Story by Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – This holiday season is the perfect time to discover a baker’s secret to making a crowd-pleasing apple pie. Ann Marie’s Artisan Bakery, which is known for its old-fashioned baked goods and French pastries, is offering this pie making class at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 at 135 Franklin Street.
The class is $15 per student.
The bakery’s owner, Brandon Stone, will conduct the class for up to 10 students. Attendees are asked to call ahead of time at 931-802-1041 to make sure there is room.
Stone, who is a fifth-generation baker, said he will go over the basics, beginning with how to choose the right apple.
“I will be using a very specific type of apple, which we’ll go over in the class,” Stone said. “We’ll go over what makes a good apple pie filling in terms of texture and flavor.”
He will also explain how to make a “no-fail pie crust” and how to finish the pie with a crumb topping, a plain crust or a lattice-top crust.
The class should take an hour-and-a-half to two hours. If Stone has extra time, he will also go over the instructions for making a custard pie.
Ann Marie’s Artisan Bakery offers Saturday classes each month, including those on making pastries, cakes and breads. The next class, which will be on advanced bread making techniques, will occur at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21.
“We do the classes on the side to help people learn and see how easy it is to do it at home,” Stone said.
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.