Deep Dish All Apple Kuchen

Deep Dish All Apple Kuchen

Ingredients

Deep Dish Kuchen Dough :

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 11⁄ 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in 1⁄ 2-inch pieces, chilled
• 3⁄4 cup ice water, as needed

Apple Filling :

• 8 (31⁄ 2 pounds) Golden Delicious or Fuji apples , peeled, cored, and sliced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 11⁄ 2 cups frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
• 2⁄ 3 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cooking Instructions: 

The Dough: 

1. Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. 
2. Add the butter. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 
3. Stirring with a fork, gradually add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is moist enough to hold together when pinched between your thumb and forefinger. You may need more or
4. less ice water to moisten the dough, and the dough need not form into a ball. 
5. Gather up the dough and press it together. Divide the dough into one-third and two-thirds portions and shape into rectangles. 
6. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 12 hours.

The Filling: 

1. Toss the apples with the lemon juice. 
2. In another bowl, whisk the thawed apple juice concentrate, cornstarch, and cinnamon.
3. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 325°F.
4. Roll the larger portion of dough on a lightly floured surface to a 15 by 18-inch rectangle about 1⁄ 8 inch thick. Transfer to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. 
5. Spread the apples as evenly as possible in the crust, and drizzle with the apple juice mixture. 
6. Roll the remaining portion of dough into a 10 by 14-inch rectangle and place it on top of the apples. Tuck the edges of the top crust down the sides and pinch the edges of the top and bottom crust together. 
7. Cut several slits in the crust to allow steam to escape.
8. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the apple juices are bubbling through the slits in the crust, about 2 hours. 
9. Transfer to a wire cake rack and let cool. Serve warm or cooled to room temperature.