Perfect Apple Pie

First you make the crust, need rolling pin or Schulzes Superfood jar


Sift 1 1/2 Cups King Arthur Unbleached white flour with 1/2 tsp salt.

Add 1/2 cup Shortening, could be crisco, butter, prefer hard fat not melting at room temp.

Cut in shortening into flour mix with fork, keep mixing by squashing lumps of shortening
until shortening is pea sized lumps. Don't over do or shortening will melt.

Now add 3 tbsp water, then start mixing and mashing with hands, keep adding water
1 tbsp at a time, keep mixing until ball of dough forms and is just slightly sticky and
all flour is gone.
Stop once dough is just at the slightly sticky stage.

Place in bowl, cover and put in fridge.


Filling for Apple Pie

6-8 Tart Apples, Cortlands are best, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

1/2 to 1 tsp ground cinnamon

dash (2 pinches) ground nutmeg

pastry for 2 crust 9 inch pie pan

2 tbsp butter

If apples lack tartness, sprinkle with about 1 tbsp lemon juice. Combine sugar, flour, spices and
dash (2 pinches) of salt dont use too much salt: mix with apples.

Line 9 inch pie plate with pastry--to do this remove bowl from fridge, break dough in half and
flatten out with hands. cover surface and roller with flour to avoid sticking. now start to roll
dough out equally in different directions until it is roundish and just thin enough to hold together, 
it will start to curl up at the outside when it is thin enough. Then fold in half, bring pie pan up to 
edge and slide into pan, then unfold to cover bottom. It has to cover entire pan plus lots of overlap.

Fill with apple mixture, dot with butter on top of apples. BEFORE placing the top cover, wet your finger 
and just slightly wet around the edge of bottom pastry to make it slightly sticky so top pastry seals better,
no puddling of water.Now cover with top pastry following same directions as above to roll it out.

Now place rolled out dough on top, unfolding to cover entire mound of apples, cut around edges about 1 inch
past edge of pie plate all around, then gently fold underneath, resting on top of pie plate edge.

Now make the wavey shape on edges by placing thumb between pie plate edge and pastry and with other hand
press using thumb and index finger to make the nice finishing touch to pie.

Crack 1 egg into bowl and mix with fork until whites are completely gone. Now paint egg mix over entire
crust with fingers, no puddling, for better browning.

Sprinkle top with sugar.

Now using a fork, make holes all the way through the top crust for steam to vent out, all around the pie. You
can make a picture or letter if you like.

Bake at 400 deg. for 50 minutes or until done. 

A simple test for done is push butter knife through crust, when no resistance is felt, apples are cooked and
pie is done.

Place on a cooling rack or somewhere else to cool.