American Apple Pie

Prep time – 45 mins

Cook time – 50 mins

Total time – 1 hr & 35 mins

Servings – 8

Pastry Crust Ingredients

3½ cup (15 oz/420g) all-purpose flour
1 pinch of salt
1 cup + 4 Tablespoons (10 oz/280g) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
⅔ cup (5 oz/150 ml) water

 

Filling Ingredients

8 cups peeled, sliced apples (about 5-6 big apples)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice + zest
¾ cup (150g) sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon all spices
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup (60 ml) boiled cider or apple juice
2 Tablespoons butter, diced in small pieces

 

Topping Ingredients

1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon water

 

Method

1. For the crust: in a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Dice the butter into small pieces and crumble it with the flour until lumps are the size of small peas. Add sugar and stir well. Pour in the ice-cold water, little at a time, mixing with a fork. Finish by hand and shape into a ball. Flatten the dough a little bit, wrap into cling film and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, prepare the filling: combine the slice apples with lemon juice and zests in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a small bowl, combine together the sugar, flour, corn-starch, salt and spices. Sprinkle the mixture the apples and stir to coat them. Stir in the boiled cider or apple juice.
4. Once the dough is chilled, divide it into 2 pieces, one about twice as large as the other. The larger piece will be the bottom crust, the smaller one will be the top crust.
5. Pat each pieces of dough into a disk, about ¾ inch thick.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9 inches pie pan, that is at least 2 inches deep.
7. Roll the larger piece of dough into a 13 inches circle and transfer it into the prepared pan. Trim the edges so that they overlap the rim of the pan all the way around.
8. Spoon the apple filling into the pan, and top with diced butter.
9. Roll out the remaining dough to a 11-inch circle and slice it into thin layers. Weave a lattice crust for the lop layer and crimp the edges of the pie with a fork.
10. Whisk one egg with a tablespoon of water and brush it on the top crust and around the edges of the pie. Sprinkle some additional sugar over to add shimmer and a sweet crunch to every slice.
11. Bake the pie for about 50 minutes, until the filling starts bubbling inside the pie. Check the pie after 20 minutes of baking and cover the edges with foil to keep them from burning too quickly.

When the pie is ready, remove it from the oven and let cool completely before slicing. Serve with ice cream & whipped cream.