SUNDANCE APPLE - Good for baking or not?

Fruit in the Kitchen
#1

Before I make the effort, are Sundance good for baking?
They certainly are tangy & crunchy but seem less juicy than the sweeter varieties.
I would think someone here has already tried them for pies.

Unrelated … Flyspeck sure does finds them to be a very attractive place to set up shop.

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#2

I have a Sundance. It threw a huge crop of very large apples in 2016, then took 2017 off. I’m looking forward to 2018 - it is a very nice largish apple. A bit less intense than a Goldrush (quite a bit), easier to eat (softer but not mushy). Although I have not tried them I would think they would be very good for baking (crisps, pie, sauce even). I have not noticed the sootyblotch and flyspeck on them they way the GoldRush gets affected. I’m looking forward to pressing for sweet cider - and surely as a base for hard cider in 2018. I did have some smaller branches break in 2016 so some thinning is in order for '18 (I hope).

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#3

Thanks.
Yeah, the fruit is large and surface blemishes make it less attractive than it deserves.
I expect mine to take 2018 off after this year.
I hope it’s good for pies because just now after finishing paring and slicing I have enough for 3 pies or whatever.
The deed is done.

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#4

And the pies turned out how…? Side note…we made two pies from a 1/2peck of orchard bought NorthernSpy apples (my tree is just a sprig grafted in April this year (2017). Spy apples…hmmm…just similar to a traditional old courtland, jonathan family type. To me - no comparison to GoldRush in a pie. Sundance I gotta believe was tremendous. I like APPLE in my pie, not to be overpowered with cinnamon and sugar and pie crust (like NorthernSpy, beg-my-pard if NS is your favorite). And my wife wanted to fist fight - how do you tell someone the pie is…“meh”…all sugar and cinnamon and crust? Where’s the apple?

#5

I’m with you on that.
I made one pie so far. A 2nd is scheduled for Christmas.
It turned out good.
I’ll probably try to cut back on the sugar and cinnamon a little on the next one.
I did include raisins and a confectioners sugar glaze and will do that again.