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Grandma's Old-Fashioned Apple Pie with an Amazingly Flaky Crust

Grandma's Old-Fashioned Apple Pie with an Amazingly Flaky Crust

A traditional 9-inch double-crust apple pie made with tart or sweet-tart apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a cold shortening pastry. The crust is crisp and flaky, while the filling becomes thick and fragrant as the pie cools.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 3 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Flaky Crust
  • 2 1/2 cups (300 g) All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 cup (190-205 g) Vegetable shortening, chilled
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml), plus 1-2 tablespoons if needed Ice water
Apple Filling
  • 6 cups, about 6 medium apples Peeled, cored, thinly sliced apples
  • 1 cup (200 g) Granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 tablespoons Butter, cut into small pieces
Optional Finish
  • 1 tablespoon Milk or beaten egg
  • 1 teaspoon Granulated sugar for sprinkling

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Whisk the flour and salt together. Cut in the chilled shortening until coarse crumbs form, leaving some pea-sized pieces. Add ice water gradually, tossing with a fork just until the dough holds together. Divide into two disks, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Peel, core, and thinly slice about six medium apples to make six cups. Toss with sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then let stand for about 10 minutes.
  3. Roll one dough disk into an approximately 11-inch round and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Add the apple mixture and dot the surface with the butter pieces.
  4. Roll out the second dough disk and place it over the apples. Trim and crimp the edges, cut several vents in the top, then brush with milk or beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar if desired.
  5. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 35 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is visibly bubbling through the vents.
  6. Cool the pie on a rack for at least two hours before slicing. The filling thickens as it cools and produces cleaner, more generous slices.

Notes

Keep the shortening, water, and dough cold, and handle the pastry as little as possible. Bake until the filling bubbles, not merely until the crust browns. If the edges brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil.