Growing up I only liked two kind of pies–pumpkin & my Grams’ Apple Pie. For years she tried to perfect the dough, always having something to say about it and how back in her grandmother’s day, they used bacon fat for the crust. She never used it though, at least I never saw her. Her recipe called for shortening, as many did back in the 50-60s. Usually when making it, I opt for Pillsbury premade pie crusts (great option when there is little time, or zero desire to make your own)! This time, I tried the bacon fat. Oooooh, it is so good. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Apple Pie
Pie Crust:
- 2 C flour
- 1 tsp salt (this French salt is THE best!)
- ⅔ C bacon fat
- 6 T of milk (or water)
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, sift flour (a fine mesh strainer works too!) and add in salt. (Then sift again!) Using a pastry blender (or two forks), cut in half of the bacon fat, and mix it in thoroughly until mixture looks like a course corn meal. Then add in remaining fat, mix with pastry blender until the mix is about the size of peas.
- Sprinkle with milk or water and use a fork to press it together to form dough. (Use only enough liquid to hold the pastry together.) Form a ball of dough, and refrigerate while you prep the filling.
- Cut the dough in half and roll out the dough on a floured surface–make sure you flour your roller too! You will need about a 9 in. pastry shell for both top and bottom crusts.
- In a buttered pie dish, lay out bottom crust in a 9″ pie dish.
Filling:
- 1 C sugar
- 2 T flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt (a small pinch)
- 4-5 large apples (or 6-8 sm/md)
- 1 T lemon juice
- 2 T butter
Directions:
- In a bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt.
- Spread half of mixture over pastry lined pan.
- Using a food processor (or by hand), slice skinned apples so they are very thin slices. **This is KEY to an amazing pie!
- Add sliced apples on top of sugar mixture, sprinkle rest of mixture on top of apples.
- Sprinkle on the lemon juice, and dot with butter all over.
- Roll, fit, and seal the top pastry crust.
- Sprinkle on some milk and cinnamon sugar on top of crust, and make slits to allow the pie to “breathe” while cooking.
- Bake on lower shelf at 425oF for 30-40 minutes, until crust is golden brown.
- Serve with vanilla icecream, and enjoy!
I could live off of this pie… it’s that good! If you want to live on the wild side, enjoy a slice for breakfast. Let me know if you try this! Especially, if you try the crust with the bacon fat. I can taste the hint of bacon, but my husband can’t!
What kind of pie is your go to?!
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Making Beautiful Messes 