Old Fashioned Apple Pie with Cross Stitch Top


Makes 1 pie

Ingredients

For the crust

2½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar or light brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly grated cinnamon
1¼ sticks butter, cold and cubed small
½ cup ice water

For the filling

6-8 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced about a ½ inch thick
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly grated
½ cup turbinado sugar, white sugar is okay too
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Next, cut in butter with a pastry cutter or two forks until mixture resembles coarse meal. Next add the water a little bit at a time mixing after you add each few bits. Mix just until dough comes together without being wet or sticky. Turn out dough from bowl onto work surface, and knead once or twice to combine. Flatten into two disks. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

In another medium bowl add the apples, and mix with lemon juice and zest, tossing until well coated. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar and flour and mix well again until all is evenly coated all over the apples.

On a flat lightly floured surface roll out one of the discs until a smooth thin disc a few inches larger than the circumference of your pie plate. Gently fold the disc in half and then in half again and transfer to the pie plate, unfold and arrange the disc in the center of the pie plate. Place the pie plate on a large flat baking sheet and place in the refrigerator. Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Next roll out the second disc into the same size thin disc. With a pastry wheel cutter cut the dough into 12 strips about ¾ inch wide. Take the pie plate out of the refrigerator and poke holes in the bottom layer with a fork. Add filling to the pie plate, making sure it is evenly distributed. Lay about 5-7 strips across the pie evenly and parallel to each other. Then fold back every other strip half way. Lay another strip over the pie and fold the other back and then the opposite way in half. Repeat until remainder of the pie is latticed. Seal the edges with a crimping pattern making sure the dough is smooth and pushed together well. Place in the refrigerator for a few minutes and then the oven for aboout 45-50 minutes or until browned and apples are soft.

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