Juicy, delicious apples, grates to create a lightly crunchy layer over soft dough. This is why Szarlotka is better than any other Apple Pie. Make this recipe and you will agree with me.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt
Add grated (or cubed) butter, sugar, eggs and yolk.
Mix vanilla with yogurt and add to the batter.
Process everything by hand or you can add to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine. If the dough seems too dry, add more yogurt.
Divide the dough into two parts, ⅔ and ⅓. Store in the fridge and the smaller piece you can put in the freezer.
Making the Filling
Wash, peel and core the apples
Grate the apples; you can also cut them into bite size chunks or slice them
Let the grated apples sit in a sieve to drain any excess juice and moisture. You can dust the apples with a bit of flour or breadcrumbs. This will absorb excesses moisture
Transfer the apples into a medium size bowl. Add lemon juice and zest, honey, cinnamon and sugar, mix well to combine.
Optionally you can cook the apples for 5-10 minutes to soften them a little more.
Assemble Szarlotka
Place the large pieces of dough on a cutting board. Using knife slice it into 5mm pieces
Arrange the slices on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Press the slices lightly so they can connect with each other. Fill any gaps with pieces of dough
Spread the apple filling in even layer over the dough
You can press lightly to fill in any gaps but it is not necessary
Remove the smaller piece of dough from the freezer. Coarsely grate it over the apple filling
Preheat your smoker to 375F
Place the baking pan in the smoker and cook for 50 minutes
You can also cover it with aluminum foil to prevent the top from becoming too dark
Remove and cool before slicing
Dust powdered sugar over it and serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Notes
Apples - grate them if you don't want to cook them; this will give you a nice soft but lightly crunchy texture. They will also bake quickly
Butter - freeze and grate it; this form is easier to incorporate with the flour using your hands only
Cut the apples into cubes - if you like chunkier texture;
Freeze the smaller part of the dough, it will be easier to grate it
If you like the filling to be softer, smoother texture simmer the apples 10-15 minutes