Pie Crust

1. You can use a store-bought pie crust or you can make your own. Skip to step 6 directly if you’re using a store bought pie crust.
2. In a large bowl, add the flour, butter, salt and sugar. Mix well. Add cubed butter on top.
3. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredientssuch that all pieces are completely coated by the flour. The pieces of butter should be about the size of a pea or a little larger.
4. Start adding 2 tablespoons of ice cold water at a time and knead the pie dough with your hands or stir using a spoon. Make sure not to knead too much as the butter will start melting. Repeat this process until the dough starts coming together and forming large clumps. It will feel sticky but not overly wet. Do not add more water than you need to.
5. Once the dough comes together, shape and flatten the dough into two discs of about 1-inch radius. Cover the dough with a plastic film or wrap and let them chill in the refrigerator for atleast 2 hours or upto 3 days before using it in a pie.
6. Once chilled, take one of them out from the refrigerator and let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and start rolling it outwards using a rolling pin. We want to form a 12-inches diameter. Roll more on the edges as compared to the center. If the butter starts melting, chill the rolled dough again for about 10-15 minutes and continue rolling.
7. Carefully place the dough on the greased pie dish. Tuck the edges in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth. Form a curved pattern using your knuckles.
8. Dock the pie dough with the help of a fork. Docking is poking holes in your pie using a fork throughout the crust placed in the pie plate. This is very important while par baking. Docking the pie dough is very important for the dough to be able to bake evenly – don’t skip it!
9. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
10. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and line it with a parchment paper. Fill the parchment paper with pie weights. This is important to avoid the pie crust from shrinking.
11. Bake the pie crust for 14-15 minutes or until edges start to brown a little. Take out the pie from the oven and remove the pie weights. Also poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust using a fork to avoid it from rising.

Caramel Apple Pie Filling

1. In a medium pot, combine the diced apples, spices, lemon juice and dark brown sugar. Toss it and let it sit for 30-45 minutes
2. Cook the filling until the sugar melts and allow to simmer covered for 5-8 minutes over medium heat. Take it off the heat and add the almond extract, bourbon and cornstarch.
3. Let it cool completely. To speed this up, pour it into a tray.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) with a metal baking pan. Add the apple pie filling to your pie along with the juices if any.
2. Roll out your second dough, making it a bit thicker than your other dough. and cut into pieces to make a lattice. Weave them together on top of your pie. Trim the lattice edges so they aren’t sticking out over the sides. Tuck the excess sides under and press it gently together to make your edges. Crimp the edges as you wish. Brush it with your egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.
3. Bake pie for 45-50 minutes. If your pie edges are getting too browned, you can cover them with strips of aluminium foil. Cool the pie for at least an hour before cutting.
4. Store pie at room temperature in an airtight container for 5 days.