Grandma Blanche’s Apple Pie

Print Recipe

Now we are going to have a little talk about my favorite pie with Sunday dinner at Grandma Jeans.  For years I thought that every Sunday dinner was to end with apple pie.  At least how it was when we went to the “farm”.    It was amazing that mom and grandma Jeans pies seemed so much alike.  I sometimes wondered if mom had grandma Jean bake the apple pie for her because they were identical in taste.  That was until I found out they were both using my great grandma Blanche’s recipe.

I later came to find out that many of the recipes grandma Jean and Mom made, had came from the same person, my Great Grandma Kantner.  This beautifully elegant lady, like grandma Jean could make soup out of an old leather boot and you’d love it.  Now this is not the southern side of my family.  This is the German, farmer side of the family.  My dads side.  I was blessed with two totally different types of cooking to blend into my own family traditional recipes.

So here is Great Grandma Blanch,  Grandma Jean,  and Moms apple pie recipe.  I hope you enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, divided

4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

1 egg, separated

7  medium Jonathan or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon sour cream

PREPARATION:

1. Combine 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl until well blended. Cut in 3/4 cup butter using pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to flour mixture. Toss with fork until mixture holds together. Form dough into 2 discs. Wrap discs in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.

2. Working with 1 disc at a time, roll out dough on lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin into 12-inch circle, 1/8 inch thick. Ease dough into 9-inch glass pie plate. Do not stretch dough. Trim dough leaving 1/2-inch overhang; brush with egg white. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 450°F.

4. Place apple slices in large bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine remaining 1/3 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended. Add to apple mixture; toss to coat apples evenly. Spoon filling into prepared pie crust; place remaining 3 tablespoons butter on top of filling.

5. Roll out remaining dough and cut into slices about 1 –1 1/2 inches wide.

6. Then lay the pieces on top of your apple mixture in the pie in a lattice fashion.

7. Combine egg yolk and sour cream in small bowl until well blended. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use.

8. Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake 35 minutes. Brush egg yolk mixture evenly on pie crust with pastry brush. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Store loosely covered at room temperature 1 day, or refrigerate up to 4 days.