Classic Apple Pie

 

Classic Apple Pie

This is my all time favorite apple pie recipe. It's been part of every Thanksgiving since 2016. My roommate from college introduced this family recipe in the fall of our senior year at Virginia Tech.
The original recipe suggested purchasing pie crusts. I found the most delicious store boughts on and proudly brought my apple pie to Thanksgiving in 2017. My aunt asked me, "did you make this pie?" I said "yes!" She then asked me, "you made the crust?" And I was like "well no..." And she said, "then you didn't make the pie." I was traumatized...not really but I never ever bought pie dough crust again. I learned how to make my own from scratch (no one could challenge me again on whether I made the pie lol). I pulled the crust recipe from the trustiest of places: America's Test Kitchen. Here I share that pie crust recipe which is absolutely delicious and super flakey. As well as my friend Britt's family recipe for the pie filling. I hope you enjoy this Apple Pie as much as I do and make it part of your fall traditions whatever they may be! 

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. table salt
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar 
• 11 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 tablespoons
• 7 tbsp. vegetable shortened
• 4 tbsp. ice cold water
• 5 apples
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1 egg + 1 t tbsp. of water (egg wash)

Instructions:

1. Set the over to 425 F. Freeze the unsalted butter and the tin of vegetable shortening for 15 minutes
2. Pulse together the flour, salt and granulated sugar in a food processor. Remove the unsalted butter from the freezer and process until the butter is smaller than grape sized pieces and mostly mixed into the dry ingredients
3. Add in the vegetable shortening, pulse and then pour in the ice cold water. Process until the dough clumps together
4. Carefully remove the blade and dump the dough onto a large working surface that's been lightly coated in flour. *Note that the mixture will not be a perfectly combined dough at this point. It will still be crumbly and dry when it's poured onto a surface. It needs the magic touch and warmth of your hands to work it into an evenly combined pie dough
5.  Shape dough into two balls with your hands and flatten into 4-inch-wide disks. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling
6. Whisk together cinnamon, sugar, salt and flour in a bowl, and then use a larger bowl to mix together with the skinned and very thinly sliced apples *Note to slice the apples less than 1/4 inch thickness
7. Dust a surface with flour and roll out one of the pie dough disks into a circle and place it in a 8-9 in pie dish. Mold it to the pie dish (don't worry if it doesn't fit perfectly). I always use my hands to press and manipulate the dough to fit the pie dish
8. Pour the apples into the pie crust. Roll out the second disk of pie dough and you can either roll it into a circle and drape over top or you can create a latice shape which I find easier to make look pretty since it's tough to get the perfect circle
9. Brush the final product in egg wash to give it that golden color
10. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 425 F and then bump the temperature down to 350 F (!!). Bake for 30 minutes and there you have a delicious apple pie