Classic Apple Pie

Classic Apple Pie with loads of beautiful Granny Smith Apples and a flaky, golden-brown crust.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American Classic

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 1

Servings Slices

Calories 498kcal

Author Diana Reis

Ingredients

Apple Pie Filling

7-9 Granny Smith Apples Yield of 9 Cups sliced
¼ Cup Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ Cup Butter Reserved for topping before the pie goes in the oven.

Pie Crust

1 ⅓ Cups Shortening
3 Cups Flour
4 Egg Yolks
6 tablespoon Cool Water
1 teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Apple Pie Filling

Peel, core, and slice 7-9 Granny Smith apples. You need a yield of 9 Cups for a 10" Pie Dish. Add sugar, flour, and cinnamon and mix well. Set aside.

Pie Crust

The first thing to do is measure 1 ⅓ Cups shortening and put into a large bowl. Add three cups of flour and a teaspoon of salt. Use a pastry cutter or two butter knives held between your fingers to mix this together. Rock the pastry cutter back and forth around the bowl, or drag the butter knives through the mixture over and over until the shortening and flour are well combined and you have pieces no bigger than a pea.
Next, separate four egg yolks and beat together with 6 tablespoons of cool water. Add the eggs and water to the flour and shortening. From this point, I use my hands. Fold everything together, integrating the eggs and water into the flour and shortening. Mix it gently until there is no loose flour left. Stop before the dough is truly smooth to prevent overworking.
Separate the pastry into three equal parts. Take one of the three dough balls and work it a bit more with your hands. Shape it into a ball and then lay it between two pieces of parchment.
Use your hand to flatten the dough a bit. Use a rolling pin to roll crust out. I do this by starting in the center each time and the rolling to the edge turning my hands a quarter turn each time to form a circle. Well, something approximating a circle.
Slowly, peel back your top layer of parchment. Then place that piece of parchment back on the crust. Flip the crust and both layers of parchment over so that the top paper is on the bottom, and the bottom paper is on the top. Slowly peel the top layer of parchment off again. It sometimes helps to gently rub your hand around the crust before doing this just so it slightly sticks to the bottom parchment. I really mean gently rub, and only slightly sticks. If you put too much force into it, you are right back where you started from.
Slowly, peel back your top layer of parchment. Then place that piece of parchment back on the crust. Flip the crust and both layers of parchment over so that the top paper is on the bottom, and the bottom paper is on the top. Slowly peel the top layer of parchment off again. It sometimes helps to gently rub your hand around the crust before doing this just so it slightly sticks to the bottom parchment.
Put the filling in the plate and place slices of butter on the top.
Repeat the rolling process with a second ball of dough and new parchment.
Place the top crust on gently. Trim away any dough that is hanging over the edge of the pie plate. At the edges, gently turn the top crust over the bottom, making a ring around the entire pie plate. This will seal your crusts together and prevent leaking. Use your fingers to create a nice design around the edge.
You want to make sure that your crust is fully cooked both top and bottom and achieve a nice golden brown color and no soggy bottom. Preheat your oven to 425°. Cook pie in the middle of the oven of 425° for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350° without opening your oven. Cook the pie for one more hour.

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