A Recipe for The Apple Pie that Papa Baked
Here is a recipe I wrote to accompany my new book. And here I am with a pie that I baked using the recipe. Try it yourself!
Pie Crust:
2-1/2 cups flour (pastry flour is best, or all-purpose)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, chilled
½ cup vegetable shortening, chilled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon white vinegar
about 7 tablespoons ice-cold water
Pie Filling:
8 or 9 apples
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Cut the butter and the shortening into small pieces and sprinkle over the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, mix together until pea-sized pieces form. Pour the beaten egg into a measuring cup, add the vinegar, then add water to ½-cup mark. Using a fork, slowly stir just enough of the liquid into the flour mixture to make a soft dough. Cut the dough ball into two, then wrap and chill while preparing the filling.
- Peel the apples, remove the cores, and cut into ½” wedges. In a large bowl, toss together the apple slices, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Add a little more sugar if the apples are tart.
- Dust a flat surface with flour and roll out one half of the chilled dough to form a circle 12 inches across and 1/8 inch thick. Gently place into a 9-inch pie pan. Pile the apple mixture into the crust. Roll out the other half of the dough and center it over the pan. Pinch the crust edges together. Cut a decorative pattern of small slits in the top crust.
- Place the pan in the pre-heated oven. After 25 minutes, reduce heat to 375°F and bake another 20 to 25 minutes. The pie is done when the filling is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
