Apple Pie With Cheddar Cheese Crust

Pulse 2½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. plus ⅛ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ lb. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated, in a food processor (alternatively, whisk ingredients to combine in a large bowl). Add 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½" pieces and chilled and ¼ cup vegetable shortening, cut into ½" pieces and chilled and pulse (or work the butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry blender) until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 6 Tbsp. ice-cold water evenly over flour mixture and pulse (or gently stir with a fork) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful; if dough doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, pulsing (or stirring) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough. Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide in half; form each half into a 5" disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour. Do Ahead: Dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead (keep refrigerated) or frozen up to 3 months.

Put a foil-lined large baking sheet in middle of oven; preheat oven to 450°F.

Peel and core 1½ lb. Gala apples and 1½ lb. Granny Smith apples, then slice ¼" thick. Toss apple slices with ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar, 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (23 g), 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, and ¼ tsp. kosher salt until evenly coated.

Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining disk chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13" round. Fit into a 9" pie plate. Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 11" round and chill until needed.

Transfer apple mixture to bottom crust. Dot with 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled, then cover with 2nd pastry round. Trim edges, leaving a ½" overhang. Press edges together to seal, then fold under and crimp. Lightly brush top crust with 1 Tbsp. whole milk, then cut 5 (1"-long) vents.

Place pie dish on prepared hot baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°F and bake until top of the pie is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes more. Cool to warm or room temperature, 2–3 hours.