I made apple pie look! I was taking a first attempt at making apple pie crust from scratch. After reading various websites and blogs I picked the recipe below and made sure I took all recommendations that were made in various comments and articles.
All Butter Crust for Sweet and Savory Pies (Pâte Brisée)
* 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
* 1 stick unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into pea size cubes
* 2 tablespoons of shortening chilled
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 4 to 8 Tbsp ice water
- Cut the sticks of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour (the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled. I cut them smaller because I do not own a food processor.
- Combine flour, salt, and sugar and mix. Add butter and shortening, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough doesn’t hold together, add a little more water and mix again.
- Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish. Refrigerate crust for 30 minutes before filling.
Apple pie filling
* 1 egg yolk
* 1 tablespoon of water
* 2 tablespoons of flour or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
* 4 pounds assorted cooking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into slices
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, washed
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup cold (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, ,cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
- Roll out remaining dough for the top of the pie onto parchment paper to a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk egg yolk and water in a small bowl; set egg wash aside. Put apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl; toss to combine. Fill pie shell with apple mixture, and dot with butter. Lightly brush edge of pie with a wet pastry brush. Place dough round on top of pie. Trim edges flush with rim; press to seal. Crimp edges as desired. Make four 1/2-inch slits in center of pie. Brush top with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Freeze 30 minutes.
(Cold pie cooked hot makes it so the crust will not be mushy within the pie)
- Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake until crust begins to turn golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 35 minutes. Cover with foil if browning too quickly. Let cool completely on a rack.
- Eat!
