Here’s an Apple Pandowdy recipe that is easy to make, especially if you are new to making pie crust. As the name implies, the crust topping is dowdy. That means untidy, and that’s the secret. All you do is top your apples with a lot of little pieces of pie crust. Nothing fancy. And that’s what makes this crust foolproof!
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Table of Contents
- The Secret to an Apple Pandowdy Crust Topping
- Apples in July!
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- More Early American Recipes
- How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Grind Your Own Flour with the Mockmill
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- More Apple Dessert Recipes
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Apple Pandowdy Recipe Recipe
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
The Secret to an Apple Pandowdy Crust Topping
This apple pandowdy recipe dates back to the 18th century—and maybe even earlier. It was a favorite dessert of First Lady Abigail Adams, who was the wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States.
This type of recipe was popular in the early American days because home cooks often didn’t have the best ingredients to make a pie crust. But a dowdy crust was easy to make because there was no special technique involved in rolling out the crust. However, there was an even more important reason this technique was a favorite among homemakers.
Since the crust may not have been made out of the best ingredients, the dowdy thatched-like topping allowed all the wonderful apple juices to seep to the top of the pie. These juices then infused the crust with flavor and a delightfully caramelized texture.
In addition, the uneven topping hid any imperfections the crust might have started with, and instead, it created a tasty dessert that gave the impression of a fine pastry!
Apples in July!
You might be wondering why I am making an apple pandowdy in July. First of all, I thought it would be fun to make a recipe that was a favorite of one of our founding mothers, but also because apples are in season right now.
Well, they are in season if you live in or around central Texas and other regions where temperatures soar in the summer. By July, the apples are ready here in Texas, and they will continue to come into season through October in the other parts of the United States.
But the good news is that you really can make this apple pandowdy any time of the year because we are so blessed to be able to find apples at most grocery stores through the seasons. Lucky us!
However, if you are like me, and you like to cook fruits and vegetables when they are in season and at their peak, you can be pretty certain that starting in July and going into the fall, you will be able to find apples in your grocery store that are in season from various regions of the U.S.
So if you see apples in July in the produce section on your next shopping trip, check the tag and see if they are from Texas!
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The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
More Early American Recipes
Learn how to make early American drinks to help you celebrate Independence Day. They will be refreshing as you stroll around in your tricorn hat!
These early American drinks include Switchels and Shrubs. Both are tasty beverages to enjoy along with your apple pandowdy.
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
One of the ingredients for the apple pandowdy’s pie crust is vanilla extract. If you’d like to make your own “perpetual” vanilla extract instead of having to use a store-bought extract, I show you easy the process is in my Homemade Vanilla Bean Extract recipe video.
Grind Your Own Flour with the Mockmill
When it comes to electric grain mills, after I did A LOT of research, I decided to buy a Mockmill. And am I so happy I did! The Mockmill is a very affordable but beautifully crafted German-made mill that stone grinds grain with settings ranging from 1 to 10—fine to coarse ground grain.
Learn more about Mockmill electric grain mills for making fresh flour and their Flake Lover’s Flaker that flakes whole grain in minutes. (This is not a sponsored post, I bought the Mockmill products that I show you, and I’m a happy user of their devices in my kitchen.)
- Mockmill 100 Grain Mill unboxing
- Get the Mockmill 100 Stone Grain Mill (Same product I show you my unboxing video.)
- Flake Lover’s Flaker from Mockmill in action (Using this device, you can flake whole grain in minutes.)
Additionally, in the following video I show you how to store and grind grain and make flour. You’ll learn three ways to make flour using electric and manual grain grinders.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
As you transition from a processed foods kitchen to a traditional foods kitchen, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to know how to best stock your pantry. But I never want you to feel stressed during this process, so I am here to help!
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
More Apple Dessert Recipes
If you love apples (I do too!), then you’ll love the following recipes made with apples.
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos, live streams, and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
In the following members-only video, I talk about The Importance of Making Our Food Homemade.
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Apple Pandowdy Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Cast iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet
Ingredients
For the Dowdy Pie Dough
- 2/3 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Dried sugar cane juice (Sucanat) You can substitute light or dark brown sugar.
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 6 tbsp Butter, unsalted Cut into small pieces and keep frozen until ready to use.
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract flavoring
- 3 tbsp Ice water
- 1 tbsp Sour cream
For the Apple Filling
- 2-3 pounds Apples (any variety) peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2" slices As to size, I found that 3 large and 3 small apples weighed between 2-3 pounds.
- 1/4 cup Dried sugar cane juice (Sucanat) You can also substitute packed light brown or dark brown sugar. To be historically accurate, you can use 1/4 cup molasses.
- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Butter, unsalted
- 3/4 cup Apple juice You can substitute water.
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch If corn products do not agree with you, you can substitute with tapioca flour.
- 1 medium Lemon, juice and zest
For the Dowdy Pie Dough Topping
- 1 tbsp White sugar Best to use white sugar for the topping as other whole sugars may burn.
- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 large Egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
To Make the Dowdy Pie Dough
- In the mixing bowl of a food processor* pulse flour, Sucanat, and salt for a few seconds to mix.
- To the food processor, add butter, then pulse until the flour mixture and butter appear like small peas. This will take about 8 pulses.
- Mix ice water, sour cream, and vanilla extract and add to the food processor. Pulse until the dough comes together in clumps and all the flour has been moistened.
- Place the dough onto a flat surface lined with plastic wrap, and using the plastic wrap, shape the dough into a 4"-5" disk. (See video.) Wrap the disk with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, remove the dough to a floured surface, and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 10" circle.
- Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough up into 2" pieces. They will be uneven when cutting around the edges of the circle.
- Place the pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
To Make the Apple Filling
- Toss apples, Sucanat, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a 10" cast iron skillet (or another oven-proof pan), melt butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the apple mixture. Cook the apples for approximately 10-12 minutes until they release their juices and begin to soften.
- Mix the apple juice and corn starch together until there are no lumps. Add to the skillet. Bring the apple mixture up to a boil, then immediately turn the heat down to medium-low and allow to simmer until the sauce is thickened. Approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and place the skillet on a heatproof surface. Press on the apples with the back of a wooden spoon to flatten them into an even layer. Set aside.
To Make the Dowdy Pie Dough Topping
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the dough pieces from the refrigerator and place them in no particular pattern on top of the apple mixture in the skillet. They can overlap, and there can also be openings where you can see down into the apple mixture.
- Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside
- Brush the dough with the egg.
- Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
- Place the skillet on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface. Using the back of a spoon, press down on the crust, breaking it in different places, allowing the apple juices to seep up on top of the crust.
- Return the skillet to the oven and continue to bake until the crust turns a golden brown and puffs up slightly. Approximately 15 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet to a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes. Scoop out a portion of the apples along with the crust and optionally top with vanilla ice cream. (This treat is best eaten the day you make it.)
Video
Notes
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Spice Grinder
- Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
- Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
- Vacuum Lids
- Whisk
- Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
- Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
- Flour Sack Towels
- pH Strips (Helps you check on the acidity of your vinegar)
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Recommended Reading
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- Nourishing Traditions
- The City Tavern Cookbook: Recipes from the Birthplace of American Cuisine
- City Tavern Baking and Dessert Cookbook: 200 Years of Authentic American Recipes From Martha Washington’s Chocolate Mousse Cake to Thomas Jefferson’s Sweet Potato Biscuit
- A Taste of History Cookbook: The Flavors, Places, and People That Shaped American Cuisine
- Sweet Taste of History: More Than 100 Elegant Dessert Recipes From America’S Earliest Days
I made the Apple Pandowdy today. It turned out perfect. I wanted to send a photo of it too, but couldn’t find how to do it. I will serve the Pandowdy with homemade vanilla ice cream tonight!
Hi Rose,
Yea! I’m so glad that your Apple Pandowdy turned out wonderfully. Ice cream is the perfect addition! 🙂
Love and God bless,
Mary