The Best Apple Pie

This weekend, I rounded up the crew for apple picking. Saturday afternoon was spent strolling through the local fruit farm, in search of the best, sweetest, and crispest apples. One of us even fell out of a tree in pursuit of the perfect apple that was just a liiiittle too high up... that person may have been me. Oops.  

After we filled our bags, we rewarded ourselves with some of the best cider and doughnuts I've tasted, and headed home to start on an apple pie. Little did we know, apple pies only need about 5-8 apples. Needless to say, we've got some extras. I'm already brainstorming ideas on what to do with them... Right now I'm thinking my grandpa's famed applesauce, and maybe another apple pie. Yes, this recipe is that good. But don't take my word for it... ask the empty pie pan in my sink right now. Yup, we finished it in about 18 hours. The filling is amazing, thanks to a delicious brown sugar syrup poured over the top before baking, and the crust is the perfect amounts of buttery and flaky. This pie also doesn't scorch, which is an issue I've ran into with previous pies. I'm excited to share the recipe with you, and hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
For The Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter, chilled and diced
• 1/2 cup ice water

1. In a large bowl, combine butter and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. I find that it's best to use a food processor for this step, if you have one. Mix in water, a bit at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm.
2. Roll out dough to fit a 9 inch pie pan. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pan. Save remaining dough for top crust. 

For The Pie:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 5-8 apples (we used 6) peeled, cored, and sliced

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan, and stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, fill your pie crust with the sliced apples. Gently pour the sugar and butter mixture over the apples. Cover with a lattice work crust. 
3. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. Reduce the temperature to 350 F and continue baking for about 40 minutes, or until apples are soft.