The Best Apple Pie

This easy to make and delicious apple pie recipe has a flakey butter crust and tender apple filling that’s bursting with flavor and perfectly sweet! Instead of adding lots of flour or cornstarch to thicken the filling I cook the juices down into an apple caramel, which holds all those apple pieced together and really amps up the flavor and makes a tasty pie!

Equipment

• 8 inch pie dish

Ingredients

For the Filling:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 lbs apples Honey crisp, Cortland, or Mitsu
• 2/3 cup sugar plus more for sprinkling on the pie
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp corn starch

For the Pie Crust:

• 2 cups unsalted butter Very cold, 452g
• 5 cups all-purpose flour 600g
• 1/2 cup sugar 100g
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup ice water

For the Assembly

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cream
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

For the Pie Dough

• Add the 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt into a food processor. Give it a few pulses.
• Cut 1 cup of COLD butter into tbsp size pieces. Transfer to food processor and pulse until the butter is cut into small lentil-sized clumps.
• Slowly drizzle the ice water and lemon juice into the processor while pulsing. If the mixture doesn’t hold together when you squeezer a clump in your hand then add a bit more water and pulse. 
• Transfer dough onto a pastry mat or counter and knead 2-3 times just to help it come together a bit. Gently flatten into a one inch-thick disk, and cover in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

For the Filling

• Peel, core and slice your apples, then toss with the lemon juice. Add the sugar then toss to combine evenly.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the apples soften and release most of their juices, about 7 minutes. While the apples are cooking down you can mix in the corn starch.
• Pour the apples into a strainer set over a large bowl. Set the apples aside and pour juice back into the pan. Cook at medium-high heat stirring frequently until the liquid bubbles vigorously and thickens.
• In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the reduced juice and spices. Set aside to cool completely.
• Roll out your both of your chilled pie dough batches into two disks about 1/4 inch thick. Place one into your pie dish leaving half an inch of overhang. Cut the other into strips. You can choose any thickness for them but I tend to like mine to be almost an inch thick.
• Add your filling to the dish. smooth out surface with a spatula. Any voids can cause the lattice top to sag.
• Construct your lattice top by placing one set of strips on the pie then fold every other strip over. Place a strip of dough perpendicular to the others just next to the place you folded the others. Fold down the strips and repeat the process with the alternating strips until the lattice is complete.
• Trim the strips and fold under the bottom layer of pie dough. pinch together to bind the layers together.
• In a small bowl add one egg and a tablespoon of cream or milk. Mix very well together. Brush the lattice THOROUGHLY with the egg wash. Be gentle so as not to mar the lattice. The egg wash makes a huge difference in the pie’s appearance giving a golden shiny finish.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 350f until golden brown in the center, about 45-50 minutes. I ALWAYS tent my pies. This means protecting the edge with a long sheet of foil folded in half. This way the pie’s edge stays golden when the center bakes instead of burning!

Notes

• Adding vodka to your ice water will help bring the dough together but won’t toughen your crust by activating the gluten. The alchohol baked off so there’s no need to worry about taste being impacted.
• Try adding a teaspoon or two of cinnamon to the dry ingredients of your crust. You’ll end up with a nice depth or flavor and beautiful color.
• Give the egg wash a thorough mix for a nice even golden crust. Globs of egg whites will mar the look and texture.
• You can make the pie dough and filling a day or two in advance. Just assemble and bake the day of for a fresh out of the oven pie in a jiffy.
• This recipe makes enough filling and dough for an 8″ dish. If you’re using a deep dish or slightly larger size you need to DOUBLE the filling recipe.
• TENT that crust during baking. You need to cover the edge with foil so it doesn’t burn while you wait for the center to get nice and golden.
• If you’re using a small food processor or making the dough by hand it’s easiest to make it in two batches. You can halve the ingredients above or head over to my pie crust recipe and make it twice. Allow at least 30 minutes of chill time for the dough.

What You’ll Need For This Recipe

Apples: Granny Smith apples are a classic choice but Gala and Honey Crisp are great choices too. See below for more apple suggestions!

Butter: I use unsalted butter for this apple pie recipe. If using salted  you do not need to add any additional salt.

Cream: This is just for the egg wash. You can use milk or even water instead if desired.

How To Make Apple Pie

1. Start off by adding the all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Give it a few pulses before adding the butter. Cut the COLD butter up into tablespoon sized pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse a few times until the butter is in pea-sized clumps. Drizzle the ice water and lemon juice into the processor while pulsing. If you can squeeze the dough into a clump that stays together then it’s done. If not, add in another tablespoon of ice water. 

2. Transfer the dough onto a pastry mat or another floured surface and knead 2 to 3 times just to help it come together a bit. Gently flatten the dough into a one-inch thick disk and cover it in plastic wrap or a ziplock bag, then place it in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

3. Peel and cut the apples’ flesh away from the core. Dice or slice each piece into a thickness of half an inch or less in size. Transfer apple pieces into a large bowl, pour fresh squeezed lemon juice and sugar over them and toss.

4. Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add apple mixture and cook until the apples soften a bit. While the apples are softening you can mix the corn starch in.

5. Pour the mixture into a strainer over a bowl to separate the juices out. Pour the juice back into the pan and place the softened apples into a bowl.

6. Cook the apple juices down until bubbly and thickened. It will become a delicious caramel with lots of apple and lemon flavor. 

7.  Once thickened pour the thickened juices onto the apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg then mix well to combine. Set aside to cool while you prepare the crust.

8. Roll out your chilled pie crust into two disks about 1/4 inch thick. Place one into your pie dish leaving half an inch of overhang. Cut the other disk into strips. You can choose any thickness for them but I tend to like mine to be almost an inch thick. Add the apple filling into the pie shell and smooth the top. Any crevices can lead to pastry on top sagging.

9. Construct your lattice top by placing one set of strips on the pie then fold every other strip over. Place a strip of dough perpendicular to the others just next to the place you folded the others. Fold down the strips and repeat the process with the alternating strips until the lattice is complete. Trim the strips and fold under the bottom layer of pie dough, pinch together to bind the layers together.

10. Brush the lattice thoroughly with the egg wash. Be gentle so as not to mar the lattice. The egg wash makes a huge difference in the pie’s appearance giving a golden shiny finish. Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes. ALWAYS tent your pies. This means protecting the edge with a long sheet of foil folded in half. This way the pie’s edge stays golden when the center bakes instead of burning!

Pro Tips for Making This Recipe

• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• Try adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients of your crust. You’ll end up with a nice depth or flavor and beautiful color.
• Give the egg wash a thorough mix for a nice even golden crust. Globs of egg whites will mar the look and texture.
• If you’re a pie making novice, OR want to know how to make it without a food processor head over to my Pie Crust Recipe post. It has a full how to video on making the PERFECT pie crust from scratch every time.
• You can make the pie dough and filling a day or two in advance. Just assemble and bake the day of for a fresh out of the oven pie in a jiffy.
• This apple pie recipe makes enough filling and dough for an 8″ dish. If you’re using a deep dish or larger size you need to DOUBLE the filling recipe.
• TENT that crust during baking. You need to cover the edge with foil so it doesn’t burn while you wait for the center to get nice and golden.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best apples for apple pie?

Apples with a nice balance of acid and sweetness are best for baking this apple pie. Honey crisps, granny smith, braeburn, golden delicious, and cortland apples are all great choices. Use your favorite and enjoy! I never use red delicious as they tend to be mealy and mild.

How long do you bake an apple pie from scratch?

Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes but make sure to loosely wrap the edge of your pie with foil. The middle and bottom take much longer to bake through than the top edge. Without foil you’ll have a soggy middle and burnt edge.

Do you cook apples before putting them in a pie?

Yes you should pre-cook the filling for your apple pie. Unlike berry pies, the apples are quite firm and must be cooked separately before baking in the pie crust. 

How do you keep the bottom crust from getting soggy?

I reduce the amount of water in the apples by cooking them down then further cooking the juice they release into a caramel. If you want the Crispest crust then consider blind baking the crust. In this process you partially bake the crust before adding the filling. If you do this the top will not fully seal with the bottom, which is why you’ll see mostly open topped pies using this technique.

From: The Preppy Kitchen