Deep-Dish Double-Crust Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
• 3 pounds apples, half Granny Smith and half Honeycrisp (about 7 large)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small bits
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon coarse sugar for the top

Before you cook

• Cube the butter and return it to the refrigerator until you need it.
• Fill a measuring cup with water and ice and set it beside the bowl.
• Peel and core the apples, then slice them a scant 1/4 inch thick.
• Whisk the egg with the water in a small bowl for the wash.

Steps

1. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Drop in the cold butter cubes and toss them to coat in the flour.
3. Press and smear the butter between your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of lima beans and the rest look like coarse crumbs.
4. Sprinkle in six tablespoons of ice water and toss with a fork until the flour is evenly dampened.
5. Squeeze a handful of the dough; if it does not hold together, add ice water one tablespoon at a time until it does.
6. Divide the dough into two pieces, making one slightly larger than the other, and press each into a thick disk.
7. Wrap both disks and chill them for at least one hour.
8. Toss the sliced apples in a large bowl with both sugars, the cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice.
9. Let the apples sit for thirty minutes so they release their juice and settle.
10. Set an oven rack in the lowest position and heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
11. Roll the larger disk of dough into a 13-inch circle on a lightly floured counter.
12. Lift the dough into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and press it gently into the corners without stretching it.
13. Roll the second disk into a 12-inch circle.
14. Pile the apples and all their juices into the shell, mounding them high in the center.
15. Dot the top of the fruit with the small bits of butter.
16. Lay the second round of dough over the apples.
17. Trim both crusts to a half-inch overhang, fold the edge under itself, and crimp it firmly all the way around.
18. Cut four two-inch slits through the top crust to let steam escape.
19. Brush the crust with the egg wash and scatter the coarse sugar over it.
20. Set the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
21. Lower the oven to 375 degrees and bake another 45 to 55 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and you can see thick juice bubbling slowly through the slits.
22. Cool the pie on a rack for at least four hours before slicing so the filling sets.