The Best Apple Streusel Pie & Crust Recipe

Where do I start with what can go right with the perfect pie crust. It will be flaky, buttery, it will stay taunt and not shrink in the oven and create the perfect base for whatever filling it houses.

I used to work at a bakery where we catered to a specific upscale restaurant with the pickiest chef I have ever met. He would come in weekly and pick out all the fresh produce himself through a very vigorous testing process. He’d smell, taste, touch and get in tune with whatever he was buying to make sure it was good enough.

After his personal interview he decided we could cater pies to his restaurant. We made them pecan and key lime pies. They were delicious. We actually used real whisky in the pecan pies and limes that were freshly juiced that day.  He shared with us his secret pie crust recipe that he had held close to him for many years. I haven’t been able to remember the exact pie crust recipe as it was quite complex, but this one came very close.

The apple pie filling recipe below could use 3 teaspoons of corn starch to thicken it.

No Shrink Pie Crust

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 1 2/3 cups lard

1/2 cup water 1 egg, beaten 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2.	In a small bowl, mix together water, egg, and vinegar. Pour into lard mixture and stir until dough is thoroughly moistened and forms a ball. Divide into 4 portions and wrap tightly. Use dough within three days or freeze.

(taken from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID=15730&origin=detail&servings=32&metric=false)

Grandma’s Apple Pie Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie 1/2 cup unsalted butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 8 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
2.	Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
3.	Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

(taken from:http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID=12682&origin=detail&servings=8&metric=false)

Streusel is very easy to make all you need is flour, sugar and butter till you get a crumbly mixture that you sprinkle on top of the pie.

24 Oct This entry was published on October 24, 2014 at 12:09 am. It’s filed under apple pie, baking, recipes, thanksgiving, vegetarian dessert and tagged apples, best apple pie recipe, best pie crust recipe, dessert, lard, no shrink, streusel, thanksgiving, vinegar. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.