How much practice/attempts does it take/did it take you to bake a delicious apple pie?

[luzianne]

I've only made one apple pie and it was delicious. I made it with Granny Smith apples. Sweets don't get eaten very fast around here so I guess I just never considered it worth my time to make another one.

[lubby]

I will confess I have never made my own crust, I use pillsbury, but my filling is out of this world. I have a dough blade on my food processor and I may make a homeade crust this Thanksgiving.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

I think an apple pie - or basically any pie with yummy fruit in it - is possibly the closest thing to heaven that you can put into your mouth - yet so rarely do i get the privilege of home-made pie. Some bakeries do an excellent job, but otherwise, I'm seldom truly blown away by what I get at cafes, or the frozen pies at the supermarket.

I remember attempting to make my own pastry dough and failing miserably to be able to mix the ingredients properly. I found that was the hardest part. Now I'm thinking of trying again, but I'm wondering if I should even bother if it's not going to taste delicious. The crust is actually the best part for me: I like pies piping hot, with a crunchy, crumbly, buttery crust/pastry that is ever so slightly singed. The insides have to be sweet, melt-in-your mouth but with a little crunch.

For those who won't taught by their mothers or grandmothers (or for those who were) who bake their own pies, how long did it take you to get it just right (assuming you have already)? I imagine a lot of trial and error, it seems like a deceptively simple thing, but I'm a complete novice when it comes to pastry.

Any tips.etc you could give me?

I have to admit and I am not trying to brag, it took me once or maybe twice. This is one of the things I started baking clear back in highschool...I just hit it right the first time or two.

Now, what has taken me for years to get just right is some of my canning: good sour pickles for one thinga and good salsa is another. We love spicey hot, but not too hot for others to eat. We have finally gotten it down...it only took about 20 years, that is not bad?? yes it is...

[rural chick]

The first time I made an apple pie, there weren't enough apples in it. The crust raised up and then there was air and then the measely amount of apples were in a thin layer, plus my bottom crust was a soggy mess. I had used the amount of apples called for in the recipe but something was wrong.

I later learned that certain apples don't hold their shape as apples contain water. When I was in culinary school I was taught that the best apples to use for pies are firm textured apples such as Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Rome and Braeburn (I personally like Gala too as well as the apples from the neighbors apple tree down the street). I like to use different apples in the same pie to give it different texture.

I also learned that to keep the apples from shrinking and having a large space between the apples and the crust, it is best if you sugar the apples in a bowl and let the sugar draw out some of the water before putting the slices in the crust. (Pour the water/juice off before putting in the crust).(Or, you can pre-cook the apples about 10 minutes on low heat and drain well before putting in the crust). When testing the apple apple through the slits in the pie, the apples should feel tender but not mushy. I always let my pie sit until cool about 3 hours before slicing.

I love a good old homemade pie but many times I use Pillsbury crusts like another poster said. They seem to be pretty flaky and it sure saves a lot of time. If you cut slits in a pretty pattern, I doubt that anyone (well you would) would know the difference if the crust was homemade or bought at the local grocery store.

Happy Apple Pie. The American Dream.

[gentlearts]

The secret with crust is to make it moist enough to roll easily. Also, a pie crust can smell fear, so you must be bold and unafraid, and use plenty of flour on your board and rolling pin.
As for the filling, it is safest if you use a variety of types of apples. This way, you are more likely to nail the correct moisture content. If you use flour as a thickener, make sure you don't take the pie out of the oven until you see the juice bubbling up in the pie. If you use tapioca, make sure to let the pie cool before you cut it,or the tapioca will not be congealed.
I use a mixture of Crisco and butter, a bit of sugar and a bit of salt with cold water. Sometimes I add fresh lemon zest.

[Mrs. Skeffington]

My family had a bakery years ago, and we made all of our apple pies with fresh apples (no canned filling in ours). We have a hand cranked parer/peeler that makes prepping the apples easier. We always used butter flavored shortening in all our pie crusts - I still use butter flavored Crisco. We bought the apples direct from the orchard in bushel baskets. As for the best type oif apple I've ever used, I can't tell you the name. They come from a lone tree in the middle of a field at a farm where I do some picking and it was there when they bought the farm. They didn't spray the tree - the apples were spotted and not very pretty - but they made the best pies I've ever tasted. They are a bit on on the tart side and not very juicy, so I didn't need much corn starch which I use as a thickener. I used cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg to season. They let me take as many of those apples as I wanted. DH ate so many apple pies and dumplings last fall and winter that he got tired of them (hard to believe). I hope to get more next month.