Susan Brackett's First Prize Apple Pie

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 7 tablespoons ice water
• Filling:
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 7 cups thinly sliced peeled Pink Lady apple (about 7 medium)
• Cooking spray
• Topping:
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons chilled butter

Preparation

1. To prepare crust, lightly spoon 1 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; cut in 2 tablespoons butter and vegetable shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle surface with vinegar and ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until dough is moist and crumbly (do not form a ball). Gently press dough into a 4-inch circle on 2 sheets of overlapping heavy-duty plastic wrap, and cover with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll the dough, still covered, into a 12-inch circle. Chill the dough 30 minutes or until the plastic wrap can be easily removed.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. To prepare filling, combine granulated sugar and next 4 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon salt) in a small bowl. Sprinkle sugar mixture over apple; toss well to coat.
4. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap from dough circle; fit dough, plastic wrap side up, into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray, letting dough extend over edge of plate. Remove remaining plastic wrap. Fold edges under, and flute. Spoon filling into crust.
5. To prepare topping, combine 6 tablespoons flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in 3 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle topping mixture over apple mixture. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 40 minutes.