Make Ahead
Aunt Anna's Apple Pie
- Makes 1 pie
Author Notes
This recipe has been handed down several generations in my family, and as far as I'm concerned, it makes the best apple pie out there. As a firm believer in soft apples in an apple pie, the combination of Macintosh and Granny Smith apples is simply perfect, with just the right balance of tart and sweet. Also included is the best pie crust recipe I have ever encountered, taken from the queen herself, Ina Garten. —Deirdre
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Apple Pie Filling:
-
4
Granny Smith Apples
-
4
MacIntosh Apples
-
1/2 cup
Sugar
-
1 tablespoon
Flour
-
1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon
-
2 tablespoons
Butter
-
1/2
Lemon (to prevent browning)
-
1 tablespoon
Flour (for crust dust)
-
1 tablespoon
Sugar (for crust dust)
-
1
Egg
-
1 tablespoon
Water
-
Demerara/ Raw Sugar
- Ina Garten's Pie Crust:
-
12 tablespoons
Very Cold Unsalted Butter
-
1/3 cup
Vegetable Shortening
-
3 cups
All-Purpose Flour
-
1 tablespoon
Sugar
-
1 teaspoon
Kosher Salt
-
6-8 tablespoons
Ice Cold Water (I use 1/2 cup)
Directions
- Apple Pie Filling:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and dice all apples into small pieces (not slices), drizzle with lemon juice and mix to prevent browning.
- Add in the sugar, flour, and cinnamon, and mix until all apples are completely coated.
- After preparing your bottom pie crust, combine the tablespoons of sugar and flour and sprinkle on top of the bottom pie crust in the pie plate, making sure to coat the bottom evenly. This prevents the filling from making your bottom pie crust soggy and wet.
- Pour the apple mixture on top of the crust dust- it's okay if the apples are higher than the pie plate, they shrink as they cook!
- Cut the 2 tablespoons of butter into pieces and distribute over the apple filling before covering with the top crust.
- Beat together egg and water, then brush over the top pie crust and sprinkle with a generous handful of demerara or raw sugar. Cut 4 vents into the top crust, allowing steam to escape.
- Place finished pie on a cookie sheet to catch any dripping, then bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30-40 minutes, keeping an eye on the browning of the top crust. If the crust edges appear to be getting too brown, cover them with foil or silicone crust protectors as needed.
- Ina Garten's Pie Crust:
- Place flour, salt, and sugar into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3-4 times to mix fully.
- Add diced butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times until combined and the butter looks about the size of peas.
- With the processor running, slowly drizzle the ice water through the feed tube until the dough begins to take shape, forming a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a rounded disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes have passed, cut dough in half for a two crust pie and roll out on a floured surface to your desired size and shape. Follow the baking instructions from above for apple pie.
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