Sandy's Recipe Book - Grandma Scheffert's Apple Pie

Apple Pie

Recipe from: Susan Scheffert

Directions:

• Stir together:
• 3 lbs apples (peeled and sliced at ¼ an inch)
• ½ cup flour
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg
•  I used about ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and a good pinch of nutmeg
• Then add:
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 1 stick melted butter
• For crust, mix and roll out:
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup oil
• ¼ cup water or milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Place apple mixture in a large glass dish and then lay crust over top
• Cut slits on top and sprinkle lightly with sugar
• Bake at 350° for 45 minutes

This recipe is from my Grandma Scheffert--my dad's mom! Grandma lived upstairs at our house with us, which was a full apartment. We were very close to her, especially my brother. She cared for us when our parents were working (we never had a babysitter), dropped us off at and picked us up from school (we never rode a school bus), and took us on adventures during the summer. She loved reading and gardening and birds. She was a very active grandma and we were lucky to have her. I have lots of memories with Grandma Scheffert and I miss her a lot!

I was chatting to my dad about different desserts a while ago and he mentioned that he always liked his mom's apple pie, so I decided to make it for him for Father's Day. I've never made a pie before. Fruity desserts ain't really my bag, baby, so I wouldn't ever really think to make something like this. This recipe didn't have a bottom crust, but I confirmed with my dad beforehand that this was correct!

I really struggle with rolling out dough. I just don't have the right ratio of flour on the surface or on my rolling pin or...something. The first attempt didn't come up off the counter. The second attempt wouldn't hold together. At that point, I added a bit more milk and kneaded it and used parchment paper to roll it. I then threw the whole thing (parchment paper and all) over the apples, peeled the parchment up...and it worked. It wasn't pretty like I hoped it would be and I wasn't able to do a cool scallop on the edge, but whatever! With my three crust attempts, putting it together took a little over an hour. It doesn't cut or keep its shape like a regular pie and it's sort of soupy--this is normal, according to my dad!

Thirty minutes into baking it, I smelled smoke! The problem was that the buttery filling was overflowing the glass dish and landing on the bottom of the oven. I now know to put a pan under the dish! It was too much smoke to continue baking, so I went over to my dad's early to finish baking it. First I had to open windows and bring out fans to air out the entire first floor, which took about 45 minutes. 😂 I really was channeling my Grandma Scheffert today, because I definitely remember her causing smoke every once in a while upstairs while baking or cooking! The perfect homage to her whilst making her apple pie.

Anyway, my dad, my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece, and myself all enjoyed this Father's Day treat today with a side of vanilla ice cream!