Mom's Apple Pie

You will need a deep 9-1/2 inch pie plate for this recipe. I like this one. (Amazon pays me a few pennies if you buy using my link. Many grocery stores also have these.)

The day before: Make dough for a two-crust butter-crust pie shell and let it rest in the refrigerator over night.

• 3 lbs tart apples, like Granny Smith, (about eight apples) peeled, cored and sliced in eighths. (An apple corer/slicer makes this job a lot easier.)
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 TB brandy, rum, bourbon
• 1 TB lemon juice
• 1/4 cup very fine dry bread crumbs or panko
• 2 TB butter, diced 1/2"
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp of milk or cream
• White/clear sugar sprinkles (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350° with a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom to catch drips..

• Core, slice, and peel the apples. Put them in a large bowl of water with a teaspoon of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or a TB of lemon juice to keep them from browning.
• Put the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a smaller bowl and sift together with a wire whisk.
• Make the egg wash by shaking the egg and cream or milk vigorously in a jar until well mixed. Set aside.
• Roll out the bottom crust and line the pie plate. Roll out the top crust and refrigerate on a dinner plate.
• Spread the bread crumbs or panko evenly across the bottom of the crust.
• Dry the apples in a salad spinner; dry the bowl they were in. Put the apples back in the bowl and sprinkle the lemon juice and liquor over them. Toss lightly to coat evenly.
• Pour the sugar and spice mixture over the apples and toss lightly again to coat the apples.
• Take the top crust out of the refrigerator.
• Arrange the apples around the edge of the pie plate alternating core-side up and core-side down. Make an inner circle the same way, and fill in the middle. Fit any extra slices where there are gaps.
• Pour the liquid from the bowl evenly over the apples.
• Dot the apples with butter dice.
• Brush a little of the egg wash over the outer edge of the bottom crust.
• Place the top crust, trim to about 1/2" from the rim of the pie plate, fold the top crust under the bottom crust and flute the edges.
• Cut four vents in the top crust, then brush with egg wash and add the sugar sprinkles.

Bake at 350° an hour and ten minutes; cool on a rack.

Last updated: 2023-11-22 15:13
Orignially posted: 2019-12-24