Apple Pie

Are we getting tired of our apples you ask.  Not!!  I can't even imagine if we took care of our apple trees like we should we would have even more apples.  My neighbor mentioned to me that her daughter-in-law makes dried apples in the oven and they are really good.  I think I'll have to try that.  She puts salt on them. A good replacement for chips and it wouldn't be as fattening.  I am really amazed that the Delicious apple makes such great pies since they are not really considered a baking apple.  Anyway this is the recipe I use and it's wonderful.  For the pie crust I used a recipe I got at church from someone giving a pie demonstration and I really liked it.  She called it Light as a cloud pie crust.  It was from her sister who has a little diner in southern Utah so I figured it must be good if she makes pies everyday.

 

Pie Crust

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup butter flavor Crisco

1 t. salt

1/4 cup water

(makes two 9" crusts)

Combine and mix flour and salt.  Add shortening.  Blend ingredients using either a Kitchen Aid mixer (not hand held mixer), food processor or pastry blender until mixture forms clumps  the size of a nickel.  Add water and stir with a fork just until water is blended well into the dough.  Dough should feel lite and NOT elastic. 

Form dough into two equal balls.  Dampen a paper towel and wipe your counter then place a sheet of waxed paper over work surface.  This is so the wax paper won't slip around.  Sprinkle a light coat of flour on waxed paper.  Flatten pie dough ball on waxed paper and roll out to form a round slightly larger than pie tin or glass pie plate. Lift wax paper and carefuly invert and fit into pie tin, being careful not to stretch dough.  Peel the paper off. 

Pie Filling

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1.t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1 T. lemon juice

1 t. salt

2 T. butter

8 medium apples

Peel and core apples.  Slice apples into bowl and add all other ingredients and mix to coat apples. Pour into pie shell then roll out second ball of dough and put on top crust and flute edges.  Cut slits or design in top crust to vent.  I usually sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top pie crust.

Bake in 425 degree oven for 30-40 min. or until crust is golden brown.

Pie Crust Tips:

Adding too much water makes dough elastic and causes it to shrink and become tough when baked.

Handle the dough as little as possible after adding water.  Too much handling causes dough to become tough when baked.

Don't stretch the dough when placing in the pie plate or it will shrink.