Classic Apple Pie from Scratch
Perfect homemade apple pie - complete with a tender, flaky pie crust and simple cinnamon apple filling - is totally achievable with this easy recipe for old-fashioned apple pie from scratch.
Servings: 8
Calories: 265kcal
Equipment
- Pie crust shield or aluminum foil
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 double-crust pie crust, refrigerated
- 6 medium-sized apples*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust dough in advance. The dough will need to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours. You can make the dough up to 3 days ahead and keep it refrigerated (wrapped tightly with plastic wrap) until you're ready to bake your pie.
- Place your oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Remove one disk of pie crust dough from the fridge and place on a cooling rack. Allow the dough to sit for about 10 minutes while you prepare the apple filling so that the dough comes to a cool room temperature. (The dough should still be slightly firm, but not so cold and firm that it cracks significantly when rolled. If the dough feels soft or mushy when held or pressed with your thumb, it has become too warm and will need to be re-chilled before it can be rolled out.)
- Core the apples, peel them using a vegetable peeler or a small, sharp knife, and slice each apple into 16 wedges. Place the apples in a large bowl and add sugar, salt, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir until the apples are well coated. Set aside.
- Remove the second disk of pie crust dough from the fridge and place it on the cooling rack so that it can come to a cool room temperature while you roll out the first disk of dough.
- Lightly sprinkle flour on a pastry cloth or clean counter and onto your rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking. Place the first disk of dough onto the floured surface and roll the dough into a circle that's ⅛ inch thick. (While rolling, be sure to alternate directions and roll your rolling pin beyond the edges of the dough to ensure an even thickness throughout. The circle should be a few inches larger than the diameter of your pie plate.) Carefully lift the rolled out crust by sliding your arms underneath it and gently place the crust into a 9 inch glass pie plate.
- Arrange the apple slices around the crust until the bottom of the plate is covered, and then pile the rest of the apples on top. There will be juice from the apples in the bottom of the bowl; do not add this juice to the pie or the filling will be too wet and the bottom crust will become soggy.
- Sprinkle more flour onto your pastry cloth or counter and roll the second disk of pie crust dough. Again, the rolled out dough should be ⅛ inch thick and a few inches larger than the diameter of your pie plate. Carefully lift the dough and gently place it over the apples.
- Trim any excess pie crust, leaving a 1 inch overhang around the edges of the pie plate. Fold the edges of the top crust under the edges of the bottom crust. Seal the edges of the crust by either pressing down all around the edges using the tines of a fork or by crimping the edges.
- Use a knife to make several small slices in the top crust so that air can escape while the pie bakes.
- Make an egg wash by whisking together one egg and one Tablespoon of cold water. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin coating of the egg wash over the top and edges of the pie crust.
- Optional: Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the top of the pie.
- Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 425°F, then turn the oven down to 375°F and continue baking until the top and sides of the crust (visible through the glass pie plate) are golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 40 to 50 minutes. (NOTE: A pie crust shield will come in handy to ensure the edges of the crust don't burn. About 20 minutes after the pie goes into the oven, quickly but carefully open the oven and reach in to place a silicone pie crust shield or a bit of aluminum foil around the edges of the pie to keep the crust from burning while the pie filling continues to bake.)
- Allow the pie to cool completely (ideally overnight) before serving to ensure that the filling has a chance to firm up. Serve the pie at room temperature (or reheat the pie briefly in a pre-heated 325°F oven if you'd prefer to serve it warm).
Notes
Storage: Store leftover pie covered with foil or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
*For the tastiest pie, I recommend a mixture of apples. You'll want to use mostly sweet baking apples with one or two tart apples and mostly firm apples with one or two softer apples. For this pie I used a mixture of 3 Honeycrisp apples (sweet flavor, firm texture), 2 Granny Smith apples (tart flavor, firm texture), and 1 Macintosh apple (sweet flavor, soft texture).
If you're using a 9.5 inch pie plate, increase the crust and filling by 50 percent.
Nutrition
Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
