Dutch Apple Pie

  

I found this recipe for Dutch Apple Pie, on Allrecipes.com.  It was absolutely delicious! It was sweet, flavorful and had a nice, solid consistency. Very easy to slice. 

I did a few things differently...I added more cinnamon, added more flour to the crumb topping, and I made my own crust instead of buying one (always make your own crust... it is worth it!). I left out the lemon juice. Granny Smith apples are tart already and I prefer my apple pie on the sweet side. I also left out the use of parchment paper. The original recipe said to wrap the whole pie in the paper and bake it that way. Several of the reviews said the paper caught on fire, so I skipped that part :-)   I don't make pies often, but this is one I will definitely make again soon. It got rave reviews by the taste testers!

Dutch Apple Pie

Crust:

1-3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
4-5 TB cold water

Filling:

5 large Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup white sugar

2 TB flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2 TB lemon juice (I use water.)

Crumb Topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

First make your crust. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt.  Cut the shortening in with a pastry cutter til crumbly.  Add 3 TB water and toss with a fork. Add more water 1 TB at a time until it forms a ball.  Roll into a large enough circle, then place into your pie plate, pressing down and crimping the edges.

Next make the filling. Peel and slice the apples and put into the crust. Stir the dry ingredients together and pour it all over the top of the apples. Shake your pie plate a little to sift it all down into the apples. Sprinkle the lemon juice (or water) over the pie.

Now make the crumb topping. Stir the flour and sugar together. Using a cheese grater, grate the butter into the flour and sugar, and mix together. Use your fingers to really rub the butter into it and get it all mixed together. Pour over the top of the pie. 

Bake in the center of your oven for ~50 minutes. Cover with foil mid-way through if it starts to brown too much.

Happy Baking!

Perfect Apple Pie

I have a huge box of Golden Delicious apples that a friend gave me. I made Cake Mix Apple Crisp,  applesauce, and of course I had to bake an apple pie. I usually use Granny Smith apples when I bake, but to be honest, I think I'm going to switch to sweeter apples like Golden Delicious from now on. You can use less sugar and the taste and texture are fabulous.

So here's my trusty recipe for Perfect Apple Pie, straight from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I always make my own crust and the recipe comes from the same cookbook, although I made a few changes. It's easy to roll out and bakes flaky every time!

Perfect Apple Pie  

Preheat oven to 400-F

Filling

6 to 8 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (6 cups)
3/4 - 1 cup sugar (less if using sweeter apples)
2 TB flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TB butter
Pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and a dash of salt; mix with apples.  Line 9-inch pie plate with pastry.  Fill with apple mixture; dot with butter.  Roll out your top crust large enough to overlap the edges of pie plate.  Place on top of pie filling. Tuck top crust under edge of lower crust.  Crimp with a fork or flute with your fingers.  Prick  top of crust with a fork or make decorative slices with a knife to vent steam.  Sprinkle with sugar.

To prevent the edges from getting too brown, fold strips of foil around the rim of the crust.  You can also buy pre-made crust protectors that work really well.

Bake at 400-F for 50 minutes or until crust is golden. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. The longer it cools, the firmer the apple filling gets.

Plain Pastry
For two 8, 9 or 10-inch crusts

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt (I use 1/2 tsp)
2/3 cup shortening (I mix butter and shortening)
5 - 7 TB cold water

In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt.  Cut the shortening in with a pastry cutter til crumbly.  Add 4 TB water and toss with a fork. Add more water 1 TB at a time until it forms a ball.  Divide  dough in half. Roll into two large enough circles to fit your pie tin.

Happy Baking!