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When apple juice starts bubbling up through the vents, the crust around the edges is already turning golden and the kitchen smells like cinnamon. That’s the moment I watch for with this Apple Slab Pie: the top should look crisp, but the filling still needs time to settle once it comes out of the oven.

A rimmed baking sheet gives you a generous, shareable pie without piling the apples into a deep dish. I keep the butter cold for a flaky crust, and slice the apples to a consistent thickness so they bake evenly beneath the top crust. Once the pie has cooled and the filling holds its shape, you can cut neat squares with layers of tender apple and buttery pastry.

Why a Rimmed Sheet Pan Matters More Than You Think

A slab pie spreads the filling across a wide, shallow surface instead of stacking it deep in a pie plate. That changes how the apples sit: the slices form a broad layer, and the crust needs to cover that whole rectangle without stretching thin at the corners. The 10×15-inch rimmed baking sheet gives the pie room to bake while its sides hold in any juices that bubble out.

A flat, un-rimmed cookie sheet isn’t an equivalent swap. It can’t contain the filling if juice escapes, and a smaller pan would leave you with a thicker layer of apples and dough than this version is designed for. Keeping the pan size and rim consistent helps the crust brown across the top while the filling cooks through. It also makes the finished pie easy to portion into squares for a group.

What the Apples and Cold Butter Bring to This Slab Pie

• Firm baking apples — They hold their shape better beneath the top crust than soft, mealy apples. Granny Smith is a reliable choice; the apples don’t need to be fancy, but they should feel firm and slice cleanly. Peel, core, and cut them evenly so you don’t end up with a mix of mushy thin pieces and firm thick ones.
• Cold unsalted butter — Small cold pieces create the flaky layers in the crust. A standard grocery-store butter works well; keep it cold and cut it into the size specified rather than letting it soften on the counter. Unsalted butter also lets you control the salt in the pastry.
• All-purpose flour — It gives the crust enough structure to roll into a large rectangle, and it thickens the apple juices in the filling. The everyday store brand is fine here. I wouldn’t swap in a different flour for the crust without adjusting the dough, since its texture depends on the flour and water working together.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice — Cinnamon leads the spice, nutmeg adds a quieter warmth, and lemon keeps the sweet apple mixture tasting bright. Fresh lemon juice is a nice choice, though bottled lemon juice works in a baked filling.
• Egg and coarse sugar — The egg wash encourages an evenly browned top, while coarse sugar adds a little crunch and sparkle. The egg wash is brushed on the pastry, not mixed into the filling, so it’s easy to adjust the finish if you need an egg-free version.
• Granulated sugar and kosher salt — Sugar sweetens both the pastry and the apples, while salt keeps the crust from tasting flat. Use the salt called for rather than guessing with a finer table salt, which packs differently by volume.

Building the Crust, Filling, and Sealed Top

Keep the Butter in Pea-Size Pieces

Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, then cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips. Stop when most pieces are about pea-size; if you work the butter until the mixture looks sandy, the crust won’t have the same flaky texture. Drizzle in the ice water and mix just until the dough begins to clump. Divide it in half, shape each portion into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Coat the Apples Evenly

Toss the peeled, cored, quarter-inch apple slices with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice. Keep turning the mixture until there are no dry pockets of flour and the slices have a light, even coating. The apples should still look distinct rather than mashed together. If the bowl has dry spice or flour sitting at the bottom, give it another gentle toss before filling the crust.

Fit the Bottom Crust Without Stretching It

Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center. Roll one chilled dough disk on a lightly floured surface into a 12×17-inch rectangle, then fit it into a 10×15-inch rimmed baking sheet with about 1 inch of overhang. If the dough pulls back as you place it, ease it into the corners instead of tugging it; stretching can leave the edges thin. Spread the apple filling evenly over the crust so the surface isn’t mounded in the middle.

Seal, Vent, and Bake Until the Filling Bubbles

Roll the second disk into a 10×15-inch rectangle and lay it over the apples. Press the edges together, fold the overhang up, and crimp to seal, then cut several vents in the top so steam can escape. Beat the egg with the water, brush it over the pastry, and scatter the coarse sugar on top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and filling bubbles through the vents; loosely cover the edges with foil if they brown too quickly.

Three Simple Ways to Adapt Your Apple Slab Pie

Questions That Come Up When Baking This Slab Pie

Apple Slab Pie

Apple slab pie bakes tender cinnamon apples beneath a flaky, golden double crust in a 10x15-inch pan. It makes 15 servings, and cooling the pie before cutting helps the filling set for neat slices.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

chilling and cooling 3 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 15 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 460

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the crust

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 1.5 cups unsalted butter cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 0.67 cup water ice

For the filling

• 4 lb firm baking apples such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 0.75 cup granulated sugar
• 0.33 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
• 0.25 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the topping

• 1 egg large
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp coarse sugar

Equipment

• 1 10x15-inch rimmed baking sheet

Method

 

Make the crust

1. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the pieces are mostly pea-size.
3. Drizzle in the ice water and mix just until the dough begins to clump.
4. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk.
5. Wrap the disks and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Make the filling

1. Toss the apples with the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice until evenly coated.

Assemble and bake

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and set a rack in the center.
2. Roll one dough disk on a lightly floured surface into a 12x17-inch rectangle and fit it into a 10x15-inch rimmed baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of overhang.
3. Spread the apple filling evenly over the crust.
4. Roll the remaining dough into a 10x15-inch rectangle and lay it over the filling.
5. Press the edges together, fold the overhang up, and crimp to seal.
6. Cut several vents in the top crust.
7. Beat the egg with the water and brush the mixture over the top crust.
8. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
9. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles through the vents; loosely cover the edges with foil if they brown too quickly.
10. Cool the pie in the pan for at least 2 hours before cutting so the filling can set.

Notes

For cleaner slices, let the pie cool fully so the filling can set. Refrigerate leftovers for 3–4 days; baked slices can be frozen for up to 3 months. For a dairy-free variation, use a firm plant-based butter in place of the unsalted butter.