling

1. Peel and core the apples. Cut them into thin slices and place them in a large bowl.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the apple slices and saute them for 2-3 minutes, until the apples soften slightly. Carefully stir occasionally.
3. Add the dulce de leche, cinnamon, and salt. In a small cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the orange juice and stir it into the saucepan. Let the mixture simmer over low heat as you stir for a few more minutes, until the mixture has thickened. Let the filling cool completely.

Rolling Out the Crust and Baking the Pie***

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. For the crust filing, mix the butter with the cinnamon and cardamom. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide it into two equal pieces. On a floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough into a rectangle about 15 3/4 and 13 3/4 inches. Spread this dough with half of the butter mixture and roll up the dough from the long side. Repeat with the other half of the dough and the remainder of the crust filling. Place the rolls on a cutting board and then put in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
3. Remove one roll from the freezer and cut it into 3/8 inch slices (just as if you were preparing cinnamon buns).  Fill a pie pan with the slices, covering the bottom and sides (the spaces should have a little space between them). Press the slices together so they form a pie shell. Transfer the pie pan to the freezer.
4. Take the other roll out of the freezer and slice it in the same way, but arrange the slices in a circle (large enough to cover the top of the pan) on parchment paper and then roll them out a little to firm up the circle. If the slices don't want to cohere, you can brush a little water between them. If it is difficult to roll the slices together, press them together.
5. Take the pie shell out of the freezer and pour in the apple filling. Brush the edge with a little water and add the top crust. It is easiest to leave the crust on the parchment paper and fold it out over the pie filling, then remove the parchment. Cut away any overhang, leaving a rim about 1 1/4 inches wide all around if you want to make a decorative edge. Put the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes (to help it hold its shape better in the oven while baking).
6. Remove the pie from the freezer. To make the glaze, whisk the egg, milk, and salt in a small bowl. Brush the pie dough with the egg mixture and sprinkle the pearl sugar on top. 
7. Bake the pie on the lower rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 45-50 minutes until the piecrust is golden brown. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely. Serve the pie with vanilla ice cream, if desired.****

 Jenny's Notes:

 * - I found this article from King Arthur Flour on converting apples between pounds and cups  incredibly helpful! So I sliced up the equivalent of 8 cups of apples, which was 3 huge Mutsu apples.
** - Not gonna lie, I skipped this entire section and just brushed the pie with some heavy cream and sprinkled with granulated sugar, lacking any fancy sugars.
*** - I'm not sure the crust filling shouldn't have a little sugar in it, but it really does bake well on both top and bottom in the time allotted, should that be a concern. I had to steal some slices from the second log to adequately cover the bottom and sides, but still ended up with enough for the top. I think I should have made the top crust and frozen it before attempting to apply it because although it flipped onto the pie from the parchment, the paper was still hard to get off and pulled up several of the roll pieces. I didn't do the overhang, just pressed the top into the bottom and it worked out okay.
In general I'd recommend baking the pie on a cookie sheet since there is a lot of sugar in there.
**** - I offered my eaters vanilla and dulce de leche, and both flavors of ice cream worked well. Pictured is the dulce de leche.

Disclaimers and credits galore: While this is not a post affiliated with the ABRAMS Dinner Party, the ice cream scoop pictured was sent as part of their commercial partners. Many thanks to OXO!

And as always, the publisher of Lomelino's Pies (Roost Books) provided access to the cookbook in exchange for an honest review.