Maple Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie Recipe

Dough:

1. In a medium bowl combine all purpose flour and kosher Salt, place in fridge or freezer for 5-10 minutes while you cut the butter.
2. Cut the butter into cubes about ½ inch each and add to the bowl in the fridge or freezer, let everything get cold for about 10 more minutes.
3. Remove the bowl from the freezer and press the butter between your fingers so that they become flat and toss each pressed butter piece in the flour/salt mixture.
4. Begin adding water to the bowl little by little. Instead of trying to knead or pressed the mixture (once water is added), try swirling your fingers around the bowl to mix the water in without overworking the dough. (How much water is needed will depend on many factors, including humidity and temperature of your work space. If it’s a cold, dry day you might need more water and on a hot or humid day you might need less. Start with the smaller water amount (80g) and add about a ½ tsp at a time if there are still dry bits).
5. You will know that the correct amount of water has been added when the dough comes together but is not sticky at all to the touch. The dough should feel dry or tacky and should hold together without crumbling. If you’ve got a sticky dough, add about 1 tbsp of flour at a time to try and get it where it needs to be, do this before chilling the dough.
6. Once the dough is made, cut it in half and wrap both halves in plastic or your favorite plastic alternative. Then chill the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes. The dough will be ready to roll out once it is firm yet pliable, like a ripe avocado. The butter should not be so cold that it could snap if pressed, and the dough should not be so soft that it sticks to the rolling pin or shrinks back when you try rolling it out.
7. While the dough is chilling, you can work on the filling.

Filling:

1. Wash, peel, and dice your apples and set them aside in a large bowl.
2. Combine the cornstarch, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt in a small bowl and then pour the mixture over the apples and toss them so all the apples are coated in the mixture.
3. Set aside and return to the dough to roll out.

Rolling out the Dough:

1. Roll out one of the halves of dough out to a 10 inch circle
2. Fold the circle in half and then in half again
3. Put the corner of the dough in the center of the pie plate and unfold it
4. Gently press the dough into the pie plate or pan so that it makes contact with all the corners and edges
5. With a fork, make deep marks all over the dough touching the bottom of the pie plate
6. Place the pie plate with dough on a cookie sheet and place in the fridge while preparing the other parts of the pie
7. Roll out the other half of the dough to about the same thickness as the bottom crust and about the same size. Cut (at least) 6 strips that will reach the entire length of the pie plate with at least ¼ inch overhang. You can do varying widths for each strip or make them all uniform.
8. Place the strips on another cookie sheet and place in the fridge while preparing the caramel

Maple Bourbon Caramel:

1. In a sauce pan, combine the sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, and water. Stir to fully combine and then do not stir again.
2. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it is bubbling and has turned a deep amber color. Stirring will cause the caramel to crystalize and harden. Instead, you can gently swirl the pan in a circular motion to ensure even cooking.
3. Take the caramel off the heat and add the butter, swirl the pan until the butter has completely melted and immediately add the caramel to the bowl with the apples and toss so that all of the apples are coated.

Assembling and Baking the Pie:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (or 400F convection).
2. Remove the pie plate from the fridge and pour all the apples, along with all the caramel and juices, into the prepared pie plate.
3. Remove the 6 strips of dough from the fridge and arrange them on top of the pie in a lattice.
4. Cut any overhang that is over ½ inch from the edge of the pie plate.
5. Fold the remaining overhang under itself and place the entire assembled pie back onto the cookies sheet and into the fridge for about 30 minutes.
6. Remove the pie from the fridge (keeping it on the cookie sheet) and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
7. After 20 minutes put a piece of aluminum foil on top of the pie to act as a little hat and turn down the heat to 400F (375 convection) and continue baking for 30 minutes. Some of the apples on top may brown deeply, that’s ok. You will know the pie is completely done with the crust is completely brown and the filling is bubbling out of the lattice.
8. After the remaining baking time, remove the pie and place the pie plate on a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing and serving.