Step 1

Prepare pie dough, preferably a day ahead.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 425ºF and place an oven rack in the lower and middle part of the oven.

Step 3

Roll out the pastry: Roll out 1 pie pastry disk to an 11″ circle. Fit the pastry in a 9” pie plate, making sure to press the pastry into the sides and the bottom. Roll out the second pastry to a 10” circle and slice strips to make a lattice, if desired, or leave the pastry whole. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Step 4

Prepare filling, add to the pastry-lined pie dish.

Step 5

Place the rolled out pastry or lattice strips on top of the pie filling. Crimp the edge of the pie, as desired.

Step 6

Brush the crust with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.

Step 7

Bake on the lower rack for 25 minutes.

Step 8

Lower the oven temperature to 400ºF (see note about precooked filling). If the crust is browning, cover the outer edges with aluminum foil or a pie shield, leaving the middle of the crust exposed. Continue to bake on the lower rack for 20 minutes.

Step 9

Then move the pie up to the middle rack to let the top crust brown more, for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the temperature of the middle of the pie reaches above 200ºF.

Step 10

Let the pie cool for about 1-4 hours for the juices to set up.