Homemade Apple Pie

Instructions

• This is what’s called a 2 crust pie. There’s the bottom crust and a crust covering the top.
• Get out a 2 good sized mixing bowls, small bowl and pie pan.
• For the Crust: Put 2 cups flour and the salt into a mixing bowl. Add the lard. (I keep mine in the freezer and cut ¼ inch thick chunks of it and then cross cut it into small cubes).
• Cut the lard into the flour and salt with a pastry blender, fork or your fingers until there are flour coated particles about the size of really small peas.
• In the small bowl combine ¼ cup flour and the water and whisk until smooth. Pour this into the lard/flour mix and stir with a fork just until everything is combined.
• Reach into the bowl and gather the dough in your hands pressing it together, scrape up the loose stuff that doesn’t stick and press it into the dough.
• Then divide the dough ball in half (actually make one just a bit bigger) and press each into a disk.
• Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and put into your freezer for a half hour to an hour until after you make the pie filling.
• For the filling: Peel the apples. Then cut them into thin slices. I cut each slice in half so I have pieces that are about an inch long, half inch across and a bit more than 1/8 inch thick.
• Put the apple slices in the 2nd bowl (or clean out the first bowl and use it again).
• Add the brown sugar, ¼ cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. (Hint: I also give this 3 or 4 shakes of chipotle powder for a bit of a kick).
• Mix the apples and dry ingredients together. Let it sit and macerate while you roll your crusts.
• Build the pie: Get out your pastry board and rolling pin and the larger of the 2 dough disks out and unwrap it. Dust your pastry board and rolling pin with flour.
• Roll out your pie dough until it is 2 inches larger than the diameter of your pie pan. Do all your rolling from the center of the dough out. And it helps to roll something like roll north, the northeast, then east, etc. You want the crust rolled out evenly about 1/8 inch or little bit more thick.
• Don’t worry about a split at the edge or a hole in the dough. You’ll be able to “weld” a little piece over it with a piece of excess dough and a bit of water.
• When rolled out, use a thin bladed spatula to gently lift the dough from the pastry board and fold in half. Transfer it to your pie pan and open up, centering it in the pan.
• Now you may wish to trim the edge of the dough about ¼ inch larger than the top edge of the pie pan.
• Roll out your top, fold over and leave it on the pastry board.
• Start pre-heating your oven to 375.
• Put the pie pan on a baking/cookie sheet. Pour/scoop the pie filling into the pie pan.
• Take the 1 tbsp of butter and cut it in little chunks and spread it around the pie filling.
• Now carefully cover the top of the pie with your second crust. Take the edges of the 2 crusts and roll on top of the pie pan’s edge. Place the tips of the index finger and thumb of one hand on the edge of the crust and use the index finger or thumb of your other hand to press between them to create the flutes in the crust. This is both decorative and functional. But don’t worry if your fluting is less than perfect. This is a homemade pie.
• Take a paring knife and cut 4 slits in the top of the crust for venting. And lastly, if you want, brush the top of the crust with either milk or egg white and then sprinkle some sugar lightly on the top.
• Put the pie on the baking sheet in the 375 oven for about 45 minutes. Remove when done and let cool for a minimum of ½-1 hour.