By Stephanie Rosenbaum Klassen
Ready, set, bake! Whether you’re the undisputed champ of the neighborhood potluck or sharing the kitchen with next Top Chef Junior, you (and any kids you know) can enter this year’s Apple Pie Baking Contest at the upcoming Gravenstein Apple Fair.
The contest is open to all home bakers, with categories for both adults and youth. The only rule? Make your pie with apples grown in Sonoma County—and honestly, with our local Gravenstein season in full swing, why use anything else? As a former Grand Champion pie-contest winner and experienced pie judge, I’ve got some tips to share. But my best advice? Be lavish, have fun, make the pie you love best, and show it off with pride.
Roll, Fill, Bake, Repeat Sure, you can try winging it with a brand-new recipe you’ve just discovered. But you’ll feel more confident—and get better results– if you practice a favorite pie until it comes out just the way you like it every time. Get to know your ingredients, your oven, and your apples.
Grav & Go If you’re using Gravenstein apples, remember that they’re a soft, juicy apple that cooks down easily. Leave your slices thicker than you would with a firm apple like a Granny Smith, and pile them high to account for some saucy collapse.
Cinnamon Is Not the Only Spice Sure, apples and cinnamon are a classic combo, but there are plenty of other spices and flavorings to play with if you want to spice up your pie filling. Nutmeg, allspice, mace, star anise, vanilla, rosewater, cardamom, even hot chiles can all add zing.
Fat is Your Friend Want to make great pie crust? Don’t skimp on the fat! Whatever you choose—from high-butterfat, European-style butter or lard from pasture-raised pigs to olive oil, coconut oil, or plant-based baking sticks—the flakiest, most delicious crust comes from using a (very) generous ratio of fat to flour.
Stay Cool Pastry prefers to keep its cool—always a challenge when you’re baking in the summer. So, plan in advance, and leave enough time to chill your dough for several hours (or overnight) before you bake. Chilled dough is easier to roll out without sticking or tearing, and cold fat will help your crust bake up flaky and crisp.
Crimp That Crust If you’re making a double-crust pie, you’ve got to unite the top and bottom crusts together, so that all those hot, bubbling juices stay inside. But don’t stop there. It’s not just the rim of your pie, it’s the frame for your masterpiece! Crimp it, wave it, pinch it, press it with a fork—always finish off the edge to bring your pie to perfection.
Don’t Underbake An underbaked pie is a sad pie. If you’re worried about burning your crust, get a crust shield. This is an aluminum ring that sits over the edge of your crust and shields it from the oven’s direct heat. It’s one of those single-use items that absolutely justifies the small space it takes up among your baking equipment. The edge of your crust will usually get fully brown before the rest of the pie is done, so using a pie shield during the last 15-20 minutes will let the rest of the pie finish baking without fear of burning the edges. A deep golden-brown to amber crust will always be more delicious than one that’s pale and wan.
Baking Is Fun This contest is a great reason for anyone and everyone, at any age and skill level, to get creative in the kitchen. No two bakers, and no two pies, are every exactly alike. Pick your apples, grab your pie pan, throw on that lucky apron, and get rolling. We’ll see you at the Fair!
Stephanie Rosenbaum Klassen is the author of A Little Taste of San Francisco, World of Doughnuts, The Art of Vintage Cocktails, Honey from Flower to Table, and several other books. She leads orchard tours and olive-oil and heirloom-apple tastings at Gold Ridge Organic Farms, an organic orchard, olive mill, and farm shop in Sebastopol.
