Home Baked Apple Pie

I am not the best cook but I have always been a pretty good baker. I like the process of it and the feel of dough in my hands. It has definitely become much harder and less enjoyable a times when you have little hands to help. I try to be patient but when certain ingredients need to be just so and your toddler and your 6 year old is fighting over who gets to pour the vanilla and stir in the eggs, it becomes a HUGE mess and you wonder if you will ever bake again.

Well, for our relief society event this month we did pie making and I got to leave my kids with Cody and just enjoy making a pie. It was actually pretty hard still because we had about 30 women making pies and trying to get the ingredients and measuring cups from each other but it was really fun.

Here is the recipe that they gave us

PIE FILLING- enough for 1 pie

 -4-6 apples (heaping pile of apples) peeled and sliced
-1/3 cup sugar (depending on your sweetness) I put less sugar
-2 tablespoons all purpose flour
-1 tsp fresh cinnamon (don't eat grocery store cinnamon it's not good for you) I get mine at the health food store when I remember to get it.
-nutmeg (optional) I did not use this

1 tbsp butter(for top of pie)

Stir all the ingredients except butter in large bowl and let sit while you make the crust

PIE CRUST-enough for two pies

- 4 cups flour
1 3/4 shortening
2 teaspoon salt

Cut together with a pastry blender, this is important because you need to get the shortening really mixed with the flour and it needs to be "flaky" so it will end up being a good pastry.
NOTE: do not use your hands because you don't want your crust to be warm. So touch it as little as possible. 

in separate bowl combine

-1/2 cup ice water
-1 tablespoon vinegar
 - 1 Egg
stir with whisk

drizzle the liquid in dry mixture while stirring with a fork until the dough is into a big ball. not too sticky and not too dry. Then pack it together with your hands and press up against the bowl to press it together, but use your hands as little as possible.

Cut the ball into four equal parts.  (two bottoms and two tops)

When you roll out the dough with your rolling pin make sure to use light flour to make it so it doesn't stick and lightly roll out and coax it instead of pushing hard. When you are done get a spatula or knife to let it free from the table and fold it up on four sides to make it easy to pick up and put into your pie dish. Unfold it cut the dough off of the edges about 1/2 inch. if its not perfect take pieces from the extra and smash it into any spaces.

 Put your pie filling inside the pie. After you put the pie filling then add chunks of butter all around, like about 5 pieces of about a tsp of butter.

Roll out the top crust and do the same as the bottom one and gently put on your pie filling folded up and place it on the middle and then unfold the four corners and cut off the extra.

To make the cute little edges you will roll the top crust under the bottom crust all the way around. Then you still press your thumb away from the pie and your thumb and pointer finger will push the dough against your thumb. And put a criss-cross in the middle for venting and bake in the oven at 425 degrees. I would say between 20-30 depending on your oven and the way you like it. I like mine with some brown crispiness.
I put the pie straight on the rack and put til foil or baking sheet under it for drips. Then place on a cooling rack so you don't get a soggy bottom. 

Wait to cool and enjoy!