fabulous apple pie recipe!

Yes! I made my first ever homemade apple pie from scratch the other day! I was so nervous that it wouldn't turn out right, like it would be soupy, or not very flavorful, or the apples would get soggy, the crust would get soggy... etc. But it turned out perfect. :) I thought I'd post the site I got it off of so you can make a successful homemade apple pie, too!

Here is the site I got the recipe from: http://www.myhomecooking.net/apple-pie/ I loved this site because it had lots of pictures, and I found myself comparing what I had in my bowl to the picture to make sure it was going well. :) I will also post the recipe here so that it's available in case they take it down for whatever reason. I did a few variations while I was cooking, and I'll tell you what I did to make it special.

Flaky Pie Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

I teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons shortening

6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

hint: If this is your first time making this pie crust, make a double batch to be sure you have enough crust.  

1 Mixing Bowl

Rolling pin

Knife

Measuring spoons

Measuring Cups

Dough Blender (I don't have one, but I used the side of a spoon to cut in the ingredients and it seemed to work just fine but took a little longer)

Cutting Board

9 inch Pie Pan (smaller is ok, but no bigger) 

Warm the butter in the microwave until it is soft, but not melted.

Mix in a large bowl:

2 cups all-purpose flour

I teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Then cut in using the dough blender:

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons shortening

6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Wrap your pie crust in plastic wrap. Then place in refrigerator for 20 or more minutes, while you make the pie filling. (I did not have plastic wrap, so I put it in a ziploc bag and made sure there was no air)

Yummy Pie Filling

5 Tart Peeled Apples

1 Cup Sugar

2 Tablespoons Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice 

Peel and slice your apples. (I sliced mine super thin and I slice my apples in half the opposite way than you normally do, cause I didn't want gigantic apple slices in my pie)

Soak them in water with a tablespoon of lemon juice. This will prevent the first apples cut from turning a funky color. (While I was cutting up my apples, I left the half I wasn't working on in the lemon juice with the already sliced pieces. It kept that half from turning colors as well)

Mix in large mixing bowl:

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vinegar

Now, drain the water off of the apples and mix them with the spices.

Putting it All Together:

 Now that your pie crust has had plenty of time to cool, divide it into two, equal halves. Roll one of the balls of pie crust out until it is around 1/8th of an inch thick.

Once you have rolled out the dough, wrap it around the rolling pin and unroll it onto your pie pan.

Once you have shaped it to fit the inside of the pan, take a fork and poke holes in the bottom of the crust. This will let the steam out as the pie bakes. Dump all of the apples in the pie. Place about 4 chunks of butter on top of apple filling. This will give the filling rich flavor. Roll out the remaining pie dough and place it on top. (I made a pretty lattice top with mine, and it was tasty!)

Cut long strips of tinfoil and place them around the edge of the pie.

This will prevent the crust's edge from burning while it bakes. You will want to take the tinfoil off about ten minutes before the pie is done. This way, the apple pie will have a golden brown edge.

Bake your pie at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes. 

 For a glossy effect, brush a small portion of egg white on top of the crust when you remove the tinfoil. (I used a mix of egg white, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and generously brushed it on top. It gave the crust a lovely flavor.)

 

 Here is a picture of my successful pie: