Sunday was such a blissful Autumn day here in southern Appalachia. Mind you, I broke out the Autumn decor weeks ago (ahem, mid to late August), but this weekend I finally felt the Autumn Equinox creeping in on us. 

The morning was crisp. I warmed the house by making a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls. The sun was shining, the windows and doors were all open in the house, and fresh sourdough was bubbling on one counter (it had been fermenting from the night before). Homemade vanilla has been ‘proofing’ for close to six months now on another counter (I’m planning to use it for Yuletide gifts!). Some leftover bone broth was simmering on the stove to make way for a butternut squash pumpkin soup I had planned on making for dinner, and also there sat a cabbage head that needed to be shredded to make one last bit of fermented sauerkraut before winter.  

Alas, it was a busy Sunday in the kitchen. My husband had to run to town for some things and took my little one with him which meant I had a few hours of uninterrupted time in the kitchen, a rarity! 

Earlier in the morning, while the cinnamon rolls were cooking my little one and I made some immune boosting gummie bears from high quality beef gelatin, elderberry syrup infused with medicinal herbs, beet, apple, and carrot juice, and apple raw honey. 

Next, I mixed pumpkin, pecans, and cream cheese to put in the ice cream maker… 

Lastly, I began the sourdough-einkorn apple pie made with apples that we picked last week at a local orchard. 

For dinner, I made a lovely bacon pumpkin butternut squash soup. I also had a spaghetti squash that had been sitting on the counter for weeks; I decided to roast it and then blend it with the creamy, butternut squash/ pumpkin puree to have on hand for a healthy “spaghetti” or “Macaroni and cheese” for my little one to each for lunch in the coming days.

Stay tuned for all of these recipes. Today I will share the Sourdough Einkorn Crusted Apple Pie. I choose to use einkorn because it is an ancient grain and is much more digestible than high gluten modern flours. 

Make sure to use organic, local ingredients, homegrown/harvested whenever possible. 

Measurements are approximate because I’m horrible at following recipes. I usually get the foundations for a recipe and tweak it to my liking. 

Sourdough Einkorn Crusted Apple Pie

For the crust:

-2 cups of einkorn flour 

-1/2 cup of sourdough starter 

-1 cup of frozen unsalted butter (grated)

-About 4-5 tablespoons of ice water 

Apple pie filling:

-About 5-6 assorted apples of your choosing (peeled and cored)

-About 1/2 cup of maple syrup 

-About a handful sprinkle of brown sugar (optional, but I do find using a little bit of brown sugar gives a better consistency) or 3 table spoons of local raw honey 

-Dash of salt

-Juice from half of a lemon with lemon zest 

-2 tablespoons of melted butter

-2 tablespoons of cinnamon 

To make the crust (Can be done the night before):

-Combine einkorn flour and salt. Using a fine grater, grate 1 cup of butter. Use a pastry cutter to start combining. Add in sourdough starter and add in tablespoons of cold water one tablespoon at a time until dough becomes a crust consistency. *May use food processor for this step.

-On a lightly floured surface, form dough into a ball and split ball into two. Flatten both out to about 10 inches (or however big your pie dish may be). I made the bottom crust a little bigger so I would have enough to close the pie in. 

I stacked my two pie crusts (using a silicone sheet) and put it in the fridge for an hour or so. You can use plastic wrap as well. We try and limit as much plastic in our home as we can. 

-While the crust is chilling, combine all apple pie ingredients. I chopped the apples very thin and combined all ingredients and just used my trusty hands and tossed in a glass bowl. 

-After crust has chilled, line pie dish with bottom crust, add filling, and then place second pie crust on top. I pinched the top and bottom crust together to seal the pie, made the circumference etchings using a fork, and used runes as my slits in the top of the pie.

-Lightly brush the crust with some milk. You can sprinkle some brown sugar on top as well if you’d like. 

Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. 

I hope y’all enjoy this recipe!. Be sure to let us know if you like it! 

Hail! 

-Lady Lassarus