The final step towards completing your pie is rolling out the dough, filling the pie, attaching the top crust, and putting it in the oven. Set aside the peeled and sliced apple mix. You will need the following items: a rolling pin, pastry mat, rolling pin sleeve, pastry brush, small cup of water or remaining egg/water wash, measuring spoons, flour, cookie sheet, foil or parchment, and a pie plate. |
| Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove one dough round from the refrigerator. Place pastry mat on the counter and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of flour on the mat. Cover your rolling pin with a cotton sleeve to prevent the pin from sticking to the dough; in addition you will need less flour on the mat. |
 | Place the dough round in the middle of the mat. Begining in the center of the round, roll away from you and then to the right, to the left, and finally toward you. Flip the dough over after rolling it in all directions. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to the mat. Sprinkle additional flour on the mat if it does start to stick. Always begin in the center; do not roll back and forth. Continue to flip over the dough until it is too large to pick up. You are more likely to keep the round form by rolling the dough in this manner. Continue rolling until the round is about 2 inches larger than the pie plate. If the dough is dry and hard to roll out, don't worry. No one will see the bottom crust; it can be patched. |
 | Baking the pie on a covered cookie sheet will keep your oven clean. Cover the cookie sheet with parchment or foil to protect the sheet from any liquid dripping from the pie. Place the pie plate on the prepared cookie sheet. Transfer the rolled pastry to the pie plate. This can be done a couple of ways. One is to fold the dough in half, then lift it up and place it across the pie plate center, and unfold. The other is to roll the dough around your pin and un-roll over the plate as shown here. Using a kitchen knife or a pair of scissors, trim the edge of the pastry to about 1 inch below the plate edge. If the edge is uneven, moisten the edge and piece it with extra dough. Brush the edge with water or egg/water wash. |
 | Spoon the cinnamon apple mixture into the pie plate. Since the apples will cook down, I suggest that you pack in the apples with a spoon. This will reduce the chance of a gap forming between the crust and the filling; what I refer to as the "mile high pie syndrome." Fill in any gaps with fruit. The apples should form a mound, at least 1/2 higher than the edge of the plate. If the filling doesn't quite fill the pie plate, simply peel and slice another apple to add to the filling. |
| Time to roll out the top crust. Get the other dough round out of the refrigerator, and roll it out as you did the bottom pastry. The top should be the same size and thickness as the bottom. If you have difficulty rolling out this pastry, use a cookie cutter to create the top. If you choose to have an decorative top, crimp the bottom pastry edge before you place the cutters on top of the filling. |
| If you have egg/water mixture leftover, apply it to the edge of the pastry with a pastry brush. Water may be substituted for the egg/water mixture. This will help to seal together the top and bottom pastry. In the same manner as before, transfer the top pastry, placing it over the filling. Trim the excess dough around the edge, leaving about 1/2 an inch. If there are gaps or cracks in the top, use the excess dough to patch it. Notice the large pieces of butter in the pastry top. |
| Finish the edge of the pie by folding under and pressing the top and bottom pastry edges together with your fingers. Crimp the edge by pinching the dough between your two index fingers. A scalloped edge pie plate will help keep the shape of the crimped edge in place. |
| To finish off the pie, cut small slits into the top, or poke small holes with a fork to allow the steam to escape while the pie is baking. |
| At this point, place the pie in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to cool before putting it in the oven to bake. We recommend chilling the pie before putting it in the oven so that the butter and shortening are chilled when entering the hot oven. The colder the butter and shortening are when the pie is baked will produce a flakier pie crust. Important note: Some pie plates will crack when going from cold to hot. It is best to check with the manufacture before placing a cold pie plate in a hot oven. In addition, check the manufacture for maximum baking temperature. |
| Remove the chilled pie from the refrigerator and brush the top and outer edge with the remaining egg/water mixture. Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar. Place the pie plate on the prepared baking sheet. |
| Into the oven! Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes for a total of 40-45 minutes. For pie plates that cannot withstand a temperature of 425 degrees, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and reduce the heat to 375 to complete the baking process. Check the filling for firmness. If the top crust is brown enough and the apples are not ready, cover the pie with foil and cook until the apples are the desired firmness and juice begins to bubble. If you think you can wait, let the pie cool before serving. Enjoy. |
