All you need to know to make the most delicious homemade apple pie
Here it is: THE classic, THE most-loved and always welcomed at any table, any day of the year: The APPLE PIE!
With this classic recipe you will get a fruity and juicy, buttery and cinnamon-y apple pie. Every bite of this dessert will burst in your mouth with the classic holiday flavor of apples and cinnamon, sandwiched in a buttery and flaky, homemade pie crust.
There's nothing quite like it!
Here are all my tips and recommendations to make the best apple pie you could imagine.
First of all: I strongly recommend making the pie crust from scratch (please don't go with store-bought crust!).
Your pie can only be as good as the crust you're using. So if you have the time, please please pleaaaaase, make the pie dough from scratch.
Note: this dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator!
Making pie crust is really not time-consuming, especially if you have and use a food processor.
If you haven't made this pie dough before, it might just take a bit of practice.
Mostly, the biggest issue is to find the right amount of water to make the dough come together, without being too dry and without mixing too much.
So, here iswhat you need to make the best pie crust:
1. Really cold butter. You can put it in the freezer for 10 minutes if you like, or use it straight from therefrigerator. The dough will need to have little pieces of butter at the end, which will yield an airy and flaky pastry when baking and melting in the oven.
2. Really cold water AND in the rightamount. Place one cup of water in the freezer (Same idea of the butter - we need to keep the pieces of butter cold and not "overheat the dough). Use as much water as needed for thedough to come together. Not too much. Which brings us to the next tip.
3. Weight the flour if you can, or measure it correctly. It's always a common mistake to pick up too much flour when packing your cup. More flour will require more water.
OR: remember to be flexible. Add more water than the recipe asks for if needed until you get the dough consistency just right!
4. Last but not least: do notovermix the dough. You need to be quick and just mix until needed. This is why I like to use a food processor. It takes only a few seconds to cut the butter into the flour and mix it all up. As I already mentioned, we want little pieces of butter in the dough to make a flaky pie crust. NOT the smooth dough we do for bread or pizza dough.
Now, let's talk about the apple filling.
What I strongly recommend is to let the apple slices sit at room temperature in a colander for at least 30 minutes when coated with lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar.
The apple slices will release a lot of their juice which means they will not shrink as much when baking. The result, the pie will be nice and filled with sliced apples, with no empty gapbetween the shell and the apple! And no soggy bottom crust. I know you can agree, that NO ONE likes a wet pie bottom that looks underbaked!
So: Collect the juice released by the apple and use it to make a delicious denser syrup: mix with a little butter and simmer until it gets thick and golden. Add it to the filling (all or just some of it). Note: I add corn starch to the apple to dense up all the juice when baking ... again: no soggy bottom!
I know waiting for the apple to rest is time-consuming, but it's really worth the extra step. You can play with the dough and make the lattice while you wait!
One last word of advice: serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. THE best! Ready to try it too?!?
Here is my step-by-step easy apple pie recipe!
Other pie recipes or tart recipes you might like:
Made-from-Scratch Pumpkin Pie
Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
Salted Caramel-Chocolate Tart
Peach and Blueberry Galette
HOW TO MAKE THE LATTICE TOP CRUST:
Fold the edges
Flute the edges to seal
PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD: Step by step recipe APPLIE PIE
FAQs
There are just a few – but they are all key – and pie-makers typically feel very passionately about them.
- Chill the fat: Whichever fat you choose, chill it first so it doesn't melt as you prep. ...
- Don't overmix: Incorporate the ingredients just enough. ...
- Let it rest: Chill the dough before rolling out.
You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie. you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking.
How do you keep the bottom crust of apple pie from getting soggy? ›
Crust dust is a 1:1 mixture of flour and granulated sugar. When baking a pie, especially a fruit pie, a couple of teaspoons of crust dust sprinkled into the bottom of the crust will help prevent the crust from becoming saturated with juicy filling as it bakes.
How do you make a pie taste better? ›
Sprinkle on some salt to balance overly sweet pies.
If you don't want to sprinkle pure salt on your dessert, you can opt for crushed salted nuts, like peanuts or cashews, which will still do the trick and add extra texture.
What makes a high quality pie? ›
The following are characteristics of a good pie:
Crust is uniformly browned and golden brown around the side, somewhat lighter brown on bottom. Crust is flaky and tender. Filling is firm, smooth, and sufficiently cooked. Flavor is well-blended, with the filling characteristic for that kind of pie.
When making a pie should the filling be hot or cold? ›
When it's time to add the fillings, make sure they're cool before you add them to the pastry – room temperature at a minimum. Add a hot steamy filling to your blind-baked or raw pastry and you'll find yourself with a soggy bottom.
What happens if you don't chill pie crust before baking? ›
The pie dough isn't given enough time to relax and chill
The pie crust could have a firm or tough texture if you bake your pie before resting your dough. Giving your dough time to rest will allow all the ingredients to chill, help the moisture distribute more evenly throughout the dough, and make it easier to roll out.
Should you blind bake the bottom crust of an apple pie? ›
Partially bake a pie crust if your crust needs longer in the oven than the pie filling, such as brownie pie or quiche. And if you want an extra-crisp pie crust for your apple pie, you can partially blind bake the crust before adding the filling.
How long do I Prebake my pie crust? ›
If you are pre-baking a store-bought frozen packaged crust, I recommend following the directions on the package for how to pre-bake that particular crust. Most instructions will have you defrost the crust, prick the bottom of the crust all over with the tines of a fork, and bake at 375°F to 450°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
Should you poke holes in bottom of pie crust? ›
With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.
To bring out the best apple flavor and texture, pre-cook the filling for about 5 minutes on the stove. Bake and cool the pie, and then top with vanilla ice cream for the ultimate homestyle dessert.
Why do you chill a pie before baking? ›
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Tip: Chilling hardens the fat in the dough, which will help the crust maintain its structure as it bakes. And the short rest before rolling relaxes the dough's gluten, helping prevent a tough crust.
What do you put on top of pie crust before baking? ›
An egg wash—a simple mix of milk (or water) and egg—creates that golden sheen we see on bakery pies, and it even gives the crust a little extra-crisp texture. Without the egg wash, the pie crust will brown but will look extremely dull. For a little sparkle, I always sprinkle pies with coarse sugar prior to baking.
Why add lemon juice to pie filling? ›
While commercial pie thickeners aid the naturally occurring pectin in your fruit filling, pectin from the added lemon, lime, or orange solidifies your pie's interior. Don't worry about the citrus fruit overpowering the flavor of your pie.
What is the secret to making the best pie crust? ›
Use Very Cold Butter or Fat
Butter, shortening, lard, or suet—whatever fat the recipe calls for should be well-chilled and cut into small pieces to start with for the flakiest crust in the end. The fat in a pie crust must maintain some of its integrity in the dough to make the crust truly flaky.
What are 2 tips for rolling out pie crust? ›
Lightly dust the top of the dough and your rolling pin to prevent sticking. Place your rolling pin horizontally across the center of the dough and begin rolling upwards by pressing the rolling pin away from you (towards 12 o'clock) in one even stroke.
What are the qualities of a excellent pie dough? ›
Traditionally, what you're looking for in a pie crust are three basic things: you want it to be fully cooked through, without any doughiness between the filling and the bottom crust, you want the crust to be light and flaky with discernible layers, and, of course, you want there to be a rich, buttery flavor.
How to make a perfectly round pie crust? ›
The Simple Three-Step Method
- Start with a smooth-edged round (roll the dough along its edge on the countertop to smooth any bumps).
- Roll back and forth over entire disk until disk becomes small oval. Turn oval 90 degrees.
- Roll back and forth again until oval becomes more circular.
