The Perfect Apple Pie

We use 925 pounds of apples for our “Apple Pie Week” at BYU. Over the past 4 ½ years, that’s 2017 pies. So here’s what works:

- pastry flour (has less gluten than all-purpose flour, but more than cake flour)
- COLD refrigerated Crisco shortening (no off-brands)
- plastic wrap in the measuring cups used for shortening (aids in clean-up)
- ICE water
- a pastry blender to cut 1/3 of the shortening in until it is as fine as rice (lubricates the flour for tenderness)
- a pastry blender to cut the remaining shortening, but keep these chunks as big as kidney beans (creates pockets of fat that create flakiness)
- when adding liquid, do so gradually using a lift and pat motion with a rubber scraper (gentle handling so that gluten does not develop and crust remains tender and flaky)
- let the dough sit for about 10 minutes so that the flour can absorb the water before adding the last bit of water (you might not need it)
- pat the dough out on floured plastic wrap to ¼ inch thickness with your hands, keeping the edges smooth before rolling
- roll the dough between two floured sheets of plastic wrap(keeps it all together and helps with cleanup and transferring the dough)
- use ½ granny smith apples and ½ golden delicious
- buy yourself an apple peeler, corer, slicer to do the apple prep
- use a glass pie pan (holds the heat so the crust gets done)
- make sure that the juices are boiling in the pie during baking (you may have to add time)
- use a foil collar on the edge of the crust to prevent overbrowning

The recipe does not matter as much as the ART of assembling the pie, but just in case, here’s our tried and true recipe:

Pastry: 2 ½ C. pastry flour, 3/4 C. shortening, 3/4 tsp. salt, 8 to 10 Tablespoons (1/2 c. plus 2 T.) ice cold water

1. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Gently cut in shortening with a pastry blender until pea sized.
3. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the cold water over flour mixture, tossing lightly with a fork or rubber scraper. Add the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, and press to the side of the bowl until all is moistened.
4. Divide dough in half, and gently pat into 2 lightly flattened balls. (Don’t over-work your dough at this point. You should just gently gather the dough into two slightly flattened pieces, not two tightly compressed dough balls.)
5. For a 2-crust pie:
Bottom - On a lightly floured surface, roll one ball from center to edges, to form a 12” circle. Fold in half or roll the pastry around the rolling pin. Unfold or unroll it over a 9” pie plate. Ease the pastry into the plate, and, using kitchen shears, trim the dough so that there is a one-inch overhang of pie dough. Fill the crust with the desired filling.
Top - On a lightly floured surface, roll the second ball from center to edges, to form a 12” circle. Place the top crust on the filling, and cut slits or shapes to allow steam to escape. Using kitchen shears, trim the pastry one inch beyond the rim. Fold the top edge over the trimmed bottom edge, and flute the edge to seal.

Bake pie as directed on individual recipes.

6. For a lattice top pie:
Bottom - On a lightly floured surface, roll one ball from center to edges, to form a 12” circle. Fold in half or roll the pastry around the rolling pin. Unfold or unroll it over a 9” pie plate. Ease the pastry into the plate, and, using kitchen shears, trim 1” beyond the rim of the pan. Fill the crust with the desired filling.
Top - On a lightly floured surface, roll the second ball from center edges, to form a 12” circle. Using a pizza cutter, cut the pastry in 1/2” strips. Starting at the center of the pie, weave the strips over the filling to make a lattice. Press the ends of the strips into the rim of the bottom crust. Fold the bottom crust over the strips, and flute the edge to seal.

Bake pie as directed on individual recipes.

Filling
6 C. prepared baking apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt

To use on completed crust: 2-3 Tbsp. milk, raw sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 425°.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
3. Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Add apples to cinnamon mixture and toss to coat.
4. Pour filling into the prepared bottom crust.
5. Place top crust over filling as directed above. Brush the crust with milk, and sprinkle with sugar.
6. Using FOIL, fold a 12” square of aluminum foil into quarters. Cut out the center section, making a 7 ½” circle. Unfold the foil and place the square section over the pie. You may also use a long strip of foil 5 inches wide to wrap around the pie. When placing the foil on the pie, place the shiny side out to reflect the heat away from the crust. Loosely mold the foil over the edges to protect them from burning.
7. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly. NOTE: You may want to protect the bottom of your oven from the molten syrup in case it spills out of the pie during baking.

Freezing Pies

Before freezing a pie or pie shell, make sure you tightly wrap it in plastic wrap or foil. Remove plastic wrap or foil before baking.

*Pie Shells
– Baked stored for 4 months. Heat at 350º for 6 minutes.
– Unbaked stored for 2 months. Bake right out of freezer.
*Fruit pies
– Baked stored for 4 months. Heat at 325º for 45 minutes.
– Unbaked stored for 3 months. Heat at 475º for 15 minutes, then at 375º for 45 minutes.
*Cream, Custard pies & pies with meringue
– Cannot be frozen
*Pumpkin & Pecan
Bake before freezing. Stored for 4 months. Heat at 325º for 45 minutes.