For the Crust:

1. Start by grabbing two sticks, (1 cup), of butter from the fridge.  This butter needs to be 100% cold.  Soft butter will not work.  Open each cold stick of butter and cut it into thirds, lengthwise.  That will leave three, long, skinny “planks”.  Turn the stack of planks one quarter turn onto the uncut side, and cut it, again, into thirds the long way.  Now, you have 9 long sticks.  Start at one end of the stack of sticks and begin cutting off small cubes.  Continue until all the butter is in cubes.  Put the cubes into a bowl and set it back in the fridge.
2. Prep a glass of ice water and grab a liquid measuring cup.  Put them on the counter close to where you’ll be working.
3. Add the flour and salt to a mixing bowl and stir them together.
4. Grab the cubed butter from the fridge and dump all the cubes into the flour.  From this point you are remembering TWO things: 1.  Work quickly so the butter stays cold.  2.  Don’t over-mix, so the crust won’t be tough.
5. Using your hands, work the butter into the flour.  Some of the cubes will get flattened between your fingers.  Others will stay about pea-sized.  That’s actually what you want.  You’re not so much mixing the butter and flour into one homogenous unit.  You’re actually being sure all the butter is coated in flour and distributed evenly through the entire bowl of flour.
6. Measure out 1/4 cup of the ice water and very gently, with your hands, start mixing it into the flour/butter mixture.  In the summer, with all it’s humidity, that 1/4 cup may be all you need to pull the dough together.  But, in the dry, heated air of winter, you will probably need to add the rest.  I even used 1 Tablespoon more, today, to get mine to come together.
7. You will know you have added enough water when the shaggy dough can be picked up in your hand and stays together in a clump when you give it a gentle squeeze.  This is not going to be a pretty, perfectly smooth ball of dough.  We’re working with it very minimally to preserve the structure of the butter and to promote a tender crust.
8. Take the shaggy ball of dough and divide it in half.
9. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 4- or 5- inch disk.  Wrap the plastic wrap around each disk and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Cold is your friend in this process.
10. While the dough is chilling, make your apple filling.

For the Filling:

1. Peel, core and slice 9-10 cups of apples.
2. Place the apple slices into a large stock pot or sauce pan and sprinkle with the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice.
3. Stir to coat all the apples and then begin heating them over medium-low heat, on your stove.  You’ll want to cook them until the mixture is slightly reduced in volume and the apples are just beginning to soften, slightly.  A thick, smooth glaze will have formed around the apples.  The process will take around 15 minutes.  You’ll want to give the apples a good stir several times, throughout.  (If you like your pie apples super soft, you can cook them for a little longer, but remember they will also have 45 minutes in the oven.  We don’t like mushy apples and so lean more toward the tender-crisp texture, as our preference.)
4. After the apples are done cooking, take them off the burner and set them aside, while you prepare the crusts.

To Assemble the Pie for Baking:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. Lightly spray a 9″ deep-dish pie pan with cooking oil.
3. Remove one dough disc from the fridge and roll it out to a diameter of 12″-13″.  Work from the center of the dish, rolling outward to the edges.  Turn the pin, a quarter turn to roll from the center out to another edge.  Work your way around the disc until it is rolled to a uniform thickness.
4. Transfer the rolled pie crust to your prepared pan, centering it evenly.  Trim the excess dough from the edges, leaving about 1/4″ of overhang past the rim, all the way around.
5. Dump the prepared apple filling into the crust.  Press down, gently, so that each slice of pie will be properly filled and not have air pockets.
6. Dot bits of the butter all around the top of the apples.
7. Roll out the second disc of pie dough, just like the first.  This is the point to cut any decorations if you are planning them.  I used a small heart cutter to decorate my top crust for Valentines Day.  You could also cut the dough into strips and make a woven top if you like.
8. Once you have finished preparing your top crust, transfer it to your pie, centering it over the filling.
9. Trim the edges, leaving a 1″ overhang.
10. Roll the top crust edge, under the bottom crust edge, pinching to seal, all the way around your pie.
11. Go back and crimp with your fingers to make a decorative edge around the pie.  Or you can use a fork, to imprint a design around the edge.
12. If you did not cut any designs in your top crust before placing it over the apples, use the tip of a sharp knife and cut 4 small slits at the center of the pie to vent steam.  If you did cut designs, those open areas will be the vent.
13. Beat the egg vigorously.  Then use a pastry brush to brush the beaten egg over the surface of your beautiful pie.
14. Sprinkle the coarse sugar over the entire surface.
15. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until the apples are tender.