The best deep dish caramel apple pie recipe from scratch in a deep dish pan! With old fashioned cinnamon caramel apple pie filling and homemade caramel sauce!
Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow sugar to melt then let it cook, without stirring, until the mixture turns a golden brown color. Be careful not to let it burn.
1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup water
Add cubed butter and whisk until melted. Cook for another minute without stirring.
5 tablespoon salted butter
Remove from heat and gradually whisk in heavy cream. Return to heat and cook another minute.
½ cup heavy cream
Remove from heat again and add vanilla and sea salt to taste. Let cool completely.
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, coarse sea salt
Prepare Apples
Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange rack in lower third of oven and place a cooking sheet lined with foil on the rack.
Place apples in a ¾ sheet baking pan lined with foil (or two 9x13 baking pans). Sprinkle granulated sugar and apple pie spice over apples and cover tightly with foil. Bake apples about 35 minutes, or until tender (apples should still hold their shape). Cool on wire rack, covered, for at least 30 minutes.
5 pounds firm, tart apples, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoon apple pie spice
Assemble Pie
Lightly coat your deep dish pie pan or cast-iron skillet with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll larger disk of pie dough into a 15-inch circle. Fit into pie plate, leaving a slight overhang. Beat egg white with water in a cup; brush pie shell with about 2 teaspoons egg-white mixture, then set aside to dry.
2 pie crusts, 1 large egg white, 1 tablespoon water
Combine lemon juice and vanilla extract. Drizzle over apples.
In a bowl, combine ½ cup cooled caramel sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Spoon one third of apples and juices into the pie shell; sprinkle with one third of the caramel mixture. Dot with one tablespoon of butter. Repeat layering 2 more times with remaining apples, caramel mixture, and butter.
½ cup caramel sauce, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 3 tablespoon salted butter, 3 tablespoon cornstarch
Roll remaining pastry into a 13-inch circle. Place over filling; cut vents in top and flute edge. Brush top with more of the egg wash, then with heavy cream. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
2 pie crusts, 1 large egg white, 1 tablespoon water, 2 tablespoon heavy or whipping cream, 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Place pie on preheated foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes, or until top crust is a deep golden brown and filling is bubbling through vent holes. (If crust browns too quickly, cover top loosely with foil.) Cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature, with remaining caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream (optional).
Notes
To prevent a soggy bottom crust:
As directed above, be sure to preheat your oven with a baking sheet on a lower rack, then bake your pie directly on the hot baking sheet;
If you're still worried about a soggy bottom crust, you can always add another 15-20 minutes to the baking time -- if the top crust begins to brown too much, just cover the pie loosely with foil.
Divide your homemade pie crust unevenly. If you make your double pie crust recipe at home, be sure to make one of your pie crusts portions a bit bigger. That way the larger portion will work better for the deep pan.
Don't skimp on the vent holes. There's a reason why lattice crusts are so popular. When you give your pie enough holes for the steam to vent through, it helps the pie cook faster, helps the filling to thicken, and improves the overall texture of the finished pie.
Don't undercook your pie. This may seem obvious, but because of this pie's long bake time you might be tempted to assume it's done prematurely. Your pie is done when the filling is bubbling through the vent holes. If it's not at that point yet, give it another 10 minutes or so. If your top crust is looking too brown, cover it loosely with foil and keep baking your pie until the filling is bubbling.
Allow the pie to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. This lets the filling set a bit more so that it doesn't spill out too much when you cut into it.
Time saving tips - first of all, if you're hoping to cut down on the prep time for this pie, you have some great options!
Store-bought pie crust - It's a great option and some of them are SO good! My favorite is the Pillsbury roll-up pie crusts found in the dairy section of your local grocery store.
Store-bought caramel sauce - Save at least 20 minutes by picking up a jar of caramel sauce. While I love this homemade caramel sauce recipe and it's so easy to make, I totally get that every minute counts.
Make ahead: You can make your pie crusts and caramel sauce AND bake your apples a day or two in advance. Then on the day you make the pie, all you'll have to do is layer it all together!