Apple pie is one of those timeless, treasured dishes that generally evokes memories of togetherness and the comforts of home. The inside is sweet and tender while the outside is flaky and slightly crisp, and the spices within give the whole thing an amazing warm and rustic flavor. It’s a true American classic.
Making apple pie from scratch can seem like an undertaking… and while it does take a bit of time, none of the steps are really difficult at all. (Especially if you decide to go with store-bought dough. We won’t tell anyone if you don’t.) The packaged stuff saves time for sure, but make your own and you’ll be rewarded with a perfectly buttery and flaky crust. And street cred, of course.
We like our crust with pure butter- no shortening here. We find the end result to be perfectly flaky and flavorful and totally worth any extra time it might take to mix up. A little extra sprinkling of sugar over the top crust is the perfect bit of extra sweetness against the ingredients below.
Our filling is pretty classic. It’s spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and tossed in brown sugar for that caramelly sweet flavor. Lemon juice adds a hint of a tart contrast and keeps those apple slices looking pretty.
There’s nothing terribly innovative here, just timeless, quality ingredients prepared in a traditional way. This is the apple pie we all know and love, and this is how you make it in your own home. Happy baking!
Ingredients
Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup ice water
3 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
8 cups cored, peeled, sliced apples (around 8; Granny Smith or Cortland)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for top of crust
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
splash of water
Directions
In a food processor, using a metal blade, pulse your flour, sugar and salt together.
Add in cold, cubed butter and pulse.
Slowly drizzle in ice water, one tablespoon at a time. You should have a coarse, crumbly mixture. (If you don’t have a food processor, combine ingredients in a large bowl, using a pastry blender or a fork.)
Before the dough has formed a ball, remove the blade and take dough out, bringing it together by hand. Form the dough into a disc and wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. It’s very important to work with cold dough.
In a large bowl, toss apples in lemon juice, flour, sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
Once dough is cold, take dough out of plastic wrap and divide in half. Return one half, in plastic wrap, to the fridge.
On a lightly floured surface, roll your 1/2 of dough out into a circle, 12-14 inches round, about 1/4-inch thick.
Gently take the corners, lift the dough and transfer it to pie pan. Lightly press sides against the bottom and sides of pan. Trim overhanging dough so that you’re left with 1/2-inch and fold excess under the edge of the pan.
Take second half of dough from fridge and repeat process of rolling it out to a 12-14-inch circle, 1/4-inch thick.
Pour apple mixture into pie pan and cover the top of apples with pats of butter.
In a small bowl, beat your egg yolk and add a splash of water. Brush the edges of pan, covered by the dough, with egg mixture.
Cover the entire pie with remaining rolled out dough. Pierce holes in the top of dough to allow heat to escape (so there isn’t a steam buildup inside the pie).
Seal the edges of the pie by fluting the dough (stamping the dough with a fork or your fingers) around the edge of the pie pan.
Brush egg mixture all over the top of crust and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
