The Best Apple Pie
Recipe by: Me (with a little help from mom and Betty Crocker)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Pie Crust Ingredients
3 1/4 c. + 2 T pastry flour (all-purpose will work if you cannot get pastry, it just adds a little umph)
1 1/4 c. + 2 T COLD shortening (make sure you keep it in the fridge right up until you need to use it)
1 t. salt
3/4 c. ICE water
Combine flour and salt in a medium sized metal bowl. Add half of the shortening to flour mixture and cut-in using a pastry blender/two knives until the crumbs are the size of baby peas. Add the second half of shortening and cut it in until the crumbs are the size of kidney beans.
Once the crumbs are kidney sized, add 6 T. of the ice water and gently fold in with a rubber scraper or wooden spoon. Once everything is equally moistened, you can decide if any water needs to be added or not. If it seems really dry and won't pack together into a ball, add one T. of water at a time until it does. You do not want to add too much water because that will create gluten, which leads to a less flaky crust.
Once the dough has reach desired consistency, split the dough in half and pack into two balls. When I do it, I make one ball slightly larger than the other for the top crust. Try to handle the balls as little as possible because the heat from your hands will soften the shortening. When I roll out the dough, I like to do it in-between two large pieces of plastic wrap. That way I am not tempted to add too much flour (which will give you a tougher crust) and it is easier to handle/roll out. While I am rolling out the first ball, I like to keep the other ball in the fridge until I am ready for it.
When rolling out your first ball, you want to first flatten it a little with your palm and then rotate the rolling pin clockwise as you roll out to make the crust nice and round. To see if your crust is big enough, place your pie plate upside-down on top of your crust. If there is 2" of excess around your plate, then you should be good. To transfer the dough into the pie plate, peel off the top piece of plastic wrap and then pick up the bottom piece of plastic wrap. The dough should stick to the plastic wrap and you can flip it over and gently lay it into the plate. Before removing the plastic wrap, push the dough into the bottom of the plate. Remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough down to 1" using kitchen shears.
Once the dough has reach desired consistency, split the dough in half and pack into two balls. When I do it, I make one ball slightly larger than the other for the top crust. Try to handle the balls as little as possible because the heat from your hands will soften the shortening. When I roll out the dough, I like to do it in-between two large pieces of plastic wrap. That way I am not tempted to add too much flour (which will give you a tougher crust) and it is easier to handle/roll out. While I am rolling out the first ball, I like to keep the other ball in the fridge until I am ready for it.
When rolling out your first ball, you want to first flatten it a little with your palm and then rotate the rolling pin clockwise as you roll out to make the crust nice and round. To see if your crust is big enough, place your pie plate upside-down on top of your crust. If there is 2" of excess around your plate, then you should be good. To transfer the dough into the pie plate, peel off the top piece of plastic wrap and then pick up the bottom piece of plastic wrap. The dough should stick to the plastic wrap and you can flip it over and gently lay it into the plate. Before removing the plastic wrap, push the dough into the bottom of the plate. Remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough down to 1" using kitchen shears.
Once you have the filling ready, pull the second ball out of the fridge and roll out the same way as the top crust. Lay the crust on top of the filling and trim the edges to about 2 in". Cut an X in the middle of the pie using a sharp knife and V's on the sides to allow steam to exit. To shape the crust, pinch the top and bottom together and then fold them under all the way around the pie. To make pretty edges, you can either take a teaspoon and push into the dough to make scallops, or pinch the crust using your thumb and forefinger.
Filling Ingredients
2 Golden Delicious Apples
2 Granny Smith Apples
1 Honeycrisp Apple
1 Braeburn Apple
3/4 c. Brown Sugar
1 Braeburn Apple
3/4 c. Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. All-Purpose flour
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
Prepare the apples by peeling, coring, and thinly slicing them. You can do this by hand or with a peeler/corer. Once they are all prepared, break them in half with your hands and put them in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Add to the apples and toss to coat (I like doing this with my hands because it is more fun and easier than using a spoon). Pour the filling into the bottom crust.
Prepare the apples by peeling, coring, and thinly slicing them. You can do this by hand or with a peeler/corer. Once they are all prepared, break them in half with your hands and put them in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Add to the apples and toss to coat (I like doing this with my hands because it is more fun and easier than using a spoon). Pour the filling into the bottom crust.
Baking the Crust
Brush the top of the crust with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar. To keep the edges of the crust from burning, fold a 12" piece of aluminum foil into quarters. Cut out the center section of the foil to create a 7 1/2" circle. Place the foil on the pie with the reflective side on the top.
Bake for 35 minutes and then remove the foil. Bake for 15-20 more minutes until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Bake for 35 minutes and then remove the foil. Bake for 15-20 more minutes until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Serve with ice cream and enjoy!
