Apple Pie

For the last 3 weeks, I've been helping my friend out from school to do a bake sale to help with fundraising for Japan with our Red Cross club. This is the last week, and it's "pie week". We made the crusts at my house and she made the filling with her other friend at another house since I'm too busy. But I needed to make an apple pie for my own family anyways so I did that.

I used both the filling and crust recipes from allrecipes.com. I used Ruth's Grandma's Pie Crust and Apple Pie by Grandma Ople. I get lots of compliments from this pie from both family and friends, especially from the crust. My own family is actually not very fond of pies, but the only pie they will eat are my apple pies. :)









Pie Crust:
Adapted from Ruth's Grandma's Pie Crust
Yields about 2 crusts

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups shortening
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup water

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, shortening, sugar, and salt. Blend together with a pastry cutter until crumbly.
2. In a small bowl, mix egg with water. Blend into flour mixture. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

Tips:

• Chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge (makes it easier to roll out later).
• When rolling out the dough to make the crust, sprinkle flour on and around the dough.

Apple Pie:
Adapted from MOSHASMAMA

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced (you don't have to use smith apples, I simply use what I have on hand)

Additions:
Based off of the reviews on this pie, here are the adjustments I got to make this even better tasting. :)
ADD EXTRA:

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbp vanilla (take out 1 tbps of water)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar (and extra ingredients), and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Mix sliced apples with syrup (save some to brush on top of crust).
2. Place the bottom crust in your pan and brush with egg white (to prevent sogginess). Fill with apples mixed in syrup, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently brush leftover syrup over the crust.
3. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until apples are soft.

Tips:

• Place flat pan with foil underneath pie for drips in oven later.
• Place shelf in the middle of the oven,
• The thicker your crust is, the longer it will have to be in the oven.