Apple Pie

Step 1

Peel and slice the apples. Peel the apples. Cut off large sections of the apple around the core, then slice each section into 1/4-inch thick half-moons. You need about 3 pounds of apple slices, or about 8 cups.

Step 2

Toss the apples with the sugar and set aside to drain. Transfer the apples to a large bowl, sprinkle with the granulated sugar, and toss to combine, making sure there are no pockets of sugar in the bottom of the bowl. Transfer the sugar-coated apples to a colander, set the colander in the bowl, and set aside while preparing the dough and the rest of the ingredients, about 30 minutes.

Step 3

Heat the oven to 400ºF and prepare the pie dough. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Place a baking sheet in the oven while it is heating. Unroll one of the pie doughs and transfer to a 9-inch standard pie pan. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate, being careful not to puncture the dough. Unroll the second pie dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a paring knife to make 5 to 6 large vent holes in this top crust. Transfer to a baking sheet. Refrigerate the pie shell and top crust while making the filling.

Step 4

Coat the apples with the cornstarch and spices. Remove the colander from the bowl and pour off the accumulated liquid. Transfer the apples to the now-empty bowl. Add the cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Toss by hand to coat.

Step 5

Egg wash the pie shell. Whisk together the egg and water with a fork in small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush the inside of the pie crust with some of the wash to coat.

Step 6

Layer the apples in the bottom crust. Instead of dumping the apples into the crust, spend a few minutes laying and stacking the apple slices into the bottom pie crust. Don’t worry about making things perfectly level, but avoid large gaps and you’re less likely to get a shrunken filling and domed crust. The apples will be slightly taller than the pie pan. Discard any liquid left in the bottom of the bowl.

Step 7

Seal the top and bottom crusts. Lift the vented crust onto the filling and lightly press it down onto the apples. Pinch the edges of the pie dough to seal the top and bottom crusts together using your fingers or the tines of a fork.

Step 8

Brush the top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Brush the top and edges of the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

Step 9

Bake the pie 40 to 45 minutes. Bake the pie on the preheated baking sheet until the filling is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. If the edges of the pie crust are browning too quickly, cover the edges with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.

Step 10

Cool before slicing. Transfer the baked pie to a wire cooling rack and cool completely before slicing, about 4 hours.