There are few things more American than a classic apple pie. And since the 4th of July is one week away what better time to share our recipe for making it right at home. Utilizing a flakey homemade pie crust that is both delicious and incredibly easy to make. And a filling that is sweet but not too sweet and perfectly spiced. So if you are a fan of apple pie then I guarantee you will love this recipe.
Best apples for apple pie?
I have always found that a mixture of different apples results in the best apple pie. Some are sweeter while others are more tart, and some will cook up firm while others tender. So by using a combination you get the best of all qualities.
Braeburn – Has a unique almost citrusy flavor that is both sweet and tart. It is very firm when cooked making it great if you want a little bite in your pie filling.
Fuji – Crisp and firm when cooked and incredibly juicy with a balanced flavor.
Golden Delicious – They have a mild and balanced flavor and becomes fairly soft when cooked.
Granny Smith – The gold standard of baking apples, granny smiths are mostly known for their tart flavor and firm texture when cooked.
Honeycrisp – As the name suggests these are super sweet apples that stay firm when cooked.
Jonagold – An almost honey like flavor that stays firm when cooked over a long period.
And so many more varieties as you can check out here. Really the only type of apple that you want to avoid is red delicious as they can turn to mush when cooking.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Feel free to buy pre-made pie crust from the store if you are feeling a bit lazy. But trust me when I say that our recipe for homemade pie crust is incredibly easy to make. And best of all it can be made ahead of time and frozen for whenever you need it.
- Today’s recipe is enough for a deep-dish pie pan. If you want to use a regular pie pan then you will need to half the ingredients for the filling. Also if you have a little bit extra filling that you can’t place in the pie, don’t throw it away. Simply cook it up in a small pan and serve it over ice cream or homemade oatmeal.
- Want to do a lattice top for your pie? Then check out how to do it here from Sallys Baking Addiction.
- There are many ways in which you can crimp a pie crust. My favorite way and the way my mother taught me is to simply crimp the edge with a fork in a chevron pattern. However, if you want to get creative and try out different types of crimped edges then I suggest you check out this lesson from Food 52.
Apple Pie Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 double pie crust, storebought or homemade
Apple pie filling:
3½ to 4 Lbs of baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼ inch thick slices
½ Cup of brown sugar
3 Tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon of ground ginger, optional
¼ Teaspoon of ground allspice, optional
¼ Teaspoon of ground nutmeg, optional
¼ Teaspoon of ground cardamon, optional
Egg wash:
1 Egg, whisked
1 Tablespoon of water
Instructions
- Make the filling: Whisk together the sugar, flour, and spices for the filling in a large bowl. Add the sliced apples to this bowl and toss so that every piece is coated in the sugar/spice mixture.
Set this aside till later.
- Preheat your oven to 400 ℉ and position a rack on the lower third of the oven.
- Assemble the pie: Place 1 half of the double pie crust on a lightly floured, clean, flat surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the pie crust into a 12-inch circle that is roughly ⅛ inch thick. Transfer this pie crust to a deep dish 9-inch pie dish and use your hands to gently press the dough into the dish. Stir the pie filling and pour it over top the pie crust.
Use your hands to gently press the filling down into the pie dish. Roll out the second half of pie crust just as you did the first and gently place it over the filling.
- Trim & crimp the edges: Use a knife to trim off any excess pie crust until there is ¾ inch overhang. Fold this overhang under itself until it comes right to the edge of the pie dish. Crimp the edge of the pie crust together with either your fingers or a fork.
- Get the pie ready for baking: Combine the ingredients for the egg wash and brush it over the top and edges of the pie crust. Then use a sharp knife to cut 4 to 6 slits on the top of the pie crust for steam vents.
- Bake the apple pie: Place the pie onto a baking sheet so that it will catch any dripping while baking. Then place this into your heated oven onto the rack we positioned before. Let the pie bake for 20 minutes undisturbed. Reduce the oven heat to 350 ℉ and continue to let the pie bake until the top is golden and the juices from the filling are bubbling through the vents. This should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. However, check on the pie about halfway through to make sure that the crust isn’t over-browning. If it is then simply tent the pie by loosely covering it with a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Take the pie out of the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack.
Let it cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. This will ensure that the filling thickens up and isn’t runny.
- Slice up the pie and enjoy!
Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 double pie crust storebought or homemade
Apple pie filling:
- 3½ to 4 Lbs of baking apples peeled, cored, and cut into ¼ inch thick slices
- ½ Cup of brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons of all purpose flour
- 1 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon of ground ginger optional
- ¼ Teaspoon of ground allspice optional
- ¼ Teaspoon of ground nutmeg optional
- ¼ Teaspoon of ground cardamon optional
Egg wash:
- 1 Egg whisked
- 1 Tablespoon of water
Instructions
- Make the filling: Whisk together the sugar, flour, and spices for the filling in a large bowl. Add the sliced apples to this bowl and toss so that every piece is coated in the sugar/spice mixture. Set this aside till later.
- Preheat your oven to 400 ℉ and position a rack on the lower third of the oven.
- Assemble the pie: Place 1 half of the double pie crust on a lightly floured, clean, flat surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the pie crust into a 12-inch circle that is roughly ⅛ inch thick. Transfer this pie crust to a deep dish 9-inch pie dish and use your hands to gently press the dough into the dish. Stir the pie filling and pour it over top the pie crust. Use your hands to gently press the filling down into the pie dish. Roll out the second half of pie crust just as you did the first and gently place it over the filling.
- Trim & crimp the edges: Use a knife to trim off any excess pie crust until there is ¾ inch overhang. Fold this overhang under itself until it comes right to the edge of the pie dish. Crimp the edge of the pie crust together with either your fingers or a fork.
- Get the pie ready for baking: Combine the ingredients for the egg wash and brush it over the top and edges of the pie crust. Then use a sharp knife to cut 4 to 6 slits on the top of the pie crust for steam vents.
- Bake the apple pie: Place the pie onto a baking sheet so that it will catch any dripping while baking. Then place this into your heated oven onto the rack we positioned before. Let the pie bake for 20 minutes undisturbed. Reduce the oven heat to 350 ℉ and continue to let the pie bake until the top is golden and the juices from the filling are bubbling through the vents. This should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. However, check on the pie about halfway through to make sure that the crust isn’t over-browning. If it is then simply tent the pie by loosely covering it with a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Take the pie out of the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack. Let it cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. This will ensure that the filling thickens up and isn’t runny.
- Slice up the pie and enjoy!
