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Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

Yield: 8 Servings (9-inch pie)
Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe double-crust pie dough, see note
  • 2 ½ pounds about 5 firm tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (I use Granny Smith)
  • 2 ½ pounds about 5 firm, sweet apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick (I use Honeycrisp)
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 egg white, beaten lightly

Instructions 

  • Roll out one half of the pie dough and place in a 9-inch pie plate (how-to on rolling out pie dough here). Trim the crust to the edge of the pie plate. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Toss the apples, 1/2 cup of the sugar, brown sugar, zest, salt, and cinnamon together in a large large pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the apples are tender when poked with a fork but are not mushy, about 10-12 minutes. Don’t over cook in this step as the apples will finish cooking and softening up in the oven.
  • Transfer the apples and their juice in an even layer to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Drain the cooled apples thoroughly in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. Stir the lemon juice into the reserved 1/4 cup of apple juice.
  • Spread the apples into the dough-lined pie plate, mounding them slightly in the middle, and drizzle with the lemon juice mixture.
  • Roll out the second piece of dough and drape it over the pie. Trim the top crust so there is about a 1/4-inch or slightly longer overhang all the way around the pie. Tuck this overhang under the bottom crust (see details here) so the pie is sealed. Crimp the edges (how-to here or here).
  • Cut four gashes in the top of the pie with a sharp paring knife for venting. Brush the crust lightly with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining one tablespoon sugar.
  • Place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, about 25-30 minutes longer.
  • Let the pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has set, about 2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Pie Crust: my favorite homemade pie crust is this sour cream pie crust. A double batch of the sour cream pie dough works great for this recipe.
Original Recipe: if you are looking for the original crust recipe included with this post, here it is: 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 cup Crisco shortening (butter-flavored or regular, I prefer regular). Mix the pie ingredients with your hands to form a uniform mixture. Add 1/3 cup ice water. Dip your hands in flour so they won’t get too sticky (although it will still be messy). Mix the ice water in to the shortening/flour mixture with your hands. Roll into a round ball (the dough will resemble a sugar cookie dough). Divide in half and on a lightly floured surface roll into two circles. Bake according to pie directions.
Make-Ahead: the pie dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for several days or frozen for up to a month or so.
Storing: also, the pie, once baked and cooled, can be covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to one day.
Serving: to serve warm, reheat the pie in a 300-degree oven for about 15 minutes.