For many years my family and I have attended the St. John Catholic Church Apple fest in Fenton that is held annually in September. One of my favorite things to do at the festival was to buy one of the hundreds of apple pies that are sold there. Dutch Apple pie, served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream is my very favorite. This year, I thought I would try to make an apple pie from scratch, using this recipe from Betty Crocker. It is a little time consuming but well worth the effort.
Dutch Apple Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/3 c. plus 1 T. shortening
- 2-3 T. cold water
Filling
- 8 c, sliced cored peeled apples SAVE $
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
- 1 T. lemon juice
Topping
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 2/3 c. packed brown sugar
- 1 T. granulated sugar
Directions
Crust
In medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour and the salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened round of pastry in plastic wrap, and refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry flakier. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
Heat oven to 400°F. On surface sprinkled with flour, using floured rolling pin, roll pastry dough into circle 2 inches larger than 9-inch pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry, which will cause it to shrink when baked. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired.
Filling
In large bowl, toss Filling ingredients. Pour into pie plate, mounding apples toward center.
Topping
In medium bowl, use pastry blender or fingers to mix butter, 1 cup flour and the brown sugar until a crumb forms. Sprinkle evenly over top of pie. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon granulated sugar on top.
Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until pie crust and crumb topping are deep golden brown and filling begins to bubble. Transfer to cooling rack to cool.
Serve pie warm or room temperature with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream on top.
