I have to admit I’m a sucker for warm Apple Pie, then again what American isn’t? It’s one of those simple desserts that comes down to good execution. The problem most people have is with the crust. The key to a flaky crust in my opinion is just to make sure everything is cold and don’t over work it. If you do those two things it actually becomes hard to mess it up.
Apple Pie
Serves 8 – 10
Pie dough
You will be making two of these, make one at a time.
1 ½ c flour
1 stick of butter, cut into ¼ in cubes, butter should be really cold
2 t sugar
¼ t salt
4-6 T ice water
Filling
3 large Red Delicious Apples, cored, peeled and sliced thinly
2 Granny Smith Apples, cored, peeled and sliced thinly
¾ c sugar
2 T flour
½ t vanilla extract
1/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
¼ t salt
Pie Dough
In a large bowl add the flour, sugar and salt. Mix that well with a folk or whisk. Add in the butter. With a pastry blender tool or a folk work the cold butter into the flour mixture leaving pea size bits of butter.
Add water and stir until all the water is incorporated. Quickly shape into a disk. It may be a little crumbly and that’s OK. Place dough on some plastic wrap and reshape into disk and fold wrap over and place in refrigerator for ¼ hour.
With a big piece of fresh plastic wrap laid down unwrap dough, place on plastic wrap, fold the wrap lightly over dough and roll out to fit pie pan. Remove wrap from top of dough, slide hand under plastic wrap and flip onto pie plate. Remove plastic and shape to fit pie plate. Place pie plate in refrigerator until needed. Repeat with other dough but leave it rolled out inside plastic until needed.
Filling and Baking
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, Place 1 pie dough in 9 inch glass pie plate Press firmly against side and bottom. In a big bowl add apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Pour into prepared pie plate. Add the top dough. With a folk press the edges of the dough making sure it’s sealed to the rim of the bottom dough all away around.
Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for 10 – 15 minutes. Making sure the apples are softened and crust has browned nicely. Let pie cool completely before eating. Enjoy.
Peace,
CK