How It's Made: Apple Pies
Vocab level: C1
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The apple pie is a mouth-watering treat.
This pie's popularity has been centuries in the making.
It dates back to the 14th century
when countries like England, Denmark, and Sweden developed slightly different versions,
all leaving fans hungry for more.
Today apple pie is mass produced to meet demand,
so you can throw away your rolling pin and let the folks at the factory do all the work.
To make the filling, they empty loads of apple slices into a huge steam-heated kettle.
These apples are a firm and tart type and have been organically grown.
They add honey and apple juice,
and the apple slices simmer in the liquids while mixing blades gently blend the ingredients.
And with the slices now partially cooked,
they spice up the mix with a generous dash of cinnamon.
To thicken it to a syrupy sweetness, they add tapioca flour.
The blades fold the dry ingredients into the mix as the apple slices continue to cook.
The fruit softens and releases juices.
The liquids thicken to a syrupy consistency.
When the apple slices are lightly browned, this filling mix is done.
These brown and syrupy slices are now prepared and ready for the pastry shell.
The shell starts with chilled premium-grade butter. It's the creamiest.
Organic and 100% whole wheat flour is the next ingredient in this high-fiber pastry recipe.
They pour a measured amount of honey into the pastry mix to sweeten it.
They add ice-cold water.
It's cold to keep the butter from melting too quickly,
and that means the crust will turn out flaky.
Inside the pastry mixer, a dough hook blends and kneads the ingredients
until they congeal into dough.
The dough is moist but not too wet and sticky.
Inside an apparatus called a sheeter, a mechanized roller presses the dough into sheets.
A worker drapes a sheet of dough over groupings of four paper pie plates,
which then move forward on a carousel.
Meanwhile overhead, that syrupy apple filling funnels into a device called a depositor.
The depositor pumps the filling into the uncooked pie crusts
as they circle around on the loop conveyor.
This automated system fills every second grouping of crusts right on cue.
Now full of sweet fruit, a worker tops them with more dough,
giving the pies the upper crust.
Like a big revolving cookie cutter, a rolling die punch cuts the dough around the pie plates,
separating them, trimming, and crimping the edges all in one action.
Pedestal lifts hoist the pies, and a worker transfers them to the next conveyor.
They finish one group of pies and then start another for a continuous cycle of pie production.
The pies now head into the baking zone.
Here workers arrange the pies on baking sheets.
They slice holes in the top crust to vent steam and prevent fruit juices from overflowing.
They stack the pie-laden baking sheets on racks in a convection oven.
The racks spin for a more even baking job.
They send one apple pie from each batch to the quality assurance department.
Here the inspector takes in the aromas from the freshly baked pie.
She examines its form and compares it to an existing perfect pie.
Slicing it confirms that the crust is flaky.
But does it have that melt-in-your-mouth flavor?
There's only one way to verify that.
If the quality assurance people approve the pie,
then the whole batch moves forward.
They flash freeze the pies then seal them in cellophane.
Suctioning arms open cardboard containers, and a worker slides in the pies.
Rollers close the pre-glued flaps.
They produce more than 2,100 apple pies every hour at this factory.
Once the job is done, there are big decisions to be made like one scoop or two.
One slice or the whole pie.
Perhaps it's best just to dig in and decide later.
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