American Apple Pie

I have included my apple pie filling recipe, and a double crust recipe for an old fashioned American apple pie. There is enough crust for up to a 10” deep pie dish.

Apple Pie filling ingredients:

• 4 to 5 pounds apples; a variety of 2 apple types for different texture and flavor, like Jonagold, Pink Lady, Granny Smith and Gala

• 1 tbl of mixed spices, cinnamon ginger and nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger (more if you like it). Pumpkin pie spice works great.

  • use more or less spices, according to your taste

• 1 Navel orange; the zest plus the juice of the orange.

  • You may use the zest and juice of a lemon if you prefer.

• 1 tsp vanilla

• pinch of salt

• 4 to 6 tbl brown sugar

  • This is a moderately sweet recipe so you can add more sugar if desired.

• 4 tbl butter 

• 1 tbl cornstarch with 1 tbl very cold water - A slurry

  • mix the cornstarch and water until there are no lumps. Set aside until the apples are finished cooking.

  • cornstarch is twice as effective as flour as a thickener and has no flavor, but if using flour you will need 2 tbl. Use the same technique as the cornstarch to blend it well.

Preparing the Filling:

• Peel the apples.

• Cut into 10 - 12 slices depending on the size of the apple, removing the core and seeds.

  • Note: The more apples you have, the higher you can pile the pie, and the denser the apple filling will be. Remember the apples will shrink as they cook.

• Add butter to a Dutch oven which is set on medium heat.

• Next, add the spices, vanilla, orange zest. Let them simmer for a bit to bloom them. This will enhance their flavor.

• Add all the apples to the pot, then add sugar and juice, stirring to evenly distribute the spices.

• Cook all together, on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until apples are soft but still have a little bit of texture. They should hold their form; not be mushy.

  • During this cooking time, stir the apples so they get moved around in the pot. Some pieces will be more cooked, but that’s OK. They will continue to cook and soften a bit more in the oven when baking with the crust.

  • This is the time to taste the apples for sweetness and spice and adjust to your taste.

• When apples are tender and still on the stove, add the cornstarch slurry to the pot with the apples, try to get it to the bottom where the juices are. The slurry must cook to be activated, so be sure you get it in there with the juices and get it to simmer. Stir apples and juices to incorporate the slurry for 30 seconds. Turn the heat off.

• Transfer the apples to a large bowl to cool.

• As the apples cool, the sauce will thicken. Prepare the crust.

Double Crusted Pie Crust - 9" to 10” Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1 tbl sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 8 tbl (1 stick) unsalted butter; chilled and cubed

• 8 tbl chilled shortening (if not available, use additional stick/8 tbl of butter)

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

• 1 egg beaten to brush on the crust

• Extra sugar to sprinkle on the crust

Crust Preparation in Food Processor (instructions for hand preparation below):

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt.

• Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

• With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds.

• To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

• Remove from bowl and form the dough then divide it into two almost equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic.

  • Make one "half" of the disc a little larger so you have a generous edging.

• The “half” that is slightly bigger will be the bottom.

• Transfer to the refrigerator and chill about 30 minutes. I confess to not chilling the dough, with no noticeable problem.

  • Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Crust Preparation by hand:

• Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

• Add butter, and work into flour with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

• Add ice water in slowly working with your fingers until dough holds together without being wet or sticky.

• To test, squeeze a small amount together. It should hold together. If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tsp at a time. It will become less crumbly as you work it.

• Form the dough and divide it into two almost equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic.

  • Make one "half" of the disc a little larger so you have a generous edging.

• The “half” that is slightly bigger will be the bottom.

• Transfer to the refrigerator and chill about 30 minutes.

  • Dough may be stored frozen, up to 1 month.

  Note: this is the exact same crust recipe used to make Pot Pie, with the addition of a little sugar for a fruit pie.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you roll out the dough and prepare to put the pie together.

Rolling out the dough and baking the pie:

There are a lot of steps listed below, because I’ve tried to give you the best tips for putting the crust together. But, they are quick and intuitive, so don’t feel overwhelmed. If you do, read the last note at the end of this recipe ; ) If you are already an advanced pie maker, you can skip through this section - you know what to do…

• Roll out the bigger dough piece first, on a well floured surface, shaping so that it’s bigger than the bottom of the baking dish you will be using, by at least 1/2”, including the sides i.e., if the dish is 2” deep, the pastry should be 2.5” larger than the bottom of the dish.

• Place the larger sheet of pastry in the bottom of the dish with the dough coming up over the edge of the dish, by 1/2”.

• Before you fill it, have the top pastry sheet rolled and ready to be put in place.

  • Note: Wet your fingers to easily fix any broken or torn pieces of dough.

• Brush the bottom sheet with the egg wash. Make sure to brush the edges where the top pie crust will meet. This process seals the bottom dough and prevents it from getting “wet” once the apples are in.

• Fill the pie dish with the cooled apple filling. If you ended up with lots of apples, pile them high. Just be sure to roll out the dough big enough to cover them.

• Place second sheet of pastry on top of the filling. The sheet should be big enough to completely cover the top and have 1/2 inch overhang.

• Bring the top and bottom crust edges together and pinch them together firmly. This is where the egg wash makes it easy to pinch and hold them together.

  • For a super neat edge, cut away the excess dough leaving an even amount around the pie. These cuttings can be made into shapes to decorate the pie.

• Bring the extra crust edges up inside the casserole and create your fluting, or use fork tines to crimp top an bottom together.

• Brush the top crust with the egg wash, all over the center and the edges. Sprinkle with sugar.

• Cut 4 air vents in the center of the pie.

• Bake for about 55 minutes, but start checking it at 40 minutes if you have a “hot” oven, until the crust is golden brown. If you poke through the top with a skewer, the apples should feel soft and offer no resistance.

• Remove from oven, set aside to cool.

  • Note: If you want a major shortcut, buy store bought pie dough. Defrost it, following package instructions.

  • Pro tip: use two discs pressed together to form one pie crust, resulting in more of a homemade texture. Therefore 4 total crusts for top and bottom.