Grandma's apple pie

After reading my last post, Yoastie asked me to share my recipe for Dutch apple pie. Because it's fresh apple season, and because I'm really proud of the pie, here it is! This used to be our Saturday and Sunday after church treat. My mom used to bake an apple pie almost every week when we were little (as long as the apples from our tree lasted).

Dutchnic's grandma's apple crumble pie
You will need:
- 500 gr. self rising flour
- 250 gr. margarine or butter
- 200 gr. white or brown sugar
- a package of vanilla sugar
- 1 egg
- ± 5 apples (I use Goldreinet or Elstar, don't know if those are available everywhere, they're sour apples)
- raisins and/or currants
- sugar
- cinnamon
- lemon juice

Heat the oven to 200°C (±400°F)
Sift the self rising flour and, using two knives or a fork, work the margarine through it. Add white or brown sugar, vanilla sugar and egg and knead until it's a good dough. Cover the dough and put it in the refrigerator.
In the mean time, peal and slice the apples. Add sugar, cinnamon and lemon to taste, as well as the washed and dried raisins and/or currants.
Grease a 28 cm diameter spring form (I use the margarine paper). Cover the spring form with 2/3 of the dough. If the apples are really wet, you can sprinkle some custard powder on the bottom of the dough before you add them to the bottom. The custard powder will be a nice sweet touch and it also absorbs excess moisture, but it's not necessary so if you don't have it, just leave it out. Put the apples in the bottom and make crumbs of the rest of the dough. Sprinkle the crumbs over the apple filling until you have a top crust (press on them a little bit to get them to stick together).
Brush the top with some egg or coffee cream for a nice shine. What also works is to brush the top of the pie with apricot jelly, but only do this after you take it out of the oven.
Bake the pie in the oven. I always do 10 minutes of 200°, then an hour on 175° (350°F) and then another 10 minutes with the oven door closed and the temperature turned off.

Very good with whipped cream, vanilla sauce or ice cream!

Oh, by the way: I got the picture off of the Internet. Don't have a picture of my apple pie...