Propaganda Classic Apple Pie

In his book Propaganda, human relations expert Edward Bernays described how businesses and government effectively use a variety of techniques to sway public opinion.  In the early 20th century, hard cider manufactured from apples was banned.  What were apple growers to do? 

Some believe that the Apple Marketing Board may have developed the slogans "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" and "As American as apple pie" to keep apples in the consciousness of the American public and thus in their shopping carts.

This recipe is easier to make than it looks like from the long list of directions below.  Basically, mix up the pie crusts, mix up the apples, and put it all together.  This pie crust seems oily when preparing it, but bakes flaky and crisp.  You don't need a food processor or fancy techniques to create this crust. 

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pie Crust Ingredients

• 2C flour
• 2/3C olive oil
• 5T water

Apple Filling Ingredients

• 6C apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2C sugar
• 2T flour
• 1t ground cinnamon
• 1/4t salt
• 1/8t nutmeg
• 1T lemon juice

Directions

1. Place sliced apples in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.  Pour over apples.
3. Add lemon juice to apple mixture.
4. Mix well to ensure all apple slices are coated with mixture.  
5. Set the bowl of coated apples aside and prepare the pie crusts.
6. To make the pie crust, combine pic crust ingredients in a bowl and mix/knead until formed into a ball.  Divide into two pieces and reform as balls.
7. Take the first ball and roll out between sheets of wax paper.  
8. Peel off top sheet of wax paper and flip the crust over into a pie plate.  Peel off the remaining piece of wax paper.  Press the crust until it conforms to the pan.
9. Transfer the apples into the pie plate.
10. Take the second ball of dough and roll it out between two pieces of wax paper.  Peel off the top layer.
11. Flip the dough onto the apples and gently peel off the wax paper.
12. Cut off the excess dough, but leave a little bit hanging off the edge of the pie plate.
13. Form the overhanging dough into a border.  This will also ensure that the bottom and top crusts are sealed (otherwise they will separately slightly during baking).
14. Use a knife to cut slits or decorative designs into the top crust.
15. Cover the pinched border with strips of aluminum foil.
16. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
17. Remove the strips of aluminum foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.
18. Serve with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.