Ginny and Alaina’s old fashioned apple pie
Preparation: 30 minutes Bake: 45 minutes Makes one 9 inch pie Heat oven to 425 degrees
Ginny’s never fail pie crust :
• 1-1/2 cups of all purpose flour (unbleached)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup lard or shortening – cold
• 2 tablespoons butter – cold or frozen
• 1/4 cup cold water beaten with 1/2 of an egg white
Pie filling:
• 2/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour (unbleached)
• 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated or ground)
• 3 pounds (about 9 cups) like Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Macintosh or a combination — peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch slices.
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
For topping:
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon sugar
Making the pie crust:
• Mix the dry ingredients in the bowl. If you are using a mixer use either a paddle or beaters. This crust can easily be made by hand with a a fork or two knives and a wooden spoon.
• Cut the lard or shortening into the flour mixture. I cut it into small piece then drop it in. The butter if cut into small pieces, or if it is frozen, which I prefer, I grate it into the flour with a cheese grater.
• Cut the flour, salt, lard or shortening and butter together with a fork or two knives until the mixture takes on a grainy texture like oatmeal.
• Mix with a wooden spoon or mixer while adding the cold water and egg white. Once the mixture comes together and cleans the sides of the bowl drop it onto a floured board. Working quickly knead the dough in 3 to 4 tablespoons balls to work the fat evenly into the flour. Pull it together once more into a ball, knead it a couple more times, seal and place it in the refrigerator. The entire cutting and kneading should not take more that about 15 or 20 minutes. Careful not to overwork the dough.
Assembling the filling:
• Mix the sugar flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the apples and lemon juice. Toss gently to coat
• Once the dough is chilled. Take it out, cut the ball in half. Place one half back in the refrigerator.
• Drop the ball on a floured surface. Roll it out a couple of inches larger than your pie plate. Don’t roll your pin back and forth. Roll in one direction and turn dough. Roll the dough over you pin and drop into the pie plate. Gently work out air pockets as you work dough into place.
• Roll out second ball in same manner.
• Put the filling in and place second rolled dough disk on top. Cut vents in four places before baking. Brush with beaten egg.
• You can take the excess dough and cut leaf or any weird shapes desired for the top.
