As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday this Fourth of July, bakeries are preparing for one of the busiest holidays of the summer.
“I’m so excited about the 250th anniversary of it. Pie is just an all American thing.”
Leslie Bivins is co-owner of Life of Pie in Abilene. Her bakery produces apple pies with the classic lattice topping. But Bivins says that’s not the only option for patriotic Americans wanting to taste the sweetness of this iconic pie…
"The crumble one is my favorite just because it taste almost like a strudel so it’s a brown sugar crumble. It’s just amazing. Warmed up for about 15-20 secs with a scoop of ice cream, it’s just perfect for a hot 4th of July day."
And it’s just the thing that a lot of Americans want to reach for as they celebrate Independence Day. The phrase "as American as apple pie" stretches back generations. It is deeply woven into American culture. Why apple pie? Even Caitlyn Wallace, owner of Caity Pies in Abilene, isn’t sure how apple pie became tied to American patriotism…
"I don’t’ know, how it came around to be the American thing. It’s a very traditional American food. Apples have always been super plentiful for ever and ever. It makes sense why we would grow our deserts. Apple pie has always been popular. Who doesn’t love an apple pie?"
The history behind why the apple pie became tied to America started when European colonizers brought the different type of apple seeds over to the U-S. This developed more variety of apples suitable for baking —much better than the sour crabapples native to North America.
The apple pie was first featured in an American cookbook in 1796 and was later linked to American patriotism in World War II when soldiers were asked what they were fighting for and the soldiers famously said “mom and apple pie.” Later in the 1970s, the famous jingle. “Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie, and Chevrolet,” reinforced apple pie’s place as an American icon.
Generations of Americans handed down recipes and techniques for creating the perfect apple pie. Grandmothers showed their grandchildren how to roll a pie dough to the perfect thickness with the family’s wooden rolling pin. Caitlyn Wallace stills uses this traditional method by spreading a layer of flour over her work table and hand rolling out the dough.
She then puts it through the automatic dough sheeter machine that many commercial bakeries use. The machine is not only quicker- the dough comes out thinner and more uniform. Wallace cuts the dough sheet into strips and hand weaves the signature lattice top that has completed American apple pies for generations.
For home bakers and professional pie makers—craftsmanship is key. Caitlyn Wallace does not skimp on the process or the ingredients…
“Everything is 100% scratch we made the dough we cut all the apples we cooked ‘em. Everything. The correct mix of apples, during the fall macintosh are the best to use but when macintosh aren’t in season, I have to find a tart and a sweet apple to mix together to make the same effect, lots of butter, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, all that good stuff goes into it.”
Wallace is often recognized for her hand pies. But her full-sized pies carry more than flavor. Her apple pie recipe is a family heirloom that's been handed down from generation to generation.
“Apple pie. This is literally the first pie I ever learned to make. It’s my mom’s mom’s mom’s recipe. It was on this withered yellow paper recipe book. The first pie recipe I ever did.”
Every family has their unique ingredient—whether its the mix of apples, a special mix of spices, or using ice water or lard or vodka in the crust—and the Independence Day holiday gives families the perfect time to share those sweet traditions as they celebrate the birth of this nation.