Bake an Apple Pie from Scratch

Ever crave a good old-fashioned pie like your grandma used to make, but think it's too much of a challenge to bake a real home-made pie from scratch, crust and all? With these easy steps, you could become the next pie baking contest winner at the county fair. The end result is so tasty and delicious that you won't be able to believe you made it all by yourself. Add some ice cream on top when serving for an even more delicious taste.

Ingredients

 * For the crust:
 * 1/2 L or 2 cups of flour
 * 1 teaspoon of salt
 * 3/4 of a stick or 90 g of butter (butter flavored Crisco?)
 * 5 tablespoons of cold water
 * 1 egg (for brushing)
 * milk (for brushing; optional)

filling

 * 80 mL or 1/3 cup of white sugar
 * 80 mL or 1/3 cup of brown sugar
 * 1/4 teaspoon of salt
 * 3 tablespoons of flour
 * 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
 * 6-8 medium-sized apples (McIntosh or Granny Smith)

Steps

 * 1)  Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
 * 2)  Make sure you have a clean, spacious countertop available for kneading and rolling out the dough.
 * 3)  [[Image:Apple_pie2_909.jpg|thumb]]Place the flour, salt, and butter flavored Crisco in a large bowl.  With a pastry blender or fork, smash up the Crisco until it forms tiny balls with the flour.  Then slowly add the water.
 * 4) [[Image:Apple_pie3_410.jpg|thumb]]Knead with floured hands until a large dough ball forms. Split the ball in half and wrap one of the piece in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator.
 * 5) *An alternative is to wrap both of the dough balls and refrigerate them for 30 minutes before proceeding to the next step.
 * 6)  [[Image:Apple_pie4_100.jpg|thumb]]On a floured counter-top, begin to roll the dough out into a circle shape about 2 inches larger in diameter than the pie pan. Some people prefer to place a layer of plastic wrap on top of the dough as it's being rolled so that it doesn't stick to the rolling pin.
 * 7)  [[Image:Apple_pie5_529.jpg|thumb]]Slowly lift the flattened dough off the counter-top by wrapping it completely around the rolling pin.
 * 8) [[Image:Apple_pie6_777.jpg|thumb]]Unroll the dough over the pan, being careful not to let it tear. Fit it into the pan, pressing it against all the sides.
 * 9) [[Image:Apple_pie7_683.jpg|thumb]]Cut off the overhanging edges. Leave about 1/4 inch of extra dough over the pie pan.
 * 10) Place the pie shell in the refrigerator.
 * 11) [[Image:Apple_pie8_446.jpg|thumb]]Make the filling. Peel and slice the apples into pieces about 1/8 of an inch thick or chop them into 1/2" cubes. Put them into a  large bowl and mix with sugars (white and brown), salt, lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon (shake over to cover the top of mixture).  Place in refrigerator.
 * 12)  Roll out the remaining ball of dough on a floured surface, just like you did before.
 * 13) *Sliced top. Gently fold it in half and make 4 to 5 half inch long slices along the fold and 4 slices in the center of the folded piece. These will allow the filling to breath and not break through the sides.  Unfold the top crust set it aside.
 * 14) *[[Image:Apple_pie9_3.jpg|thumb]]Lattice top. Cut the rolled out dough into as many 1" wide strips as it will yield.
 * 15) Remove the pie shell and filling from the refrigerator.
 * 16) [[Image:Apple_pie10_734.jpg|thumb]]Pour the filling into the pie shell, spreading it out with the back of a spoon. There should be enough filling to fill the entire pan and stack up above the edge at least an inch in the center.
 * 17) [[Image:Apple_pie11_55.jpg|thumb]]Brush the edges of the pie shell with a beaten egg.
 * 18) Lay the top crust over the pie.
 * 19) *Sliced top. Lay the sliced top crust over filling. Cut off the excess edges with a butter knife. Take both thumbs facing each other and place them over the edge.  Push thumbs down and towards each other.  Do this around the entire pie to seal it.
 * 20) *Lattice top.
 * 21) **[[Image:Apple_pie12_503.jpg|thumb]]Place the pastry strips across the top of the apples in a criss-cross pattern, then weave them together to create a lattice effect.
 * 22) **[[Image:Apple_pie13_782.jpg|thumb]]Cut off the overhanging excess pastry and press the edges down into the rim as previously described.
 * 23) [[Image:Apple_pie14_761.jpg|thumb]]Sprinkle milk over the top or brush the lattice with the egg wash.  This will help to brown the crust. Dust cinnamon and sugar over the top crust for an extra touch.
 * 24)  [[Image:Apple_pie15_906.jpg|thumb]]Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 15 minutes. Turn down the oven to 375ºF (190ºC) for 45 minutes.
 * 25) *[[Image:Apple_pie16_217.jpg|thumb]]Remove when top crust is golden brown.
 * 26)  Allow pie to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature before serving.

Tips

 * When kneading dough, make sure your hands are thoroughly floured because this will cause the mixture to become less sticky and roll out better.
 * A Vegetable oil crust or pastry shell can also be made, instead of lard or hydrogenated oil-based crusts.
 * For a flaky crust, don't over knead.
 * Place foil at the bottom of the oven below the pie. The filling often seeps out during baking, and the foil will aid in keeping your oven from getting messy.
 * You can make the pie with six of the same kind of apples, but it will taste better if you use, say two each of three different kinds of apples.
 * For best results, chill Crisco or lard before adding to flour.
 * Butter can be used instead of Crisco.
 * For an extra-flavorful crust, try adding 2 tsp of cinnamon to the flour, and substitute 5 Tbsp apple cider for the 5 Tbsp water.

Warnings

 * Be sure to watch how fast your oven heats, as all ovens operate differently. If you feel your oven runs hot, begin checking the pie at the 40 or 50 minute mark rather than waiting the full 60 minutes.

Things You'll Need

 * 2 large bowls
 * 1 pie pan
 * Measuring cups
 * Measuring spoons
 * Pastry blender or fork
 * Apple peeler or knife
 * Rolling pin
 * Butter knife

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Knead Dough
 * How to Make Pumpkin Pie Straight from the Pumpkin
 * How to Make a Blackberry Pie
 * How to Make Apple Jelly
 * How to Make a Russian Apple Cake

Sources and Citations

 * VideoJug.com - How to Make an American Apple Pie - Source of images, shared with permission.