Ingredients

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
11 tablespoons unsalted cold butter (about 1 1/3 sticks)
1/4 cup cold water

To make the crust: Before you begin, turn on the oven to 425 F and place the oven rack in the middle.
Use a spoon to mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch chunks and add to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, pinch the butter into the flour until it looks like big crumbs, almost like uncooked oatmeal.
Sprinkle in the water, a little at a time, and press the dough together until it makes a ball. Add a few more drops of water if the dough seems too dry. Gather any extra bits of dough into the ball and divide into two balls, one a little larger than the other.

Apple filling:
5 to 6 large Granny Smith or other firm apples
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

With the help of an adult, peel, core and cut the apples into slices or chunks (there should be about 6 cups). In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour and cinnamon with a spoon. Add the apples and toss them with a spoon to cover evenly with the sugar mixture.

To make the pie:
Put the larger dough ball on a big piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and press it down gently, once or twice, with the heel of your hand or a rolling pin. Cover with another piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. With the rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circle. Work from the center, using short, quick motions, and roll only in one direction — out toward the edges. The circle should be about
1 1/2 inches bigger than the pie pan. Put your pie pan upside down over the circle to help measure it.
Remove the top piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and fit the circle of dough into the pan by putting the pie pan, upside down, on top of the dough and quickly flipping it so the dough falls inside the pan. Carefully, peel the dough away from the wax paper or plastic wrap. If the dough breaks, gently pinch it back together. Lightly press and shape the dough into the pan, up the side and along the edge.
Fill the pie pan with the apples. Cut the remaining butter into small chunks and dot them on top of the apples.
Put the second ball of dough on wax paper or plastic wrap, press it down and cover with another piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Roll it as you did before into a circle only slightly larger than the top edge of the pan. Remove the top sheet of wax paper or wrap. Fit the crust over the top of the pie by picking up the wax paper or wrap and flipping it over to cover the apples. Gently peel the paper or wrap off the dough.
Seal the pie by pinching all the dough around the edges of the pan together with your fingers. Cut away any extra dough from the edges and use it to make decorations, like your initials, and press them into the top pie crust. Use a knife to make slits on the top crust so steam can escape during baking.

Directions

To bake the pie: Place the pie on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and put on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 F, then lower the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the pie is done. The crust should be golden and apple juices bubbling at the edges.