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1
Set oven rack to lowest position and preheat to 400u00b0F.
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2
On a well-floured surface, roll out half of dough to a circle about 15-inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick, and ease into 9-inch glass* pie pan. Do not stretch the dough. Leave edges unfinished at this point. Place pie on a foil-lined baking sheet with sides. In a small bowl beat egg whites with water (this is an egg wash). Brush bottom crust and sides with the egg wash. You won't use all of it. (It helps keep the filling from soaking through the bottom crust.) Set aside while you make the filling.
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3
Peel and core all the apples. Cut the sweet apples into larger chunks (they will get very soft and cook faster), and thinly slice the tart apples (they will hold their shape and take longer to cook.) Set aside.
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4
In a bowl combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir until evenly blended. Transfer to a 3-quart saucepan and add apple juice, vanilla, and lemon juice (if using). Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat.
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5
Stir the apples into the thickened apple juice and toss until evenly distributed. Set to the side to cool slightly.
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6
Meanwhile, roll out second half of dough to make the top crust. Pour filling into bottom crust and gently transfer top crust to pie. Brush the edges of the bottom crust with water or additional egg wash and press the top and bottom crusts together. Trim so there is about 1/4-inch overhang beyond the edge of the pie pan. Flute the edge of pie crust. Brush the top of the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Using a sharp knife, cut several vents in the top to allow steam to escape during baking. You can decorate with extra pieces of dough if desired, securing them with egg wash or water.
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7
Transfer pie on the baking sheet to the hot oven. Bake until both the top and bottom crusts are golden brown and the juices are bubbling in the center of the pie, about 60 to 75 minutes. You should be able to hear the pie bubbling. If the pie is browning on top too quickly, tent it with a piece of tin foil.
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8
Let pie cool at least 1 to 2 and preferably 3 hours before slicing. The apples will reabsorb some of the juices while the pie rests and your slices will be picture perfect.
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9
* Using a glass pie pan will allow you to see when the bottom crust is cooked all the way through. Raw dough will have a grey'ish color. The main mistake people make is under-cooking their pies.
