First homemade apple pie!

Apple Pie

Joy of Cooking

BASIC PIE OR PASTRY DOUGH

One 9- or 10-inch double crust

Sift together:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Add:

3/4 cup chilled lard or vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Cut half of the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or work it in lightly with the tips of your fingers until it has the consistency of cornmeal.

Cut the remaining half into the dough until it is pea-sized.

Sprinkle the dough with:

6 tablespoons ice water

Blend the water gently into the dough until it just holds together; you may lift the ingredients with a fork, allowing the moisture to spread.

If necessary to hold the ingredients together, add:1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon ice water

Divide the dough in half, shape each into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

APPLE PIE:

Prepare:

1 recipe Basic Pie Dough

Line a 9" pie pan wiht half the dough. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core, and slice 1/4" thick:

2 1/2 lbs apples (5-6 large apples) I used granny smith

Combine in a bowl with:

3/4 cup sugar

2 to 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring several times, so that the apples soften slightly. Sprinkle flour over the pie crust to keep it from getting too soggy. Pour the filling into the bottom crust and gently level with the back of a spoon. Dot the top with:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into bits

Cover the pie with the upper crust. 

Sprinkle with: 

2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Bake for 30 minutes. Slip a baking sheet under the pie, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until the fruit feels just tender when a knife is poked through a steam vent and juices have begun to bubble through the vents, 30-45 minutes more. Cool completely on a rack, 304 hours. To serve pie warm, place it in a 350 degrees oven for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!