Salted Apple Pretzel Pie Recipes

Steps:

• For the pretzels: Pour the warm milk into a medium bowl and sprinkle the yeast over. Let the yeast bloom until softened and foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla and 1 cup of the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. Stir in the softened butter until incorporated, then add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, chopped apple, cinnamon and kosher salt to make a sticky dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly buttered large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Punch the dough down to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover it and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces.
• Working with one piece at a time, roll and stretch the dough with the palms of your hands into a 24-inch-long rope. Lift the ends of the rope to make a U shape, then cross one end over the other twice to make a double twist in the middle. Fold down the ends and attach them to the bottom of the U, creating a pretzel shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups hot water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, let some of the excess water drip off, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until the pretzels are puffed and deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• For the caramel glaze: Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until completely melted and smooth. Whisk in the heavy cream until combined, then transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth (it should be thick enough to drizzle over the pretzels but not so thin that it drips away). Immediately transfer to a small piping bag or resealable bag, snip the corner and drizzle over the cooled pretzels. Let the glaze set, about 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Make the pretzel dough:
• Grease a very large bowl with butter. Add 1/2 cup warm water (100-115°F) to the bowl of a stand mixer or another large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over. Add brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Let yeast bloom until foamy, 5-7 minutes.
• Stir in bread flour, beer, sea salt, and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter with a wooden spoon or spatula. Continue to stir until a shaggy mass forms. Mix with dough hook on medium-low speed until dough forms a smooth ball, about 2 minutes. Dough should be firm and might be a little tacky, but not sticky. If dough is still sticky, add flour, 1 Tbsp. at a time, mixing until smooth. If dough is too dry, add warm water 1 tsp. at a time. Continue to mix on medium-low speed until dough is elastic, 5-7 minutes. (Alternatively, turn out dough onto an unfloured work surface and knead by hand.)
• Transfer dough to prepared bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 275°F. Line a small rimmed baking sheet or pie pan with foil. Sprinkle baking soda, if using, onto sheet and bake 1 hour. Let cool.
• Fill a small stainless steel pot or skillet (not aluminum, copper, or nonstick) with 1 cup water. Add baking soda and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve baking soda. Let cool.
• Make the pie filling:
• Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4"-thick wedges. Transfer apples to a large pot and add sugar, all-purpose flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, kosher salt, and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are softened but still have a little bite, 15-20 minutes. If bottom starts to brown, reduce heat to medium-low and add water, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Let cool to room temperature.
• Make the pie:
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a 10" cast-iron skillet. Punch down dough on an unfloured surface to deflate, then divide in half (an easy way to do this is to use a scale and divide by weight). Return one half to greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap while you work on the other piece.
• Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 13" circle. Settle into prepared skillet and let dough relax into pan, just coming up and over the edge slightly. If it shrinks, stretch it by hand to create an even rim. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until increased in size by about 50%, 20-30 minutes.
• Divide second piece of dough into 3 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping remaining pieces on a rimmed baking sheet covered with plastic, roll on an unfloured surface to form 1 (36"-long) rope. Arrange rope in a U-shape with ends pointing away from you. Holding an end in each hand, cross ends, then fold them down toward you to create a pretzel shape about 11" wide. Return to rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Roll remaining 2 pieces to form 2 more (36"-long) ropes. Twist ropes tightly around each other to make a twisted rope about 35" long. Add to baking sheet with pretzel shape and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until increased in size by about 50%, 20-30 minutes.
• If dough has settled into skillet, stretch dough to come back up just to outside rim. Using a fork, evenly prick bottom of dough in pan. Brush dough all over with baking soda mixture, if using. Beat egg yolk with 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl, then brush dough with egg wash. Cover only outer rim of dough with foil. Bake dough in skillet until light golden brown and dry, 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly, at least 5 minutes.
• Brush just outside rim of crust with egg wash and attach twisted dough rope to create a decorative rim. Fill crust with apple mixture. Center pretzel shape over apple filling, stretching dough until edges of pretzel reach twisted outside rim. Brush twisted dough rope and top of pretzel shape with baking soda mixture, if using, then egg wash. Sprinkle with pretzel salt.
• Bake pie until pretzel is golden brown and firm to the touch, 12-15 minutes. If underside of dough seems underbaked, loosely cover top with foil and continue to bake, checking every 2 minutes, until cooked through. Let cool completely before slicing, at least 2 hours.
• Do Ahead
• Pretzel dough can be made 1 day ahead. Let come to room temperature, then let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Apple pie filling can be made 2 days ahead. Store in a resealable container and chill. Bring to room temperature before baking. Baking soda solution can be made 3 days ahead. Store in a resealable container at room temperature.