• First, prepare the crust dough using the recipe for butter pie crust. Set the dough aside in the refrigerator to rest for at least an hour.
• Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove their cores. Then cut each half into slices about an eighth to a quarter of an inch thick.
• Place the apple slices in a large bowl and pour over the lemon juice. Toss well to coat them thoroughly with the lemon juice.
• Place all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar.
• Add the mixture of dry ingredients to the apples and stir to distribute evenly throughout. When everything is combined, the apples will be covered in a sticky cinnamon-scented paste.
• Lightly flour a rolling surface and take the dough for the bottom crust out of the refrigerator to begin softening a bit. In the meantime, place a baking sheet lined with tinfoil into the oven and heat to 425°F.

Assembling the Pie

• As soon as the crust dough is pliable enough to work with a rolling pin, roll it into a rough circle large enough to fit into a pie plate with some excess hanging over the edges.
• Gently wrap the dough around the rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour clinging to the underside edges of the dough while gathering it onto the pin.
• Unfurl the bottom crust dough over the pie plate and carefully press it down into the bottom and sides of the dish. Fold under the overhanging portions all around the edges of the pie plate.
• Pour the apple mixture into the bottom crust and spread throughout the pie plate, slightly mounding it in the center.
• Dot the butter evenly across the apple mixture before moving on to preparation of the top crust.
• Roll out the smaller disk of dough into a rough circle large enough to cover the apples and extend a bit beyond the edge of the bottom crust.
• Apply a little cold water to the edge of the bottom crust before gently placing the dough for the top crust over the apples and then pressing all around the edges to seal. Tuck under the excess dough and crimp all around the border of the crust.

Baking the Pie

• To glaze the pie before baking (strongly recommended), first beat the egg white with a pinch of salt until it is frothy.
• Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the frothy egg white over the top and edges of the unbaked pie and then sprinkle over the sugar.
• With a sharp knife, cut a few vents into the top crust.
• Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet in the oven. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 375°F and bake for another 35 to 45 minutes more (for a grand total of 50 minutes to an hour), or until the crust is deeply golden and the apples feel soft when pierced with a knife through the vents in the crust.
• Let the pie cool for at least four hours before serving.