Puff Pastry Apple Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 whole sheet puffed pastry, cut into half
• 4 whole apples, cored, halved, and thinly Sliced. Leave the skin on.
• 1 cup brown sugar (or raw sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• A pinch of nutmeg
• A pinch of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
2. Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray. Add sugar, salt, spices and lemon juice to apples and combine in bowl. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
3. Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go. If you want to make it more "Christmassy" simply alternate between red and green apples. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. Note: the sugars and juice will drip down if your pan does not have a lip. Place a pan below to catch the runoff. 
4. Remove from pan immediately and let cool. Serve plain, or with ice cream. 

Brown Bag Apple Pie

 
Ingredients: 
Bottom Crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cold water, or more as needed

Pie Filling:  

• 5 pounds Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
•  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg  
• 1 pinch ground ginger  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice  
• 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs

  Pie Topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 2 12x30-inch pieces of parchment paper
  
  
   Directions:
  1. To make the bottom crust, stir the flour and white sugar together in a bowl until well-combined. Rub the unsalted butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle with cold water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, mixing the dough together lightly with a fork until it barely holds together.
  2. Form the dough into a ball and roll it out to a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Gently ease the dough into an 8-inch pie dish. Cut off any excess pastry with a knife. Finish the edge of the crust by gently pressing the tines of a fork into the dough all the way around the edge of the pie dish. Set the crust aside.
  3. To make the pie filling, stir the apples, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and lemon juice together in a large bowl; set aside.
  4. To make the topping, mix 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of softened butter, and the superfine sugar together in a bowl until you have a sticky, moist dough.
  5. To assemble the pie, cover the bottom of the pie crust with a light, even layer of graham cracker crumbs. Fill the pie with the apple mixture, piling it up in a mound shape. Pinch off pieces of the topping mixture, flatten them a little with your fingers, and dot them at random all over the top of the filling, covering as much of the filling as possible.
  6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  7. Tear off 2 30-inch-long pieces of parchment paper and place them in a cross shape on a work surface. Place the filled pie in the center of the two pieces of parchment, bring the paper ends up over the pie and fold and staple the parchment paper over the pie to completely enclose and seal in the pie. The paper should not touch the top or sides of the pie. Place the parchment-wrapped pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Don't peek inside the parchment paper while baking. Remove from the oven, carefully tear the parchment paper away from the pie, and let cool; serve warm. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
   
  

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Ingredients: (for 1 loaf)

2/3 cup sourdough starter fed or unfed

2/3 to 3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon olive oi

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup steel-cut oats, traditional or quick

2 teaspoons yeast

OPTIONAL: 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple (about 1 small apple)

Directions: 

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix until a sticky dough has formed. You should be able to pull it away from the bowl.  
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and allow it to rise for about 90 minutes. The dough will become puffy, though it may not double in bulk.  
3. Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.  
4. Gently deflate the risen dough, and shape it into a log. Place it in the pan, cover it lightly, and allow it to rise until it crests at least 1" over the rim of the pan, 60 to 90 minutes 
5. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.  
6. Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it with foil after 15 to 20 minutes; it will continue to brown slowly. 
7. Remove the bread from the oven, and after a couple of minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.