Once You “Dowdy” an Apple Pie, You’ll Never Go Back

Some recipes call for cutting the pastry crust into pieces and layering them haphazardly over the spiced, sweetened apples. This achieves the “dowdied” look, but takes extra effort to prepare. Plus, the overlapping layers of crust might not bake up as flaky and crisp as a single crust will. It is best to bake a pan dowdy with a top pie crust, and then break up the pastry once the dessert has come out of the oven.