Apple Cheddar Rye Pie

This pie takes 2 days to make, but it’s well worth the effort. The crust is flaky, and the savoriness of the cheddar cheese pairs very nicely with the spicy sweetness of the apples. The thick lattice also has a striking visual effect.

Here are the original recipes:

• https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/apple-cheddar-rye-pie
• https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sister-pie-all-butter-pie-dough

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Apple Cheddar Rye Pie
Adapted from Food & Wine

Yield: 8-9″ pie

For the crust:

• Ice cubes
• Cold water
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar OR white vinegar
• 2  cups unbleached all-purpose flour (about 10 5/8 ounces), plus more for rolling
• 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) rye flour
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 ounce finely-shredded aged white cheddar cheese (about 1/3 cup)
• Softened butter, for greasing

For the filling:

• 2 pounds Northern Spy, Idared, Golden Delicious, or Granny Smith apples (about 5 medium apples), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup tapioca starch
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Additional Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, beaten

Make the crust (at least 8 hours and up to 3 days in advance):

1. Fill a 1-cup liquid measuring cup with ice cubes. Add cold water to fill (at least 1/2 cup). Stir in apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
2. Stir together flours, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add butter, and toss to coat in flour mixture. Using a bench scraper, cut butter into roughly 1/2-inch cubes. Using your hands, quickly separate butter cubes, and toss to coat in flour mixture. Using bench scraper, cut butter pieces in half to form 1/4-inch pieces. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter, rotating bowl after each cut, until mixture is crumbly with a few larger pea-size pieces of butter, stopping to clean pastry blender as needed.
4. Stir in white cheddar cheese and quickly mix with a pastry blender to incorporate.
5. Add 6 tablespoons vinegar mixture. Using a bench scraper, pull flour mixture from one side of bowl to the other until there are no longer visible pools of liquid. Using your hands, scoop up a large handful of dough mixture and press firmly down into bowl. If dough doesn’t begin to stick together, add an additional 2 tablespoons vinegar mixture, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Rotate bowl a quarter turn, and repeat scooping and pressing until a rough ball of dough forms.
6. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into a 1-inch-thick disk. Tightly wrap each dough disk in plastic wrap. Chill dough disks at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.

Roll pie dough:

1. Place 1 dough disk on a lightly-floured surface. Pound dough disk about 4 times with a rolling pin to begin flattening. Rotate dough 180 degrees; repeat pounding once.
2. Press and roll along edge of dough to enlarge dough disk, flouring surface as needed to prevent sticking. Rotate dough disk, and repeat rolling until dough forms an 8-inch circle. (Dough will be thicker in center.)
3. Place rolling pin in center of dough circle, and press firmly as you roll away from yourself, stopping about 1 inch from edge to avoid over-rolling. Repeat rolling procedure, rotating dough 45 degrees after each pass, until dough forms a 13-inch circle (about 1/8-inch thick), flouring surface as needed to prevent dough from sticking. If top of dough starts to stick to the rolling pin, flip dough over and roll other side. Run rolling pin over dough circle once more to ensure even thickness.
4. Using a knife, trim any jagged edges to form an even 13-inch circle.
5. If you’re worried about the pie sticking, lightly grease a 9-inch disposable aluminum pie pan with softened butter. (I didn’t and it was fine.)
6. Fold dough in half, and transfer to pie pan. Unfold dough, and gently press into bottom and up sides of pan.
7. Chill pie shell while preparing filling and rolling top pie dough.
8. Roll second dough disk into a 13-inch circle according to instructions above. Cut into 6 (2-inch-wide) strips. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and chill until ready to assemble pie.

Make the filling:

1. Toss together apples and lemon juice in a large bowl.
2. Stir together granulated sugar, light brown sugar, tapioca starch, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
3. Pour sugar mixture over apples, and toss with your hands until evenly distributed.

Assemble the pie:

1. Stir together turbinado sugar and flour in a small bowl. Sprinkle bottom of unbaked pie crust with sugar-flour mixture.
2. Spoon apple mixture into piecrust, being careful not to mound in center.
3. Place one dough strip across center of filled pie. Place a second strip across center perpendicular to the first, creating a cross. Arrange next two strips parallel to first strip, placing on either side. Working with original strip, fold back both ends toward center. Place last two lattice strips on either side of the second (perpendicular) strip. Fold original strip back down so that it lies across and on top of newly-placed strips.
4. Trim overhanging lattice strips flush with edge of pie pan.
5. Using your fingers, tightly roll dough overhang toward center of pie, creating a ring of dough that rests on lip of pie pan. Using your thumb and index finger, form a “C,” and position that hand in the very center of the pie pan. Position your opposite thumb on outside of pan. Use “C” fingers to push and press rim of dough up and away from pan, simultaneously pressing the thumb of your other hand into the opening of the “C” to make a crimp. Continue until entire ring of dough is crimped.
6. Freeze crust until hardened, at least 15 minutes or up to 8 hours. Proceed to baking, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze up to 1 year.
7. Preheat oven to 450°F.
8. Remove pie from freezer, and place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush lattice and crimped edge lightly with beaten egg.
9. Bake until crust is evenly golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Without removing pie from oven, reduce oven temperature to 325°F, and continue baking until pie juices are bubbling in center, 50 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
10. Remove baking sheet from oven, and transfer to a wire rack. Let pie cool completely before slicing, 4 to 6 hours.
11. Store leftover pie, covered, at room temperature up to 2 days.

Cranberry Walnut Rye Bread

This rye bread has become a favorite in my family. It’s a hearty, sweet bread that is good for breakfast or for snacking on.

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Cranberry Walnut Rye Bread
Adapted from Pastry Love

Yield: 1 loaf

• 210 g water, at body temperature
• 3 g active dry yeast
• 70 g unsulfured molasses OR honey OR maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon flavorless vegetable oil, such as canola
• 225 g bread flour
• 70 g rye flour OR whole wheat flour if you’re out of rye flour
• 55 g whole wheat flour OR rye flour
• 45 g fine cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup walnut halves
• All-purpose flour, for sprinkling
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal, for sprinkling

1. In a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, combine water,  molasses, oil, and yeast.  Mix until yeast has dissolved.
2. Add bread flour, rye flour, whole wheat flour (if using), cornmeal, cocoa powder, and salt.  Stir until all the flour is incorporated and the dough comes together into a shaggy mess.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot for 10 minutes to hydrate the flour.
4. Flour a work surface, turn out the dough onto it, and knead for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is soft and somewhat tacky.  It will look rough, but it will smooth out while proofing.
5. On the counter, mix together the cranberries and walnuts.  Flatten the dough into a rough oblong and press about half of the cranberry-walnut mix into the top with your hands.  Pick up the dough and press the bottom onto the remaining cranberry-walnut mix.  Gather and press the dough back into a ball.
6. Put dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour.
7. Lift the edges of the dough and fold them into the middle.  Flip over the dough, cover, and let sit for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cornmeal.  Set aside.
9. Now shape the dough into a boule: Bring the edges of the dough into the center, flip it over so the seam faces down, and round the dough against the work surface. Use the friction of the work surface to help shape the boule by cupping the dough in your hands and pressing down slightly as you push the boule outward counterclockwise. As you push round and round, the dough will start to gather and smooth out. Try to work quickly, or the dough will stick to your hands.
10. Place boule on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle some flour on top to keep the plastic wrap from sticking.
11. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm place for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, or until the boule has grown a little and is a bit jiggly when you poke it.
12. In the meantime, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 400°F.
13. Dip the blade of a sharp paring knife in water to keep it from dragging and slash an “X” about 1/2″ deep all the way over the top of the boule (a little like you would for soda bread, but don’t cut as deep).
14. Bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, or until the bread is burnished brown on top and sounds hollow when you thump the bottom.  It will not rise much.
15. Cool bread directly on a wire rack.  Cool completely before you slice and serve.
16. Bread can be stored in a paper bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.  Toast to refresh.

Mocha Chip Cookies

Fresh out of the oven, these cookies are wonderfully crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The next day, they will still be deliciously chewy, plus the coffee flavor will have deepened.

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Mocha Chip Cookies
Adapted from Pastry Love

Yield: 18 cookies

• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar OR ½ cup white sugar + dollop molasses
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons finely ground espresso OR coffee
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons rye flour
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Day 1: Make the dough

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter, sugar, and molasses (if using) on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides a few times.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla on medium speed until fully combined, 1-2 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl from time to time.
3. Beat in espresso OR coffee, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add rye flour and stir in as much as you can by hand so it won’t fly out of the bowl.  Mix on low speed until fully combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Scrape dough into an airtight container and let it rest in the fridge overnight before baking.  You can store it in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Day 2: Shape and bake cookies

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside.
• Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough a few tablespoonsful at a time.  The dough will feel soft and sticky even straight out of the fridge, so try to work quickly.
• Space the cookies 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheets and gently flatten them with your palm until they’re 1 to 1 ½ inches thick.
• Bake 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through.  The cookies will be golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center.  Don’t let them get completely brown, because you want them to be slightly underbaked so they’re chewy in the middle.
• Remove from oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes.  Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Double Chocolate Rye Cookies

These chocolate cookies are intensely chocolate-y and rich. Toasting the nuts makes them extra fragrant. If you accidentally melt all the chocolate, don’t worry – you’ll just end up with cookies that taste like brownies in cookie form!

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Double Chocolate Rye Cookies
Adapted from Pastry Love

Yield: 20 cookies

• ½ cup walnut OR pecan halves
• 2.5 oz + 2 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 2 oz + 1 oz unsweetened chocolate
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• ¼ cup (30 g) rye flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees F and toast walnut OR pecan halves for 6-8 minutes, or until they start to smell fragrant.  They’ll be light golden brown when you break one in half. 
2. Remove from toaster oven and let cool.  Then chop coarsely and set aside.
3. Chop 2.5 oz bittersweet chocolate and 2 oz unsweetened chocolate into large chunks.  Place them plus the butter in a small nonstick pot and melt them over very low heat, stirring constantly to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn.  The mixture will be completely smooth at the end.
4. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla, and let cool for 20 minutes.
5. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, or until mixture is light and thick and pale yellow.
6. Turn mixer to low, add chocolate mixture, and beat for 15 seconds.  It won’t be completely mixed, but you’ll finish mixing by hand.
7. Chop 2 oz bittersweet chocolate into 1-inch chunks.  Shave 1 oz bittersweet chocolate into fine shavings.
8. In a medium bowl, stir together rye flour, chocolates, baking powder, salt, and nuts.
9. Add to egg mixture and fold in by hand completely.
10. Scrape dough into an airtight container and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours and up to 1 week before baking.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  Set aside.
12. Use a sturdy spoon to scoop out dough and roll into 2-inch balls.  The dough is somehow sticky and crumbly at the same time, so it’s easier to work with if you wet your fingers and the spoon.
13. Space the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.  They will flatten out as they bake.
14. Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheets top and bottom and front to back halfway through.  The cookies will just start to crack on the edges, but the centers will still feel soft (not liquidy) when you press them.
15. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheets on wire racks for 5-10 minutes.  Transfer cookies to racks and let cool completely.
16. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Rye Bread

This delicious rye bread is dense and sweet, with pops of flavor from the caraway seeds.  It takes about 5 1/2 hours from start to finish, meaning that if you start in the morning, you can eat it with dinner.

 

Rye Bread
Adapted from Pastry Love

Yield: 1 loaf

• 210 g water, at body temperature
• 55 g unsulfured molasses
• 1 tablespoon flavorless vegetable oil, such as canola
• 3 g active dry yeast
• 225 g bread flour
• 70 g rye flour
• 55 g whole wheat flour OR rye flour
• 45 g fine cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• All-purpose flour, for sprinkling
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal, for sprinkling

 

1. In a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, combine water,  molasses, oil, and yeast.  Mix until yeast has dissolved.
2. Add bread flour, rye flour, whole wheat flour (if using), cornmeal, cocoa powder, caraway seeds, and salt.  Stir until all the flour is incorporated and the dough comes together into a shaggy mess.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot for 10 minutes to hydrate the flour.
4. Flour a work surface, turn out the dough onto it, and knead for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is soft and somewhat tacky.  It will look rough, but it will smooth out while proofing.
5. Put dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour.
6. Lift the edges of the dough and fold them into the middle.  Flip over the dough, cover, and let sit for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cornmeal.  Set aside.
8. Now shape the dough into a boule: Bring the edges of the dough into the center, flip it over so the seam faces down, and round the dough against the work surface. Use the friction of the work surface to help shape the boule by cupping the dough in your hands and pressing down slightly as you push the boule outward counterclockwise. As you push round and round, the dough will start to gather and smooth out. Try to work quickly, or the dough will stick to your hands.
9. Place boule on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle some flour on top to keep the plastic wrap from sticking.
10. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm place for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, or until the boule has grown a little and is a bit jiggly when you poke it.
11. In the meantime, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 400°F.
12. Dip the blade of a sharp paring knife in water to keep it from dragging and slash a an “X” about 1/2″ deep in the middle of the boule.
13. Bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, or until the bread is burnished brown on top and sounds hollow when you thump the bottom.  It will not rise much.
14. Cool bread directly on a wire rack.  Cool completely before you slice and serve.
15. Bread can be stored in a paper bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.  Toast to refresh.

Cranberry Rye Irish Soda Bread

This soda bread has a slightly crunchy crust and is very soft and tender inside, almost like cake.  The rye flour gives it a deliciously nutty flavor.

 

Cranberry Rye Irish Soda Bread
Adapted from Pastry Love

Yield: 1 large loaf, cut in 8 wedges

• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2 cups (280 g) rye flour
• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar
• 1/3 cup (50 g) dried cranberries OR dried currants OR raisins
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt OR a little under 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, cold
• 1/3 cup (80 g) fat-free buttermilk OR 2 tablespoons non-fat plain Greek yogurt+enough milk to make 1/3 cup
• 1/3 cup (80 g) creme fraiche OR non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk

 

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place caraway seeds on a cutting board.  Sprinkle a few drops of water over them to keep them from sliding around.  Roughly chop with a chef’s knife so they’re not all whole seeds.  Place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add rye flour, sugar, currants OR cranberries OR raisins, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir together with a wooden spoon.
4. Cut butter into 8-10 pieces and add to the bowl.  Using a table knife, cut butter into the flour mixture until the largest pieces are about the size of grapes.
5. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk OR yogurt+milk, creme fraiche OR yogurt, and whole egg until thoroughly mixed.
6. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together.  There will still be a little loose flour at the bottom of the bowl.
7. With your hands, gather the dough and turn it over several times until all the loose flour is mixed in.
8. Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and pat into an 8″ circle that is about 1″ thick.
9. Whisk egg yolk and brush over the entire top of the dough.
10. Use a table knife to score the dough into 8 wedges, cutting almost all the way down to the baking sheet.  (It’s fine if you do cut it all the way through.)  At this point, you can wrap it airtight in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 week. To bake, just add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
11. Bake 30-40 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the whole surface is golden brown and the soda bread feels firm when pressed in the middle.
12. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
13. Slice along the score lines with a sharp knife and serve.
14. To store, put leftovers in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.  Reheat in a 300°F oven for 4-5 minutes.  To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep in freezer for up to 1 week.  Reheat in a 300°F oven for 10-12 minutes.