Ingredient's
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 of a stick or 90 g of unsalted butter
5 tablespoons of cold water or apple cider
1 egg (for brushing, helps the surface get golden)
Milk (for brushing, optional)
Filling
1 tablespoons lemon juice
80 mL or 1/3 cup of white sugar
80 mL or 1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 medium-sized apples
Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
How to Bake Pie
Make sure you have a clean, spacious countertop available for kneading and rolling out the dough.
Place the flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or fork, smash up the butter until it forms tiny balls with the flour. Then slowly add the water.
Knead with floured hands until a large dough ball forms. Split the ball in half and wrap one of the piece in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator. An alternative is to wrap both of the dough balls and refrigerate them for 30 minutes before proceeding to the next step.
On a floured counter-top, begin to roll the dough out into a circle shape about 2 inches larger in diameter than the pie pan. Some people prefer to place a layer of plastic wrap on top of the dough as it's being rolled so that it doesn't stick to the rolling pin.
Slowly lift the flattened dough off the counter-top by wrapping it completely around the rolling pin.
Unroll the dough over the pan, being careful not to let it tear. Fit it into the pan, pressing it against all the sides.
Cut off the overhanging edges. Leave about 1/4 inch of extra dough over the pie pan. Place the pie shell in the refrigerator.
Make the filling. Peel and slice the apples into pieces about 1/8 of an inch thick or chop them into 1/2" cubes. Put them into a large bowl and mix with sugars (white and brown), salt, lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon (shake over to cover the top of mixture). Place in refrigerator.
Roll out the remaining ball of dough on a floured surface, just like you did before. Sliced top. Gently fold it in half and make 4 to 5 half inch long slices along the fold and 4 slices in the center of the folded piece. These will allow the filling to breath and not break through the sides. Unfold the top crust set it aside.
Lattice top. Cut the rolled out dough into as many 1" wide strips as it will yield.
Remove the pie shell and filling from the refrigerator.
Pour the filling into the pie shell, spreading it out with the back of a spoon. There should be enough filling to fill the entire pan and stack up above the edge at least an inch in the center.
Brush the edges of the pie shell with a beaten egg.
Lay the sliced top crust over filling. Cut off the excess edges with a butter knife. Take both thumbs facing each other and place them over the edge. Push thumbs down and towards each other. Do this around the entire pie to seal it.
Place the pastry strips across the top of the apples in a criss-cross pattern, then weave them together to create a lattice effect. Cut off the overhanging excess pastry and press the edges down into the rim as previously described. Sprinkle milk over the top or brush the lattice with the egg wash. This will help to brown the crust. Dust cinnamon and sugar over the top crust for an extra touch.
Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 15 minutes. Turn down the oven to 375ºF (190ºC) for 45 minutes. Remove when top crust is golden brown. Allow pie to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature before serving.
Apple pie is ready to serve...
