Apple Pie with Homemade Pie Crust



For some reason I always found the task of making homemade pie crust really daunting.  I think a lot of people feel this way for one way or another.  After looking through what seemed like hundreds of recipes (okay I might be exaggerating a bit here, but it really did seem like a lot!) I decided to email my future sister-in-law Kristen, who also happens to be a spectacular baker, for a recipe.  She passed this amazing recipe for pie crust along to me. 

Well, I decided I would face my fears about making homemade pie crust-and guess what?  It came out SOOOO fabulous I don't think I will ever go back to buying premade pie crust again.  And, it really was very easy to do!  This pie crust was just perfect-it was flaky and buttery and such a nice complement to the apple pie filling.  Oh, and the apple pie itself was quite delicious too! 

 Apple Pie with Homemade Pie Crust

Pie Crust
3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut up
6-8 tablespoons cold water

In a large bowl or food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Process or mix together with your fingers until mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Add cold water, one tablespoon at a time, and process or mix just until you can form dough into a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a round disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 15 minutes (can be kept cold up to 3 days).

Remove plastic wrap and transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide into two equal portions and roll each into a 12" circle.


Apple Pie

5-6 medium apples (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored and sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar

1tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400 degrees. If you haven't done so already, roll out half of the pie dough on a lightly floured surface into approximately a 12-inch round.  Transfer the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the excess and crimp the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine apples, sugars, lemon juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. When the dough is finished chilling, spoon apples into prepared pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pastry circle. Cut several steam vents across top. Seal by crimping edges as desired. (Alternatively, make a lattice top like I did in the picture*) Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Place an empty baking sheet on the lower oven rack.  Place the pie on the middle or upper rack (depending on how many oven racks you have) and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

*Making a lattice top is not that complicated at all!  To do so, line your pie plate with the first half of the dough.  Take the second half of the dough, roll the second half of the dough into a 12-inch round.  Using a pizza cutter or paring knife, slice the round of dough into even strips (be carefull not to scratch your work surface).  The strips don't need to be perfect-they will get covered up by the other pieces! Fill the bottom crust with your filling.  Next, place several strips of dough over the filling so that they are parallel to each other (try to space them as evenly apart as you can)-they can be as close together or as far apart as you like-I use about 7 strips.  At about the center of the pie, fold back every other one of the dough strips.  Place a strip of dough next to the folded back strips so that it is perpendicular to the other strips.  Unfold the strips-they should lay over the new strip. Then, fold back the other strips (the ones that are under the newlt placed strip).  Lay down another strip so it is perpendicular to the folded back strips.  Repeat this pattern until the whole lattice is finished. 

Source: Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Martha Stewart, and Annie's Eats