Filling:
7-8 c. sliced apples, about 3 lbs. (I combine 2 Granny Smiths with Romes)
(If you can’t find Romes, use Golden Delicious)
2/3 – 3/4 c. sugar (adjust this according to the sweetness of your apples)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. flour
Perfect Pie Crust:
3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 t. salt
1 1/2 stick cold butter, diced
3/4 c. cold vegetable shortening, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
5 T. cold water (iced down)
1 T. distilled white vinegar
For the pie crust:
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.
Add butter and shortening.
Using a pastry cutter, gradually work the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles.
Add lightly beaten egg it to the mixture.
Sprinkle in the cold water and vinegar.
Stir the mixture together with a fork until it’s just combined.
Knead lightly into two balls and remove dough from the bowl.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and shape into 2 disks.
Let rest in refrigerator while you make the filling.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil in oven to heat up.
Place pie plate in refrigerator to chill.
For the filling:
Peel and slice apples to make 7-8 cups.
Mix sugar, cinnamon and flour together, and sprinkle over apples.
Mix apple mixture with large spoon until all apples are covered.
Roll dough to a circle 2″ larger than your pie plate, and cut with a sharp knife.
Put rolling pin on edge of circle, and roll dough around the pin.
Unroll pastry over chilled pie plate, and gently center the dough, and push down into the plate.
Return to refrigerator while you make the top crust. Let it sit while you retrieve pie plate with bottom crust.
Place apple mixture into bottom crust.
With your hands, nestle apples so there are no big gaps.
Add top crust. Fold edges over bottom crust and crimp.
With the point of a sharp knife, make several slits in the top crust to ventilate the steam.
Put pie in refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill up the pastry.
Lightly brush crust with water and sprinkle with 1 t. sugar
Add pastry shields (or you can use strips of aluminum foil) on edges of crust.
Place on preheated baking sheet in oven.
Turn heat down to 425 degrees
Bake at 425 for 35 minutes.
Remove pastry shields if edges are not browned yet, and continue baking for 10-15 minutes until golden color.
Remove from oven and completely cool on rack before cutting.
