Title: New England Apple Pie
Categories: Desserts, Pies, Fruits/nuts
Yield: 8 Servings
----------------------FLAKY PIE DOUGH----------------------
1 1/4 c Bleached flour
1/4 ts Salt
1/8 ts Baking powder
1/2 c Unsalted butter; cold
2 tb Water; cold, up to 3 tb
-----------------------CRUMB TOPPING-----------------------
1/3 c Light brown sugar; packed
1 c Bleached flour
6 tb Unsalted butter; melted
--------------------------FILLING--------------------------
2 1/2 lb Firm tart apples
- (Granny Smith, Pippin,
- Golden Delicious, Rhode
- Island, Northern Spy,
- as available)
2 tb Flour
1/3 c Granulated sugar and/or
- light brown sugar
1 ts Ground cinnamon
1 ts Lemon zest; finely grated
3 tb Unsalted butter; cold
Flaky Pie Dough:
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in work bowl of food
processor and pulse 2 to 3 times to mix. Cut butter into 8 pieces
and add to bowl. Pulse rapidly about 15 times, until mixture
resembles coarse corn meal and no large pieces of butter remain
visable. Add 2 tb water and pulse 4 or 5 times to mix checking to
see if most, but not all, of dough forms a ball. If dough remains
dry, add remaining 1 tb water, sprinkling it on dough and pulsing
again 4 or 5 times. Remove dough from processor and quickly form
into ball with floured hands. Place dough on piece of lightly
floured plastic wrap. Lightly flour top of dough and cover top with
plastic wrap. Press with palm of hand to form dough into a 6"
diameter disk. Refrigerate dough while preparing topping.
Crumb Topping:
Combine brown sugar and flour in mixing bowl. Add butter and stir
in evenly. Set mixture aside 5 minutes. Then, using fingertips,
break mixture into 1/4 to 1/2" crumbs. Set aside.
Dough:
Remove dough from refrigerator and place on flat work surface.
Roll dough, still between sheets of plastic, to 12" disk. Peel off
top plastic and ease dough into 9" pie pan. Gently press dough into
pan and peel off top plastic. Trim excess dough to within 1/2" of
pan edge, turning excess dough under around edges; flute edges.
Chill pie shell while preparing Filling.
Filling:
Peel, halve, and core apples; cut into 1/2" pieces. Place apples in
bowl with sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon zest, tossing well to
combine. Place filling in dough-lined pan, mounding it slightly in
center. Dot filling with butter and cover with reserved Crumb
Topping. Bake pie on bottom rack 15 minutes at 400°F. Lower
temperature to 350°F and move pie to middle rack. Bake 20 to
30 minutes longer, until crust edges are deep golden brown and
juices just begin to bubble up. Cool pie on rack and serve warm or
at room temperature.
