Homemade Apple Pie
My homemade apple pie delivers on all of the signature flavors, packed with juicy apples coated in sugar and spices and the best buttery, flaky pie crust. It bakes up beautifully every single time and is an iconic recipe you need to add to your holiday line up!
Servings 8 slices
Calories 394kcal
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 1/2 Cups flour
- 12 Tbsp. butter, cold, unsalted, cubed
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
- 3 Tbsp. shortening
- 3 Tbsp. ice cold water
- splash of apple cider vinegar
- egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp. water to brush on dough)
For the apple pie filling:
- 3 lb. apples, ~6-7 total (use a variety for better flavor, such as Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Braeburn or Honey Crisp)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp. flour (or cornstarch)
- 1 lemon juice & zest
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
- 1/2 tsp. ginger, ground
- 1/8 tsp. cloves, ground
- 1/8 tsp. allspice, ground
Instructions
For the dough:
- Pulse the flour with salt and sugar in a food processor.2 1/2 Cups flour, 1 tsp. salt, 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
- Add the cold butter cubes and pulse a few more times until no large butter chunks remain. Then add in the shortening and pulse again.12 Tbsp. butter, cold, unsalted, cubed, 3 Tbsp. shortening
- Add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the water and slowly begin to stream in water about a tablespoon at a time. You need to add just enough to be able moisten the dough, it will look a little shaggy still.splash of apple cider vinegar, 3 Tbsp. ice cold water
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide into 2 sections, and bring the dough together into oval disks, kneading just a bit to bring it all together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge up at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
For the apple filling:
- Peel, core and thinly slice 3 pounds of apples in uniform thickness, about 1/4 inch thick.3 lb. apples, ~6-7 total (use a variety for better flavor, such as Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Braeburn or Honey Crisp)
- Add sugar, flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, cloves and allspice to the apples. Pour the apple filling into a very large skillet, or dutch oven, and place over medium heat. Stir and cook for 5 minutes until the apples begin to soften. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.3/4 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp. flour (or cornstarch), 1 lemon juice & zest, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground, 1/2 tsp. ginger, ground, 1/8 tsp. cloves, ground, 1/8 tsp. allspice, ground
- Take one half of the dough from the fridge once it's chilled and roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a circle that is about 12 inches in diameter using a rolling pin. If the edges are craggly or breaking, feel free to gently re-knead the dough just a little more, then roll out into a smooth circle.
- Transfer the dough to a 9 inch pie dish. Trim and seal the dough OR I like to also fold the over hang of dough underneath to create a thicker wall of dough at the edge. Tucking in the excess also helps to reinforce the walls of the pie. You can crimp the dough making a “v” with two fingers one hand on the outside of the pie crust and the index finger of the opposite hand to make an indent in the pie crust. Use scraps to repair dough if needed. Freeze the dough for 15-30 minutes to keep the dough nice and chilled, this will solidify the fat, which helps prevent shrinkage.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a piece of foil on the bottom crust and top with the pie weights. (Use dried beans, sugar or rice if you don't have pie weights). Bake the pie crust for 10-15 minutes just until edges are set and lightly brown. This is just to partially blind bake the crust. Reduce the oven temperature down to 350°F to bake the apple pie at this temperature.
- Once the crust has cooled to room temperature, fill with the cooled apple pie filling, leaving most of the liquid behind in the bowl. Some of the juices are OK to add but not all of it.
- Roll out the top layer of the crust in about a 12 inch circle.
- Place the top layer of crust over the apples and brush with the egg wash and a sprinkle of coarse sugar (optional). Cut a few slits on the top for ventilation. Or see recipe notes below on how to lattice the crust.egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp. water to brush on dough)
- Bake for ~45-55 minutes or until the crust is golden and the internal temperature reaches 175 °F. Be sure to check on the crust and place foil or a pie crust shield around the edges of the pie crust if they begin to brown or burn.
- Allow the pie completely cool, at least 3 hours, before slicing. Serve with ice cream and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Storage: Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- How to lattice:
- Roll out the top crust on a lightly floured surface.
- Use a pizza cutter or fluted pastry wheel to slice strips of pie dough for the crust. About 1 inch strips are perfect.
- Lay 5-7 strips evenly spaced going one direction one top of the filled pie. Use longer strips for the middle of the pie and shorter strips as you work your way toward the edges.
- Fold back every other strip halfway.
- Add your longest strip of unused pie dough perpendicularly across the other parallel strips. Return the folded strips back to their original position.
- Fold back the alternate parallel strips over the perpendicular strip.
- Add another perpendicular strip across the initial parallel strips of dough, then return the folded strips back to their position. Continue on with this pattern, working your way from the middle out to the edge on both sides until you have used up all of the dough or covered the top of the pie with a woven lattice crust.
- When you're done, the excess dough can be trimmed away with a knife for clean, smooth edges, fold the excess dough and pinch them with the bottom pie crust to seal, or smash with the tines of a fork to create a fringe.
- Lastly brush with egg wash and sprinkle with a little coarse sugar.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 57.8g