The perfect apple pie

Imagine the fragrance of warm apples drifting through your house on a fall afternoon, and the taste of fresh pie for dessert at the family dinner table. Now imagine that you baked the pie from scratch and that your children helped.

No, really. It can happen.

With this easy baked-in-a-bag apple pie, even the kids can take part.

Paper bag apple pies aren't new; they've been around for a long time. In fact, you could say they are rather old-fashioned, making their first appearance in 1911 in a cookbook titled Soyer's Paper-Bag Cookery.

The simple recipe below is easy enough for beginners and unique enough to intrigue veteran bakers. The secret is in the paper bag, which allows the pie to brown without burning and produces a tender crust.

Kathy Woods

With this easy baked-in-a-bag apple pie, even the kids can take part.

See more recipes in: #Desserts

Ingredients

Filling

2 ½ lbs. or 4-5 apples of mixed variety (Granny Smith, Jonathan and Gala are a good mix)

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Topping

½ cup sugar

½ cup flour

½ cup cold butter, cut in pieces

Crust

2 cups flour

1 cup and 2 Tbsp. shortening

1 tsp. salt

Cut together and add:

¼ cup COLD water

½ egg

1 ½ Tbsp. vinegar

Mix gently. It's better if chilled, but can be rolled out right away.

Directions

Peel, core, and slice apples. Rinse in water and pat dry. Combine sugar, flour, and spices. Sprinkle over apples and toss to coat well. Let apples sit while making the bottom crust.
Make crust according to directions and line a 9-inch pie pan, fluting the edges. Spoon apples into pastry shell and drizzle with lemon juice.
Combine the topping ingredients, cutting in butter with a fork or pastry cutter until the mix resembles small peas. Pack the crumb mixture over the apples. Slip the pie into a large paper grocery bag. Fold the open end over twice and staple. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 425 degrees for one hour. Slit the bag open and carefully remove the pie. Cool on a wire rack.
Two large pieces of parchment paper stapled around the edges can be substituted for the paper bag if you prefer. Also, the recipe included here for the bottom crust is excellent because it rolls out nicely and freezes well for later use. However, you may already have a favorite crust recipe; or you might not be ready to tackle making your own and can purchase a pre-made shell. It is possible to use a crust instead of streusel for the top of the pie, although the streusel topping works especially well.