Brown Bag Apple Pie

Bake your apple pie in a brown bag for a perfectly cooked filling in a golden pie crust with this incredibly easy and simple recipe.

Chris Simpson / FOOD STYLING by JULIAN HENSARLING / PROP STYLING by CLAIRE SPOLLEN

As the smell of warm baking spices filled every corner of the house, my grandmother, Joan Nalley Buchanan, glided around the kitchen with paper towels underfoot, cleaning spilled piles of flour. “Well, I was raised in the Depression,” she said, dismissing my giggles. This was her explanation for all her silly but genius innovations. The aroma grew stronger, and I squirmed with anticipation as she pulled a crisped brown paper bag out of the oven: This was my favorite part of her apple pie process, other than the eating. We carefully tore the paper to reveal a perfectly browned crust with sweet, syrupy juices bubbling out. “It’s perfect!” she said, beaming as we inhaled the rich fragrance of her brown bag apple pie.

During the Great Depression in her small hometown of Thomaston, Georgia, my grandmother learned this brown bag apple pie recipe from her mother — making the recipe about a hundred years old now. The secret to its excellence: an ordinary brown paper grocery bag that traps in all of the moisture, creating the perfect conditions for tender apples nestled in a golden brown, crisp crust.

As the years went by, I felt a sense of urgency to try to get her process down on paper. I tried to write down and remember every detail. “You have to get down and look at it like this,” she would always say, lowering her head in line with the measuring cup. I remember how we laughed, competing for who could peel apples the fastest. I remember the choreography that seemed to be stored in the fibers of her muscles, how she slipped the finished pie into the brown paper bag, folding the open end over and tucking it under.

My grandmother is still with us today, but living with Alzheimer’s disease — she doesn’t remember much of her life, the people in it, or that her wonderful cooking used to be part of her identity. Earlier this year, my mom and I visited to soak up as much of her as we could, and I took over her kitchen and made her pie. I knew that she didn’t really know who I was or that the pie was hers, but I couldn’t help but be proud of myself as she ate every bite of it. — Claire Spollen

Granny Smith apples are green apples with crisp, firm skins and a lemonlike acidity. All Granny Smith apples are green apples, but not all green apples are Granny Smith. There are other green apple varieties out there like Pippin and Crispin.

For a pie crust, it's best to use a neutral-flavored oil such as canola or vegetable oil. Avoid using oils like olive oil or any flavored oils. The goal is for the oil to blend seamlessly into the crust, helping to bring the dry ingredients together to make a dough without impacting the final flavors of the pie or the pie's filling.

You can use any brown paper grocery bag, but it’s important to ensure that the bag doesn't touch the heating element.

Depending on the size of your oven, you may need to move the rack to the lower third position to prevent the bag from touching the heating element.

Baked pie can be stored in an airtight container or covered at room temperature for up to three days.

Dough

2 2/3 cups bleached all-purpose flour (such as Gold Medal) (about 11 1/3 ounces)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup canola oil

6 tablespoons whole milk

Filling

4 medium (7-ounce) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into thin (1/4-inch-thick) wedges (about 5 cups)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, divided

Additional Ingredients

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed, divided

Brown paper grocery bag, preferably ink-free

Preheat oven to 425°F. Stir together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl using a fork. Add oil and milk; stir until dough comes together. Knead dough using your hands until dough is smooth and no dry streaks remain.

Divide dough in half, and flatten each half into a disk, keeping 1 disk slightly larger for bottom crust. Cover using plastic wrap, and set aside. Clean and dry bowl.

Gently toss together apples, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, allspice, cloves, and 1 cup sugar in cleaned bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside, and let mixture stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sugar is moistened.

Meanwhile, unwrap larger dough disk, and place between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll out to a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Peel off top sheet of parchment, and invert dough into a standard 9-inch pie plate; discard parchment. Gently press dough into corners; trim any overhang, and use scraps to patch any holes, if needed.

Transfer filling to prepared pie plate. Dot 1 tablespoon cubed butter over apples. Unwrap smaller disk of dough, and place between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll out to a 12-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick.

Peel off top sheet of parchment, and invert dough over filling. Peel off and discard remaining sheet of parchment. Trim any overhang; use scraps to patch any holes, if needed. Press edges of dough together, and crimp as desired.

Cut 3 small vents into top of pie, being careful not to cut too close to the edges. Dot pie with remaining 2 tablespoons cubed butter, and sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.

Place pie in a brown paper grocery bag, folding over the end of the bag to secure; transfer to a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Carefully cut the bag with scissors, and slide the pie out. Let pie cool completely on a wire rack before serving, about 2 hours.