| Prep Time | 1 hour |
| Cook Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
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Ingredients
Filling
- 3lbs/1.4kg apples 8 to 9 medium apples
- 3/4 cup White Sugar add more as per your taste
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 pinches grated nutmeg
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsps corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Crust
- 2.5 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 16 oz unsalted butter cold, cut up into cubes
- 1/2 cup cold water use as much as needed
For Top of Crust
- 1 egg white only
- White Sugar for sprinkling on top of crust
Ingredients
Filling
Crust
For Top of Crust
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Instructions
- To make the dough, put all purpose flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Mix it on low speed. Add cold cubed butter and pulse a few times until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Pour in a vinegar and ice cold water. Pulse until the dough just comes together. You don’t have to wait for it to form a ball because it will be over mixed by that point. When you press the mixture, it should easily come together. Divide the dough in two, shape into discs and wrap well in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour before using. You may freeze it for a few months.
- Get a big bowl and squeeze lemon juice into it. We’ll put the cut apples in and toss it around so they don’t turn brown. Peel the apples. We’re using a little over 3 lbs/ 1.4 kg of apples. When you take the core out, it’ll be just about 3lbs. 8 to 9 medium apples. Slice the apples less than ¼ inch thick. Basically, cut half an apple into 6 pieces. Put them in the bowl with the lemon juice.
- Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water. Heat up a large pan, add the apples, butter, sugar and ¼ tsp salt, ground cinnamon and a few pinches of grated nutmeg. Cook for 4 minutes. See the liquid on the bottom of the pan. Now add the cornstarch slurry. Add about ¾ cup of water and bring this up to a boil. Once it boils, cook for just 1 minute. Turn the heat off and put aside to cool completely. The sauce will thicken as it sits.
- I’m using ¾ cups of sugar for this pie since my apples are sweet and tart. If you’re using just one variety of tart apple like granny smiths, taste the cooked mixture and add more sugar if you need to.
- Separate one egg. We’ll be using only the egg white to brush the dough. Heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/218 degrees celsius.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and leave it on the counter until it is soft enough to roll out. Sprinkle flour on your counter. Put the dough down and sprinkle flour on top. You can also rub flour on your rolling pin. Roll the dough, turn it a quarter turn, roll again and keep going. If the sides crack, push them back together. The important thing is to make sure the dough does not stick to the counter. Keep sprinkling flour when you need to. Keep moving the dough to make sure it is not sticking. You can also lift the dough and sprinkle flour underneath. The dough should be about an inch larger than the pie pan.
- Roll the dough around the rolling pin and gently put into the pie plate. Tuck the dough into the pan. Lift and push in lightly. Trim the excess dough. Leave a half an inch. Beat the egg white and brush it all over the bottom crust. This is a tip to keep the bottom crust from getting soggy. Put the pan in the refrigerator while you roll out the second disc. You can roll out the scraps and cut out leaves or any shape you want to decorate the top of the pie. Roll the second disc and leave it to the side.
- Get a sheet tray and put the pie plate on it. The tray will catch any bubbling juices from the pan. Spoon the cooled filling into the pan. Even it out as you go. This prevents gaps in the pie when you cut into it. If you dump all the filling in at once, it won’t look so pretty. I’m using a glass pie pan that’s 9.5 inches and the filling is right up to the top and even. You can definitely use a 9 inch pan and you’ll have a little mound in the center which also looks pretty. Either size will work with this recipe.
- Put the dough on top. Trim the excess. Take the bottom crust and roll it over the top pinching lightly. Use the first two fingers and your thumb to crimp the edges. A very simple but classic crust for any pie. Cut 4 slits in the center of the pie. Brush all over with the beaten egg white. Sprinkle sugar on top. You can use regular white sugar or turbinado sugar which is coarse and sparkles on top of the crust.
- Place the sheet tray in the middle of the heated oven for 20 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degrees celsius and cook for 30 to 40 minutes. You’ll know the pie is done when juices are bubbling through the vent and sometimes spilled out of the pan. The crust will be golden brown.
- Cool the pie completely before cutting into it. Unfortunately, it will take many hours. If you cut it before it’s completely cool, you’ll have a pool of juices and the pie won’t come out in one piece. The apples sit neatly on top of each other and there are no large gaps because we didn’t dump all the pie filling into the crust at once. The pieces are cooked and soft but not mushy, they have some texture. The crust is buttery and flaky. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if you like. Enjoy!
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