Perfect Apple Pie {using an oil crust pastry}
Today I wanted to share one of my favorite apple pie recipes. I love this old recipe because it uses an oil crust which is simple to make. I’ve spoken to several old timers who told me that using an oil crust was a Depression Era thing. Regardless of why, this crust is never soggy and I love that about it.
This recipe is from one of my dearest friend’s mother’s recipe box. Anne and I have been friends since the tenth grade. She now lives on the west coast, and I on the east, so therein lies the problem. Visiting is rare and a special treat. A few years ago we got to spend a few days on Peaks Island, ME together and this summer we got to spend a day catching up while the kids played in my mom’s pool.
Now the weather’s cold and I’ve been baking her mom’s pie and anticipating my next visit over a cup of tea with Anne. 🙂
Oil Pastry:
2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 T. cold water
Sprinkle of sugar to put on crust after it’s assembled.
Sift together flour and salt. Pour oil and water into measuring cup, but don’t stir. Add all at once to flour and salt mixture. Stir slightly with a fork. Form into 2 balls; flatten dough slightly. Roll each ball between two 12″ square pieces of wax paper. When dough is rolled into a circle to edges of paper, it will be the right thickness for the crust. Peel of the top sheet of waxed paper and fit the dough, paper side up into either an 8″ or 9″ pie plate. Peel off second sheet of waxed paper. Set crust aside. Roll second dough ball the same as the first. Set second crust aside.
Apple Filling:
6 c. tart apples, pared, cored and thinly sliced, about 6-8 apples
3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you like your pie and how tart your apples are
2 T all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of salt
2 T butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To make the filling, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix with apples. Fill the dough lined pie plate with the apple mixture. Dot with 2 T butter. Add the top crust. Cut slits for steam to escape. Seal edges. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 50 minutes or until crust edges are golden brown. Enjoy!
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You can brush it with water too; that’s what my mother taught me to do. It works as well as milk. A sprinkle of sugar (or cinnamon sugar for an apple pie) is nice too. And yes, my recipe came from an older Betty Crocker Good’n’Easy Cookbook; think it’s from the 1950s. The page with the copyright date is long gone!
Oh yay! I don’t know anyone else that uses the oil crust! I was never very good at pie crust until I used the oil crust recipe! It is one of those “never fail” recipes! 🙂 More recently, my son decided that he was going to make a pie and brushed the top with milk! He read some where that it would make it golden on top and it did. It was amazing! I found my recipe in an older Betty Crocker cookbook. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
It’s so easy! Thanks for the milk tip. Will try that next time. 🙂
I always make an oil pastry for my pies. It all started when I was a teen and was baking to earn some money. My mother always had trouble with pie crusts and she suggested I try an oil crust. It worked like a charm. Over the years I have occasionally tried the other type, but nothing works like the oil crust. I’m happy to see someone else using this technique also!
Oh, that is such a nice story! I wonder if oil was more economical or just more reliable during the Depression? Not sure why, but it’s a good one! 🙂
The crust recipe is similar to my mom’s. I just made 2 blueberry pies with it: one for church and one to test to make sure the church pie was ok. My mom always put egg yolk rather than sugar on her pies: she likes them golden brown.
Bruce, I feel like I’m in very good company now. Your mom is a legendary homemaker. 🙂 And I totally understand the whole two pie thing. Better to be safe than sorry! 🙂 Say hello to Liz for me.
I love reading about old recipes that continue to be a hit, Sarah. They remind me that I have a lot to learn from those who have gone before.
Tim, I’m with you. I am fascinated with the Depression Era, and think back to things that my great grandparents did, and wish I had asked them about it before they passed away! My great grandmother always had onions hanging in nylons in the breezeway. I want to know who on earth thought of that trick. 🙂