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
Which is exactly why we've rounded up our best tips for pie perfection every time.
- Practice makes perfect. ...
- Keep your butter chunks large. ...
- Chill the dough AT EVERY STEP. ...
- Skip the thin crust. ...
- Blind baking is super helpful. ...
- Bake the crust until golden...and then give it 10 more minutes. ...
- Bake it on a sheet pan.
The best apples for making apple pie
- Crispin (Mutsu). ...
- Golden Delicious. ...
- Granny Smith. ...
- Honeycrisp. ...
- Jonagold or Jonathan. ...
- Northern Spy. ...
- Pink Lady. This super crisp apple certainly is sturdy enough to hold its shape when baked. ...
- Winesap. This heirloom cultivar is said to have been around for centuries.
Should you cook the apples before baking apple pie? You don't have to pre-cook the filling before spooning it into the pie crust, but it's a quick step I recommend. Just 5 minutes on the stove begins the softening process, and also helps the flavors start to mingle.
Should you Prebake your pie crust for apple pie? ›
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 long should you chill pie dough before rolling out? ›
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 makes a good pie apple? ›
Braeburn Apples
A Braeburn's flavor sweetens and concentrates during cooking to evoke a hint of spice, which makes it a natural pick for pie. And since Braeburns don't release much liquid during cooking, they won't lead to a runny filling or soggy pie crust.
Why does my apple pie turn out watery? ›
One of the chief reasons bakers end up with apple soup under the crust is failure to bake their pie long enough. There's almost no such thing as over-baking an apple pie; I've baked apple pies for 2 hours and longer, and they turn out just fine.
What type of pie pan is best for apple pie? ›
Like glass dishes, ceramic pie dishes conduct heat slowly and evenly, which helps yield uniformly golden crusts and thoroughly cooked fillings, even when making fruit pies, like apple, that require lengthy cooks to soften down.
Should you soak apples before baking? ›
Some experts will tell you to par-cook apples before filling a pie by pouring boiling water over cut apples and soaking them for 10 minutes. Others say to roast them to reduce water content. Still, others say to let cut apples sit for 30-40 minutes to drain natural juices.
Should I bake the bottom pie crust first? ›
Pre-baking is a must if you're looking for a flaky pie crust. It's especially helpful for recipes with a wet center. Recipes for most tarts, pies, and quiches call for pre-baking to ensure that the final product doesn't end up soggy.
If made ahead without baking, the pastry crust can become too wet and end up soggy after baking. The best way to make your apple pie in advance? Bake the pie completely, then chill it overnight, allowing the pie to sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving.
How do you bake an apple pie so the bottom crust is not soggy? ›
Brush the Bottom with Corn Syrup or Egg White
Coating the inside surface of the bottom crust will create a barrier to prevent sogginess.
What happens if you don't chill pie crust before baking? ›
Non-chilled crust is fairly crumbly and less smooth, which makes it harder to roll out and means it may not look as polished. It will brown more quickly and the final product will likely be tougher, heavier, and more doughy – none of those in a bad way. It will likely have a more intense, butter flavor.
What not to do when making pie crust? ›
Below are six common mistakes when making a homemade pie crust and some helpful solutions to avoid them.
- The ingredients are too warm. ...
- The pie dough is overworked from excessive mixing or rolling. ...
- The pie dough isn't given enough time to relax and chill. ...
- The pie dough is shrinking down the sides of the pan.
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.
Should you chill pie crust before baking? ›
Once the dough is shaped and crimped, the last thing you want to do bake it right away. Chilling the shaped pie allows the aforementioned gluten to relax and the butter to get nice and cold again, both of which help your pie hold its shape better once it's in the oven.
What are the three 3 basic rules for pastry making? ›
General rules
Mix together the flour and salt by sieving. Keep everything as cool as possible otherwise the fat may melt which would spoil the finished dish. Introduce as much air as possible during making.
How can I improve my pie filling? ›
Add Fresh Ingredients: Incorporate fresh fruits or berries into the store-bought filling. For example, if you're using a canned cherry pie filling, add fresh pitted cherries to improve the texture and flavor. Enhance Flavor with Spices: Adjust the flavor with spices and seasonings.
