Rustic Apple-Cranberry Pie Recipe

1. For the Crust: In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Cut butter into flour using a pastry cutter or by rubbing butter into flour with fingertips (see notes) until no visible pieces of butter remain. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and, using a rubber spatula, fold until just moistened, pressing dough against itself on the side of the bowl to form a mass of dough. Add 1 more tablespoon water if too dry. Do not overmix. Press dough into a 5-inch disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425°F (220°C). Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Roll dough on parchment paper into a 12-inch round using a lightly floured rolling pin. As you roll, press outer edges together to prevent the edges from cracking (see notes). Transfer parchment paper and dough to a baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. For the Filling: In a large bowl, toss apples, cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon to combine. Pile fruit filling into center of dough, leaving a perimeter of about 2 to 2 1/2 inches.

4. Fold dough up and around the filling, trying to avoid letting the dough crack (see notes). Dot the fruit with butter. Bake until crust is golden, filling is bubbly, and fruit has softened, about 45 minutes, loosely covering with lightly greased aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning, if needed. (It’s OK if a bit of juice runs out.) Let pie cool on pan on a wire rack 40 minutes. Slice and serve. Pie can be stored loosely covered at room temperature overnight.

Special Equipment

Rimmed baking sheet, pastry cutter (optional; see notes)

Notes

If you don't have a pastry cutter, simply rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until all of the flour is slightly moistened and there are no visible pieces of butter remaining. Make sure the flour mixture does not get too warm (refrigerate it periodically as necessary). Alternatively, you can cut the butter into the flour using a mixer. On low speed, mix with a paddle until no visible butter remains.

When rolling out the dough, the edges may have a tendency to crack. Push the cracks together so that you end up with a circular piece of dough with a fairly smooth edge. If the dough begins to crack when folding over the fruit, pinch the cracks together to seal or the fruit juices will seep out when baking.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The dough can be made up to 1 day in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic, and refrigerated until ready to use. You may need to let dough sit at room temperature for several minutes before rolling.

The dessert is best enjoyed the day it’s made, but it can be loosely covered with foil or plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerated for up to 3 days. Gently reheat in a 325ºF (160ºC) oven until warmed through before serving.