Apple Pie

My older brother has the most amazing apple tree! I love apples and probably have one a day, but these are literally the best apples I’ve ever had. They are tart but still a little sweet. A few weeks ago, he gave me a huge bag full of them. I immediately knew I would use them to make pie. There is nothing better than a slice of apple pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I wanted to try something different with the top crust, so I decided to do some braiding. I definitely underestimated how long it would take me, but I loved the way it came out. This is my go-to pie crust recipe. But you could always use store bought if you’d like! The filling is perfectly sweet, with warmth from the spices and an almost floral taste from the lemon zest.

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 7 Granny Smith apples
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg
• Pinch of salt

Crust:

• 2 ½ cups flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp sugar
• ¼ cup shortening, cold
• 12 tbsp butter, cold and cubed
• ¼ to ½ cup ice water
• 1 egg white, for brushing

Directions:

To make the crust, mix together flour, salt and sugar. Add shortening and use your hands to combine. Then add the butter and work it into the flour quickly, until it resembles a course cornmeal. Add in the ice water, a little at a time until the mixture forms a dough. Roll the dough into a ball and divide into two. Form each into a disk and wrap in parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make the pie filling, mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside. Peel and slice the apples and place them in a large bowl. Top the apples with lemon juice and zest. Then stir in the sugar mixture and evenly coat the apples.

Once the dough has chilled, roll dough onto a cold floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into 2 11 inch circles. Butter a 9 inch pie dish. Place one dough circle inside the pie dish. I like the use the rolling pin to help me do this part. Simply roll the dough onto the pin and then use the pin to transfer the dough onto the dish. Once over the pie dish, use your fingers to mold the dough evenly around the dish. Use a fork to prick the dough several times. Then pour the apple filling into the crust.

For the top crust, you have a few options. You can place the whole circle of dough on top of the filling, use a fork to press the edges together, and cut a few slits to release the air. I personally think this tastes the best since you have double the crust in every bite. You could also cut the dough into long strips and weave them to make a lattice top. The last option is what I did, but it is also the most tedious option. It took a long time to braid the dough but it looked so beautiful that it was worth it. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into thin strips. Then take 3 strips, line them up and pinch the tops together. Then braid them together. I did this until I had enough braids for the entire circumference of the pie, as well as a couple braids through the center of the pie. I also added some thin and thick strips and wove them all together. In order to do this, you need a lot of dough. I doubled the crust recipe in order to have enough to do this.

Brush top of the pie with egg wash. Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbly, about 50 to 60 minutes. Top with vanilla ice cream and serve.