Homemade Apple Pie
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Here is our family recipe for Homemade Apple Pie.
This recipe has been in our family for at least four generations and has won two grand champion ribbons at our county fair.
Pastry that is flaky, tender, and delicious. Sweet apple filling that is juicy and tart. Combined to bring you the most lovely, appetizing apple pie we’ve ever tasted.
Having entered this recipe in cooking competitions through the years, we’ve tweaked the recipe to make it even better.
Ingredients needed for Apple Pie:
- Granny Smith Apples
- Sugar
- Flour
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Butter
- Salt
- Vegetable Shortening
- Water
- Milk
A Few Tips on Making the Apple Filling
Let’s begin with the apples. We’ve tried several varieties of apples, but always return to Granny Smith, our favorite. It turns out a juicy, tart, delicious pie.
Using a paring knife, peel and core your apples, and then slice to desired thickness. You could also use an apple corer if you have one.
Place sliced apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large microwavable bowl. Stir ingredients together and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes, to give the apples a head start to being tender. This will help ensure that they are nice and juicy in the pie.
Making the Pie Dough
Meanwhile, in a large bowl make the dough by stirring together the flour and salt. With a pastry fork or pastry blender, cut in shortening until dough resembles course crumbs. Stir in 1/4 cup cold water. And then another 1/4 cup of cold water to finish the dough. The dough should now hold together in a nice ball.
Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out the first half to fit your pie plate (just a little bigger than the size of the plate). Place it in the pie plate and form it up along the sides. The dough should just overlap the plate edge.
Next, roll out the second half of dough, which will serve as your top crust.
Give your top crust a signature design that shows who baked it.
Spoon the apple mixture into the bottom crust of the the pie plate, mounding the apples in the center. With your fingers, brush water along the edges of the crust, which will help seal the two crusts together.
Carefully, place the top crust onto the apples and press the palm of your hand against the edges of the pie plate to cut off excess dough. Crimp the edges using your thumbs and forefinger. Brush the top with milk and then sprinkle it with sugar for a sweet sparkly shine.
Bake pie in a 375 degree oven on the next-to-lowest rack to get a nice flaky bottom crust that is cooked all the way through. This will also give you a lovely crisp top that is golden brown with juices bubbling through the slits.
To serve, cut pie into eight pieces and serve warm with ice-cream. Make Homemade Apple Pie often. Your family will love you for it.
See more Pie Recipes Here. See more Apple Recipes Here.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups Granny Smith apples cored, peeled and sliced
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon butter
Pie Pastry:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 7/8 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup cold water 2 parts
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large microwave-safe bowl, combine apple slices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until mixed well. Cook in microwave for 8-10 minutes. Stir and set aside while you prepare the pie pastry.
- In medium sized bowl, mix together flour and salt. Add shortening and cut in with a pastry fork until crumbly. Add 1/4 cup water and mix, then add the rest of the water to finish mixing the dough. Dough should hold together in a ball.
- Roll out dough on floured surface the size of your pie plate. For top crust, make slits in the dough so your pie can breath while it is baking. These can be simple slits or intricate designs.
- Form bottom crust along the edges and extending over the rim of the pie plate. Add apple mixture to the bottom crust. Dot apples with bits of butter. Smooth water along edge of pie crust with fingertips to help seal the pie. Add the top pastry to pie and crimp edges.
- Brush milk over the top of the pastry and then sprinkle with sugar to make a pretty crust. Bake on lower oven rack for 50-60 minutes until top crust is golden. Serves 8.
