My mom taught me everything I know about baking.  At least that is what she tells me to say to people whenever they ask how I learned to bake so well.  I could also tell you my mother taught me how to create the flakiest, fruitiest apple pie ever.  However, that would be the biggest, most gigantic holiday fairy tale since the Grinch Stole Christmas.  You see, my mother cannot bake (or cook for that matter) and although she knows I love her, expertise in the kitchen is just not within her realm.  Oh, I lied; she did bake an apple pie once in my lifetime.  It was 1968 and I was 10 years old.  The memory of that pie is faint except for the scent of cinnamon.  Not only did it perfume that pie, the smell smacked you in the face when you entered the house.  I believe she used over 1/2 the container of cinnamon in that one pie.  No, that is not a typo.  In spite of this disaster, I ate that pie and savored every bite, because by doing something that was truly difficult for her, her message to the family was clear.  She loved us and that was why she made it.  Although she never baked again, memories of that pie will be with me forever.  I feel that there is no greater gift on this earth than to give of oneself by baking or making something in the kitchen for others.  So, during the holiday season, I strive to create and share the perfect homemade apple pie with family and friends.

What makes an apple pie perfect? The word "perfect" for an apple pie is quite subjective and is in the eyes and stomach of the eater.  For me, two aspects of an apple pie make it perfect. First, you must choose apples that will not break down into mush inside the pie.  I love the crisp, tartness of Granny Smith apples.  They hold up quite well and cook down just enough to complement the flakiest of crusts.  This brings me to number two, the crust.  A flaky, tender pie crust is crucial to the perfect apple pie otherwise it's simply not worth the calories.

Remember this fat fact: "The colder the fat, the flakier the pie crust."  This should become your new mantra like "ohmmmm…" is to a person practicing yoga.  Generally, the crust of an apple pie consists of only a few simple ingredients, but how you combine these ingredients can make or break the pie experience.  Flour, salt, fat, and water are the sole ingredients in a pie crust known officially as a flaky pie crust or pâté brisée recipe (which means "broken crust" in French because the flakiness of the crust causes it to break apart easily when cut into with a fork.)

The flour used should be a low-protein flour like pastry flour (all-purpose will do in a pinch.) The fat must be a solid, cold fat like butter or a trans-fat-free vegetable shortening and the water must be icy cold.  The method of mixing goes like this: the flour and salt are blended together in a bowl with two forks or a tool known as a pastry blender.  Looking like a stirrup, it consists of a handle and about five curved metal loops that are used to cut in cold pieces of fat into the flour mixture.  This is known as "cutting in the fat."  When the fat is the approximate size of peas, you put the pastry blender down.  Then you gradually add just enough ice water by the tablespoonful to be able to bring the dough together into a ball.  A fork can be used for this.  Instead of all ice water, I like to add some icy cold orange juice.  The acidity of the juice breaks down some of the gluten and helps the crust to be more easily rolled out.

Next, the dough is flattened into a 1/2" thick round disk, wrapped, and chilled in the refrigerator to firm up the fat.  Remember your mantra: The colder the fat the flakier the crust.

As your pie dough chills for an hour, you can begin your filling.  Peel, core, and slice each apple into quarters.  Then slice each quarter into four slices.  Remember to remove all seeds and any core.  There is nothing that can ruin the perfect apple pie experience like an errant piece of core or stray seed.  Place granulated sugar, flour to thicken the filling, and spices -- cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and a pinch of cloves together and blend well.  For a shortcut, use Apple pie spice that can be purchased from the store and contains all the spices in one except for the cloves.  Another trick: combine the sugar, flour, and spices before getting your apples into the mix.  This way all the spices become evenly distributed amongst the apple slices.  You can also get creative if you wish.  Chopped crystallized ginger can be added into the filling or some dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, figs, or apricots.  For me, I prefer my apple pie unadulterated.

Okay, so let's roll out the crust and get this "round of perfection" in the oven.  Divide your crust in half (for a double crust pie) then re-wrap and chill the remaining dough.  Begin to roll out your bottom crust onto a floured surface using a rolling pin.  Move the dough often, rotating it to prevent it from sticking and be liberal with the flour.  Roll out the dough two inches larger than the diameter of your pie pan and no more than 1/4" thick.  Before transferring the round of dough to the pie pan, brush off all the excess flour with a pastry brush.  Gently place the bottom crust into the pan and leave an overhang of dough approximately 1/2" wide.  Do not pull or stretch the dough.  This encourages crust shrinkage.

Fill the pan with your filling.  However, one caveat:  If the filling has been sitting awhile, juices can gather on the bottom of the bowl.  Use a slotted spoon to avoid including those juices.  Too much juice creates a soggy bottom crust.  Now gently push down on the filling so there are no air gaps between the apples.  This way there will not be a large air space between the crust and filling after baking.

Roll out the remaining half of dough in the same manner you did for the bottom crust.  It is important to have an escape for any steam that will build up inside the pie.  Venting the top crust can be done after you roll it out but before you actually place it on top of the apple filling.  Use your imagination.  I like to cut small leaf shapes or an apple shape out of the dough.  A cookie cutter can be used or you can go free hand or to make it simple, just create two or three slits with a knife.

Brush the edges of the bottom crust with a beaten egg mixed with a little milk and then fit the top crust over the apples.  Cut away all but 1/2" of the top crust overhang and crimp the bottom and top crust edges together in a decorative manner.  I love a sugary, crispy, golden crust so I also lightly egg wash the entire top of the pie and sprinkle a handful of granulated sugar over the top.  Don't be skimpy here.

Next, place the pie on a sheet pan.  Many bakers skip this trick and two problems can arise if the pie is placed directly in the oven.  For one thing, apple drippings can boil over onto the bottom of the oven.  Yuck.  Avoid this at all costs.  Another reason is that I do not want to remove my beautifully crimped pie with an oven mitt only to have the flaky pie edge break off.  So please, please -  place the pie on a sheet pan.  You will thank me.

Most fruit pies are baked in a hot oven (usually 400-425° F.) The goal is to cook both filling and crust at the same time.  If you looked at the dough while you rolled it out, hard pieces of fat appear throughout.  Once the pie is in the oven the magic begins.  These fat pieces disappear eventually and melt into the dough.  Spaces are left in their place.  These spaces contain trapped air and steam.  Once the pie gets hot enough these trapped gases expand pushing up and down on the layers of dough creating incredible flakiness.  The apples give off some of their liquid and some of the liquid evaporates through the openings on top. 

You know when the pie is done when the filling is bubbly and the crust is nice and brown.  The crust sets and browns, caramelizing any crust covered in sugar.  Enjoy your pie warm with vanilla ice cream.  And remember, whatever you do, if some friend or relative bakes you a pie say, "thank you." It was created for you with love. 

Wishing all of you a happy, healthy, Thanksgiving!

The Perfect Apple Pie

Makes one 9 inch Apple pie

Flaky Pie Crust

• 2 cups pastry or all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 4 tablespoons cold trans-fat free shortening cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon ice cold orange juice
• Approximately 4-5 tablespoons ice cold water

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.  Mix together with a pastry blender.

2. Cut in the butter and shortening until the fat is the size of peas.

3. Sprinkle the orange juice and the water (one tablespoon at a time) over the flour mixture. Using a fork, gently gather the ingredients into a ball of dough.  Flatten slightly.

4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for about one hour.

5. Prepare the filling.

Apple Filling

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and quartered with each quarter sliced into 4 slices

Preheat oven to 425° F.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, and spices until well blended.

2. Add apple slices and mix well until all apples are well coated.  Let sit for about 5-10 minutes or until the apples have given off some of their juices.

Assembly

• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon milk
• Extra granulated sugar for sprinkling

1. Roll out 1/2 of chilled dough and place into a 9 inch pie plate leaving a 1/2 inch overhang.

2. Fill pie pan with filling.  Egg wash the edges of the dough using a pastry brush.

3. Roll out the top crust making sure to cut out some vents or decorative cutouts to allow steam to escape.

4. Fit top crust over filling and seal edges decoratively.

5. Brush entire top of pie with egg wash and sprinkle generously with sugar.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is brown and the apples are bubbling.

7. Cover the top of the pie with foil if it is getting too brown.

About Chef Gail Sokol

Gail D. Sokol is an award-winning professional in the culinary arts industry with demonstrated success in baking and pastry arts, supervision and training, and classical cuisine. Chef Sokol brings her expertise and unique teaching style to the serious home baker and professional in her book, About Professional Baking for which she was a Finalist for the International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards for 2007. In addition, she has been featured on many weekly radio and television programs. Chef Sokol is currently an instructor of baking at Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) in Schenectady, New York. She is also creator and director of the Children's Baking Camp at SCCC 's Continuing Education Division.

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