How do you make a big, rectangular pie?

[Ginevra]

Like an apple pie in a 13x 9” casserole dish instead of a round pie pan. Is this just two recipes made into one? Or does it not work out so obviously? 

 

 

[EmseB]

If I was attempting this, I'd probably make my standard double pie crust and roll out what I needed for the bottom of the 9x13 and use the rest for lattice or whatever top I wanted. I wouldn't think the filling would be a double recipe, maybe 1.5?

 

That's what I would try...not saying it's foolproof or that it would work. ?

[itsheresomewhere]

When I have to make a large pie like that, I use a cookie sheet.  It does very well and cooks completely.  Just don’t make it a mile high or else you get to clean the oven.  

Edited August 24, 2018 by itsheresomewhere

[Annie G]

23 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

When I have to make a large pie like that, I use a cookie sheet.  It does very well and cooks completely.  Just don’t make it a mile high or else you get to clean the oven.  

Yes, this. You can look on Pinterest for slab pie recipes and it’ll give you an idea of quantities if you’re trying to adapt your own recipe to make a slab pie. 

[unsinkable]

I concur with Annie G...you want a recipe for slab Apple pie.

This is a good one if you want crumb toppjng.

https://www.bhg.com/recipe/pies/crumb-topped-apple-slab-pie/

[gardenmom5]

my grandmother made rectangular cobblers all the time.  she'd put the filling in the pan, then put the pie crust on top and bake it.

[EmseB]

...and I didn't know slab pie was a thing so my advice is now a cow's opinion.

[unsinkable]

45 minutes ago, EmseB said:

...and I didn't know slab pie was a thing so my advice is now a cow's opinion.

I love you.

[KungFuPanda]

I’d double the pie crust and triple the filling just to be safe. 

[regentrude]

The area of a 9x13 rectangle is 117.

The area of a 9 in circle is pi×4.5^2=64.

So you have roughly twice the area and need approximately  twice as much pastry and, if you fill to the same height, a good twice as much filling since the sides are steep. For proportions, you may want to fill it higher, so I would use 2.5 times as much filling.

Edited August 24, 2018 by regentrude

[Guest]

2 hours ago, regentrude said:

The area of a 9x13 rectangle is 117.

The area of a 9 in circle is pi×4.5^2=64.

So you have roughly twice the area and need approximately  twice as much pastry and, if you fill to the same height, a good twice as much filling since the sides are steep. For proportions, you may want to fill it higher, so I would use 2.5 times as much filling.

I love it...give the problem to the scientist! This is truly awesome! 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, EmseB said:

...and I didn't know slab pie was a thing so my advice is now a cow's opinion.

No, it’s not! I was aware there is such a thing but that’s not what I want to make. ?

Years ago my MIL would do apple pie this way, because it’s a big family and two round pies are not as satisfactory. So literally every single time I am asked to bring a pie for a family dinner or event, I go through this dilemma. Should I bring two pies? Should I attempt to make one large, rectangular pie the way MIL used to do? But it always feels like a risk because I don’t ever have reason to try that until it’s the whole family and then I’m afraid to gamble on it because I don’t really know what I’m doing. ?

[MrsMommy]

4 hours ago, EmseB said:

...and I didn't know slab pie was a thing so my advice is now a cow's opinion.

 

moo ?

[EmseB]

38 minutes ago, Quill said:

No, it’s not! I was aware there is such a thing but that’s not what I want to make. ?

Years ago my MIL would do apple pie this way, because it’s a big family and two round pies are not as satisfactory. So literally every single time I am asked to bring a pie for a family dinner or event, I go through this dilemma. Should I bring two pies? Should I attempt to make one large, rectangular pie the way MIL used to do? But it always feels like a risk because I don’t ever have reason to try that until it’s the whole family and then I’m afraid to gamble on it because I don’t really know what I’m doing. ?

The funny thing is that I was just making pie today (funny because it's not a usual event, maybe 3 or 4 times a year), and I was eyeballing it with Ina Garten's double crust recipe and then about 5 apples for the filling. I had extra pie crust after trimming and the filling was super mounded in a deep dish, so I was thinking, well, in a pinch all of this would spread to fit a 9x13, but I'd use a few more apples to be safe if I had them.

Then I came back to say that, but it looks like my eyeballing is way off, math-wise. So basically I also don't know what I'm doing.

[SamanthaCarter]

Slab pie takes an ungodly amount of pie dough. Just so you’re aware. If you look up a recipe for slab pie and the amount of dough seems like too much in proportion to the filling, believe the recipe. 

But for a 9x13, I’d double your regular recipe, but not the time. Maybe original time x 1.5. Cover the edges with foil. 

Edited August 25, 2018 by SamanthaCarter

[unsinkable]

14 hours ago, Quill said:

No, it’s not! I was aware there is such a thing but that’s not what I want to make. ?

Years ago my MIL would do apple pie this way, because it’s a big family and two round pies are not as satisfactory. So literally every single time I am asked to bring a pie for a family dinner or event, I go through this dilemma. Should I bring two pies? Should I attempt to make one large, rectangular pie the way MIL used to do? But it always feels like a risk because I don’t ever have reason to try that until it’s the whole family and then I’m afraid to gamble on it because I don’t really know what I’m doing. ?

I was going by your title of "how do you make a big rectangular pie?" Then in your message it said "like" a 13 x 9. 

I didn't know you didn't want a slab pie.

I thought "big and rectangular" were the salient points, not specifically a 13 x 9 pan.

I wouldn't double a standard recipe and just put it in a 13 x 9 pan bc the filling in the middle of the pan might take so long to cook the edges will be overcooked (not just the crust edges).

That is why a slab pie is usually in a shallow rimmed jelly roll pan, so the filling is thin enough to adequately cook through.

This is just me but I'd rather have more adequately cooked leftovers (ie with a slab pie) than risk an undercooked smaller pie (ie trying to adjust a 9" recipe to fit a 13 x 9 pan) but YMMV. I'm sure other people feel the exact opposite and won't hesitate to share. ?

[SamanthaCarter]

I do agree with the above. Not that the middle won’t cook, but how did your grandmother serve it? Seems like a normal depth pie is going to give you some trouble with not every piece having an edge to help hold it together. The middle will be more like cobbler. 

Edited August 25, 2018 by SamanthaCarter

[unsinkable]

9 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

 

When I have extra apples or pears in hand, I will cook up pie filling and put it in the freezer until I'm ready to make a pie. Perhaps precooking the filling would help? 

Of course I am not a pastry chef, my method might be regarded as scandalous to pie connoisseurs.

Yeah, IF I wanted to experiment, I would definitely pre-cook the filling and I'd also probably blind bake the crust a bit to prevent a soggy, uncooked crust. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, SamanthaCarter said:

I do agree with the above. Not that the middle won’t cook, but how did your grandmother serve it? Seems like a normal depth pie is going to give you some trouble with not every piece having an edge to help hold it together. The middle will be more like cobbler. 

I don’t know how it always worked, but it always worked. It had both a top and bottom crust, and a substantial amount of filling. The middle parts were probably a bit more like a cobbler because of no side edge, but I remember it always tasted just delicious. 

I was also concerned about the middle not cooking properly. I thought I had found a recipe on the web that was the right thing, but it turned out that had no bottom crust and so was topped with crust only on top, like a cobbler. 

I turned out to make two pies. I am too chicken it will be wrong. 

[Catwoman]

Fellow chicken here! I would have just made the two pies, too!

Edited August 25, 2018 by Catwoman