Maple Ginger Apple Pies with Oat Crust

Steps

1. Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until fine like flour.
2. Make the dough: in a large bowl whisk the ground oats, the flour, three-fifths of the granulated sugar and three-quarters of the salt. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the largest pieces are pea-sized.
3. Drizzle in the ice-cold water a little at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough holds together when squeezed.
4. Divide the dough: weigh it and take 60% for the two bottom crusts, splitting that into 2 equal portions. Split the remaining 40% into 2 equal portions for the lids.
5. Press each bottom portion evenly over the base and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Roll each lid portion between sheets of parchment into a 10-inch round. Chill the pie plates and lids for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the lower third and a rimmed baking sheet on it.
7. Make the filling: in a large bowl toss the apple slices with the lemon juice, then add the maple syrup, brown sugar, cornstarch, grated ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and the remaining one-quarter of the salt; toss until evenly coated.
8. Divide the filling between the two chilled crusts, mounding it slightly and pouring in any juices from the bowl evenly.
9. Lay a chilled lid over each pie, press the edges onto the crust rim to seal and trim any excess. Cut 4 or 5 steam vents in each lid.
10. Brush the lids with the milk and sprinkle evenly with the remaining two-fifths of the granulated sugar.
11. Set the pies on the hot baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, then lower the oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake 40 to 50 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden and the juices bubble thickly through the vents. Cover the edges with foil if they brown too fast.
12. Cool the pies on a rack for at least 3 hours so the filling sets, then cut each pie into 6 slices.