Apple Pie with Spelt-Flour Crust

Common wheat is murder on our gastrointestinal systems. Gluten from strains of red, white, and winter wheat are impossible for our bodies to digest, and even seemingly healthy people will suffer the effects of eating it. I myself had chronic sinus infections until I learned that gluten was the culprit of my depressed immune system and debilitating stomachaches. After 10 years of avoiding gluten I learned that I was only allergic to the type from common wheat, and that heirloom grains such as spelt, einkorn, and kamut are not only easier to digest—they taste better and have better texture than common wheat, and lend themselves particularly well to baked desserts like pies and cookies, and now I can have desserts like this as often as I want and never even have so much as a sniffle. Apple pectin is also one of the best things for your gut—because the pectin in apples cannot be metabolized into lactic acid, which contributes to gut issues, it promotes the synthesis of short chain fatty acids and thus promotes gut health and health overall. This is the reason for the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and apple pie makes it easy to have a few apples in one serving. Ice cream is now commonly made with emulsifiers and binding gums in order to keep it looking like ice cream during the distribution process, and these additives can undo any good you might be doing with your diet by harming your gut microbiome, so read the ingredients on ice cream and other products you buy and avoid those with these unnecessary and harmful additives. They also make ice cream gelatinous and rubbery when it should be soft and creamy. Gross. Buy good products and your body will stay healthy. Likewise, unrefined sugar has a more complicated flavor profile than white, refined sugar, making your food taste less like a chemistry experiment and more like something wholesome and nutritious. Apple pie such as this can and should be a part of any healthy diet.

APPLE PIE FILLING

10-12 apples, preferably green, tart varieties like Granny Smith, cubed or julienned.
4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups unrefined Sugar
1 tbsp good Cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Far in advance of baking, peel and cube apples and place them in a large pot with 6 tbsp of butter, the sugar, 1/2 tsp of salt, and cinnamon (the remaining butter should stay cold in the refrigerator until use). Cook apples on medium-high until they go translucent and the juices thicken—the apples need to become soft which is indicated by translucence, and to shed enough pectin to thicken the juice, but if overcooked they will also turn to mush inside the pie when it bakes, undercooked and the juices will not thicken and you’ll have runny apple pie. Some recipes call for draining the apple juices that come from this part—why would you do that???? This juice is what fills in the space between the apples, and the natural pectin will turn the juice into a thick gel that makes the pie delicious. Reserve all apples, juice, oils, etc., and allow to cool fully to room temperature.

PIE CRUST

3 cups white Spelt, Einkorn, Kamut, or other safe flour
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
18 tbsp cold butter (2 sticks + 2 tbsp)
2-3 tbsp cold Water
1 egg or 2 tsp cream

Meanwhile, place flour and 1/2 tsp of salt into a large bowl and mix. Cut cold butter into 1/4 inch pads and add to flour. Using a pastry cutter, food processor, or a stiff fork (a pastry cutter is an amazing kitchen tool and way easier than a fork) combine the butter and flour until it begins to form into crumbles and clumps. Spelt is slower at taking up water and fat, so this requires more mixing at this point than normal flour would, but you can mix it for a few minutes, then stop and let it rest for five, then come back and mix it a final time once the fats have saturated the flour more. Once there is no more fine flour left, add a little bit of the cold water at a time until the dough starts to come together. When it does, stop. Too much water will make it sticky and the crust chewy, but too little and it will break while rolling.

When dough is done divide into two halves with one being slightly larger than the other, flatten into a round disk, wrap with plastic or cover with a bowl and allow to rest for at least thirty minutes. This will make the dough more pliable.

When ready to assemble the pie, Preheat oven to 375 F (190˚ C). Then remove the larger disk and turn out onto a floured surface, roll into a circle larger than your pie dish—I like this crust thick on apple pie because it tastes so good, so I don’t roll my crust thin (which is also why this recipe uses 3 cups of flour instead of the typical 2 1/2, which I always find to be insufficient). When rolled, gently pull back one side of the dough over top of the rolling pin and, using the rolling pin, hoist crust over pie dish. Gently form dough into dish and cut any parts which are hanging over the edges (do not trim to inner part of dish—leave dough out to the very edges of the lip). Briefly beat the egg to make an egg wash then brush it onto the inside crust. This is not necessary but will help keep the dough from getting soggy from the fruit. Then pour the fully cooled apple filling into the crust, mounding in the middle. Roll out the second piece of dough and place over top of filling, then crimp the top and bottom crusts together around the edge. Using a fork, poke holes in the top crust so that steam can escape during the cooking process. Then brush all of the pie with the egg wash or cream—this is important and what makes a pie crust shiny and golden. Finally, cut a few strips of aluminum foil and curve over the edges of the crust to keep them from burning. Place pie in the middle of the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes minutes until crust is golden brown, removing the aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes. Allow to stand at least 60 minutes before serving, so the pectins in the juice solidify. Serve warm with good ice cream and watch in amazement as none of your dinner guests go home with stomachaches.