Best Apple Pie Ever

by Dalton Bodet
(Daphne, AL, US)

This is "The Best Apple Pie Ever" and made completely from scratch!

For the crust:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, and a little extra
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, fairly-cold, cut into about 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Step one: Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour (the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled.

Step two: Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with dime size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 tablespoon 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 pulse again.

Step three: Remove dough from machine 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, and up to 2 days.

Step four: 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.

Step 5: Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.

For the Filling:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups water
8-10 thinly sliced apples
1 cups of fine sugar (not powdered)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
Pinch of nutmeg or your favorite spice

Step one: Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Take your apples, cut them up into very thin slices. Fill a big bowl with the 4 cups of water. Pour in the lemon juice. Let the apples soak for about 5-7 minutes.

Over medium heat, add the rest of the water. Strain the water from the apples. Put the apples aside.

Step two: Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.

Step three: Add the cinnamon mixture to the water. Bring to a boil stirring constantly for two minutes.

Step four: Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

Step five: Add pie filling to pie crust

Step six: Return filling to pie crust and bake for around 40-45 minutes or until golden-brown.

Enjoy your pie!