Use all-purpose flour. Ideally, you will use 3 parts flour to 1 part fat. The fat you use is what makes your crust tender and flaky – or not. Its purpose is to waterproof the flour, limiting the development of gluten, which makes your dough tough. Lard or veggie shortening will give you the flakiest crust. Unsalted, chilled butter, not margarine, is your best choice.

You must very carefully control the amount and temperature of the water you add. You want to add enough to develop just enough gluten to barely hold the flour particles together. Too much results in tough dough. Using chilled (ice) water slows the gluten development. Follow the recipe carefully and you will have perfect, flaky crust.

 

INGREDIENTS

For the Pie

2 batches of my 1-minute homemade pie crust (see recipe below)

7-8 small granny smith apples, peeled, sliced, and cored

1 stick butter

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

¼ cup water

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 heaping tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

 

For the 1-Minute Homemade Pie Crust (This recipe makes a single crust with some left over (make hand pies?) If you are going to make a double crust pie, you MUST double the recipe!)

1¾ cup all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

1 teaspoon sugar

1½ sticks butter (12 tablespoons), cut into slices

¼ cup + 2 Tbsp. ice water (approximately)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Pie

Place the peeled, cored, and sliced apples in a large bowl. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the 3 Tbsp. of flour and mix well, forming a paste. Add the water, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and mix well. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to a simmer for an additional minute.

Remove from heat and reserve about 1/3 cup of filling for pie crust. Add remaining filling to apples. Toss well.

Pour apples into prepared pie crust, mounding slightly. Top with second pie crust (lattice design, etc.). Brush the remaining 1/3 cup caramel filling over the crust.

Cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil. I lightly spray the foil so it does not stick to the pie. Place the pie on top of a cookie sheet (to catch any drips) and bake at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 50 minutes (remove the foil the last 10 minutes to let the crust brown), or until done.  The pie is done when the crust is golden-brown and the apples are soft when pierced with a fork.

Allow the pie to cool before serving. Enjoy!

For the crust

Place flour and sugar in a food processor.  Pulse.

Add about half of the butter. Pulse.  Add the rest of the butter. Pulse until the mixture turns into coarse crumbs.

Through the feed tube, slowly add the ice water and pulse until the dough gathers up into a ball.  If it doesn’t after a few seconds, add a few more drops of ice water until it does.

Take the dough and flatten it into a disc and place it on a sheet of floured plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before rolling. Remember to use the plastic wrap trick in the Quick Tip above!

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Quick Tip:  Accurately measuring your flour is critical to crust success. Spoon your flour into your measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife. Do not shake it or tap it, as this will pack the flour and give you too much. Additional Tip:  If you do not have a food processor, you can still make this crust. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until you have coarse crumbs, then add your water a little at a time. I prefer to use my fingers to work the butter into the flour, by continually mounding the flour on the butter and crumbling it between my fingers.  Then I add water in increments and work the dough until it just easily separates from my hands. You do not want to overwork dough, as this also makes it tough.

Recipe and image courtesy of Audrey’s Apron