May 12, 2020 - 5:01pm
WTD: apple pie filling
I inexplicably find myself with a 21 oz can of apple pie filling.
I don't know why I have it: I don't really like sweets, and if I make apple pie it's from scratch (with less sugar than in the canned stuff).
I'm trying to think of a way to make something out of it, something as non-sweet as possible--within the limits of the pie filling I want to get this as close to a non-dessert as possible, so I'm not looking for something like a turnover.
I'm thinking a yeasted bread, one that's not sweet itself but, after first rise, I'd flatten out, spread with the filling (sprinkle on some spices), and roll to proof then bake.
Any thoughts?
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What is the objection to a dessert?
Google Bruno Albouze Tourtiere Landaise. It is an apple-prune phyllo dough pie. I made it, it is delicious. He gives a recipe and method for making your own phyllo dough. I used store purchased phyllo.
A popover or turnover using puff pastry or shortcrust pastry is also a simple and common use for this filling.
Use it as a filling or topping on a sponge cake or as a topping on a cheesecake.
For a yeasted bread option, how about a focaccia-style flat bread with the filling dropped over the bread dimples.
Like I said, I don't care for sweets, which is why I specified I wasn't looking for something like a turnover. No reason to make something that I won't eat.
Maybe a fruit loaf with apple instead of raisins? King Arthur flour has this recipe plus more traditional fruit loaves
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cinnamon-raisin-sourdough-bread-recipe
Thanks, that KAF looks like a good idea.
EDIT: I was looking through the Q&A for the recipe, and the filling might not work. Someone asked about using grated or diced apples, and was told: "you are right to be concerned about weight and moisture. As long as you don't use too much and your apples aren't too juicy, it should be fine. Dried apples (soaked in something tasty so that they don't rob moisture from your dough) are a good bet too, as are ... nuts."
Maybe if I drained/rinsed/dried the filling? Saving the apples, tossing the syrup.
If you’re going in that direction I would drain off any syrup and not rinse the apples.
Here's another option for you. Canned pie fillings work very well in place of made-from-scratch versions.
Paul
Use it to top some pork and melt some cheese over it.
Apple also works with spicy things.
Making a main course (or side dish) sweet ruins it for me. I simply don't like sweet meals: no sweet-and-sour meatballs, duck à l'orange, or glazed anything. I infrequently eat dessert, and when I do it's not something rich/sweet. That's just my taste. I'm tempted to toss the pie filling but I don't like to waste food. With something like the KAF loaf I'll probably divide the finished loaf into quarters and freeze it, taking out part at a time--I eat sweets that infrequently.
IIRC, I think someone "gifted" this to me because they know I like to bake (I love baking bread, and always go overboard making desserts for group events) but when I do so I always do from scratch so it wouldn't have been something I'd have used anyway (I don't feel pride in using a canned version of something that's so easy to make).
And the results are mixed. Technically flawed (it would definitely earn frowns on the Great British Bake-Off) but certainly usable.
I made the dough as specified in the KAF recipe. For the filling, I dumped the pie filling into a sieve. As I'd thought, the goop was too thick to drain. By carefully folding it over and over I was able to get a lot out. When this stopped yielding results I spread it out on a couple of thicknesses of paper towels, put more towels on top, and gently pressed, then unstuck the towels, which had absorbed a lot. While the dough was proofing I put the apple filling in the fridge, in two layers between more paper towels.
I mixed some spices (mace, cinnamon, clove, ginger) and mixed it with the apple filling, having cut the pie-sized pieces into something more suitable to this sort of bread. Still seemed too wet to me, so I added a couple of teaspoons of AP flour to the mix, along with some chopped walnuts.
Then I rolled it up for second proof.
First proof had gone quickly: in 75 minutes it was definitely ready; second proof went a little past the recipe's one hour, presumably because of the change in filling.
Baking... 15 minutes longer than in the recipe to get past 190.
Looked beautiful... then it cooled and the dome collapsed. Not dramatically but it didn't look pretty anymore. When I finally cut it open, there was a large void at the top. I think the apples--both themselves and the goop that still remained--contributed too much liquid. Two tablespoons (rather than 2 teaspoons) of flour mixed into the filling probably wouldn't have been too much. Most of the dough baked up properly, though some in the lower-middle got a little too soaked.
So... I'll mark this up as a decent use of the filling, though it's highly unlikely I'll have a second try since I won't have a can of the stuff again. I only wish Bob's Red Mill still made their dried apple bits--soaked in some alcohol those would be PERFECT for this recipe.
Scott: I can appreciate the issue of the canned pie filling. I am not (yet) much of a bread baker, but I have been making an apple/cinnamon/raisin multi-grain bread for about five years, and even when it's not it's best, it's not so bad. I think I would have just dumped the can into a two loaf batch, added the usual spices and raisins, and called it good. The apples they use for the canned filling are not what we normally use for pies, i.e., they're not spies, at the risk of sounding snobbish. I think getting beaten up by the mixer would be fitting. This perspective will probably prevent me from ever being much of a bread baker.
try thickening the apple filling with toasted or plain dry bread crumbs. You get immediate results (ok, takes about 5 minutes) and can judge the filling consistency sooner.
A few years ago, my nearby big name grocery store had a sale on 21 oz cans of pie filling in January, after the holdays. Cherry, apple, blueberry.... 25 cents a can !
I bought a bunch, and just ate them by dumping contents into a strainer and rinsing off as much syrup/glaze as I could, and eating the fruit. The apples and blueberries were still sweet. The cherries were tart.
wouldn't be afraid to separate the fruit from the filling and feed the sourdough starter the sugared filling. Or even add the filling as part of the dough liquids. Blueberry filling would make some nice purple/red dough, might even split the dough recipe, making half without the Bb filling and marble the two doughs together for a fun effect dropping in the berries between the layers, with nuts etc. Endless possibilities. Russian teacakes. Triangle rolls. Focaccia.