best classic apple pie
There’s nothing better than a warm, buttery apple pie a la mode. Made with flaky homemade puff pastry and a perfectly spiced brown sugar apple filling, this classic apple pie recipe will become your go-to recipe you’ll return to over and over again.
classic apple pie
Happy pie season to all who celebrate. If you’re making pie this year, make this classic apple pie recipe. This apple pie is one of those recipes that once you make it, you immediately go “aha”. This one. This is my pie. The perfect balance of sweet and sour, warm spices that aren’t too overpowering, and a flaky crust yet sturdy enough to hold its shape. Simply put, she is perfect.
Perfect for a Thanksgiving dessert spread.
What ingredients do I need to make homemade apple pie?
One of the things I love most about apple pie is its simplicity. We’re talking butter, sugar, flour, spices, and delicious crunchy apples. Combine all of these and you’ve got a great pie. Here’s what you need to make that happen:
All-purpose flour Granulated sugar Cane sugar Grated cinnamon Ground ginger Ground nutmeg Salt Apple Lemon Unsalted butter Eggs (for egg washing)
What type of apple is best for apple pie?
We love eating different types of apples, but not all are suitable for baking. Choosing the right type of apple will greatly determine your profits. Lucky for you, apple country girl group, I know my apples. We want apples that have enough flavor and juiciness to enjoy their goodness without falling apart and turning into mushy applesauce.
I like to mix and match different apples. Add some complexity to your pie by using a few tart apples and some sweet apples to get a complex, deep apple flavor.
The following apple varieties are commonly used in baked goods:
Pink Lady Cosmic Crisp Honeycrisp Braeburn Granny Smith
If you don’t have access to any of these varieties, I don’t recommend baking with McIntosh (which is delicious to eat, but tends to fall apart quickly when baked) or Red Delicious (these apples are made to look pretty, not great to taste; they have a dull, waxy flavor that doesn’t tend to be eaten anywhere near a pie).
Tips for making the perfect flaky pie crust
Before you head for the hills, let me assure you that homemade pie crust doesn’t have to be tough and it tastes *so* better than store-bought pie crust. We’ll walk you through it step by step, so you’ll be a pie dough making pro in no time.
Keep everything cold. Butter is delicious, but it melts quickly. You want to keep the butter as cold as possible during the pie-making process, because cold butter melts in the oven and creates steam, creating gorgeous flaky layers. If the dough starts to feel warm or the butter starts to melt, return the dough to the refrigerator or freezer to chill for 1 to 2 minutes. Butter melts quickly, but it also solidifies quickly, so it cools down quickly once you start heating it. Do not abuse the fabric. Ideally, you should see flecks of butter all over the dough. To maintain crisp layers, mix until the dough just comes together. Roll out the dough between parchment sheets: This is one of my favorite tips when working with pie dough. It makes cleaning so much easier and you don’t have to be afraid to transfer the pie dough to the pie pan. Chill again before baking: I like to put the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking to give the butter a chance to solidify before baking.
How to prepare apple pie in advance
The thing about apple pie is that it tastes best the day it’s freshly baked. The crust is crispy and the filling is warm and jam-like, but still has a bit of crunch. Unrealistic. However, that doesn’t mean you have to do everything in one day. Here’s how I split up the work:
Make the pie crust in advance. Puff pastry can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator, and can be stored in the freezer up to 2 months in advance. Slice the apples ahead of time: Peel and slice the apples ahead of time and toss them with lemon juice. I like to wait until the day of the day to add the sugar, as it will draw out the moisture from the apples. Adding lemon juice will prevent discoloration, so we recommend adding lemon juice when cutting in advance!
On the day of, simply roll the dough, fill the pie, assemble, bake, and serve.
Grab your fork! enjoy!
XXX
For puff pastry:
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted buttercool and cut into cubes
3 to 4 tablespoon ice water (or chilled vodka)
1 Large eggs (for egg washing) Raw sugar (optional)
for apple stuffing
2 lb apple (6-7 apples. I like to mix Granny Smith with sweet, crunchy apples like Pink Lady, Envy, and Cosmic.)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon pickled ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
First, make the pie dough. Add flour, granulated sugar, and salt to a food processor and mix. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand and begins to set, about 20 seconds. Add 3 tablespoons of ice water (or vodka) and pulse until the dough begins to form a ball around the blade, about 20 seconds. If the dough doesn’t come together, add another tablespoon of liquid and pulse again. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide into 2 equal parts. Flatten each piece into a 1-inch-thick oval disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to 3 days). Next, make the apple filling. Peel and core the apples and cut them into thin slices about 1/4 inch thick. For a really dense apple filling, cut the slices in half. This way you can cram more apples into the pie. Add apples to a large mixing bowl and add brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Mix and set aside. Remove both pie disks from the refrigerator and place on the counter to soften for 5 minutes. Lightly flour a clean work surface, remove one dough disk, and place it on the surface. Dust with more flour and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle, dusting the top and bottom with more flour as needed. Carefully wrap the dough around the rolling pin like a scroll and pour into a 9-inch pie pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pie plate and use scissors to cut around the edges of the pie crust, leaving 1/2 inch overhang. Pour the apple filling into the pie pan and set aside while you roll out the second disk of dough. Dust your work surface with more flour and use a rolling pin to roll out the second dough disk into a circle about 12 inches, dusting the top and bottom with more flour as needed. Carefully transfer the top pastry over the apples and trim the excess pastry to fit the bottom pastry. Use your fingers to smooth the two pieces of dough together and roll them in and out like a scroll to form a thick edge around the edge of the pie plate. Create a crimp around the edge of the pie using the index finger of one hand and the flat finger of the other hand. Using a sharp knife, cut 5 vents into the top of the pie. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash using a pastry brush. Sprinkle raw sugar all over if you like. Place the pie in the freezer to chill while you preheat the oven (this will prevent the pastry from becoming too soft at room temperature). Preheat oven to 375°F. Once heated, remove the pie from the refrigerator and bake until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are bubbly, about 1 hour. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before serving.
