Homemade Apple Pie

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Servings: servings

Calories: 525cal

Equipment

Ingredients

FILLING:

3 pounds Granny Smith apples peeled and sliced into ¼ inch thickness
3.8 ounces granulated sugar 1/2 cup
2 ounces brown sugar 1/4 cup
¼ cup honey
2-3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar can substitute fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

DOUBLE CRUST:

8.3 ounces all-purpose unbleached flour 2 1/3 cup. plus extra for rolling out dough
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1 cup butter sliced and chilled
¾ cup ice water plus more, if needed
1 large egg optional for eggwash
1 Tablespoon water optional for eggwash

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

APPLE PIE FILLING

In a large bowl, combine all apple pie filling ingredients, cover and set aside to marinate. Or, refrigerate if preparing the day before.
3 pounds Granny Smith apples, 3.8 ounces granulated sugar, 2 ounces brown sugar, ¼ cup honey, 2-3 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
When mixing ingredients, I recommend sprinkling the ingredients over the sliced apples, coating evenly and then mixing thoroughly.

DOUBLE PIE CRUST

Before starting, make sure all ingredients are cold, especially the butter, to ensure the crust comes out flaky. Grease a pie dish and set aside. It's easy to use the butter wrappers to grease the dish.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and chilled butter slices. Using a pastry blender, work the mixture until you get a crumbly texture with about 1/2-inch inch butter chunks.
8.3 ounces all-purpose unbleached flour, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 1 cup butter
Starting with 1/4 cup ice water, gradually add the ice water into the mixture. Using a large fork and then your fingertips, work the dough until it just comes together into a ball. If it needs more ice water to form a ball, then you can add more. Keep the ice water on hand in case you need more later if the dough dries out.
3/4 cup ice water
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap to prevent drying and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out.
After chilling for 30 minutes, divide the dough ball evenly in half with a dough scraper. Wrap 1 half in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator to chill while you work on what will be the bottom crust.
Lightly flour your work surface, then roll out the other dough half into 1/4-inch thick circle to fit into the greased pie dish, leaving a slight overhang to account for any shrinkage when baking (1/2-inch overhang). Cover with a square of parchment paper and fill in with pie weights. Return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
While you wait for the bottom crust to chill, take out the half that will be the top crust. Cover a large cutting board with parchment paper and lightly flour the surface. Roll out a 1/4-inch thick circle for the top over a lightly floured surface. If any dough is sticky, just use some flour to ease handling at any step of the way. Cover the dough circle completely with the plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Chill for half an hour.

BLIND BAKING THE BOTTOM CRUST

When all pie filling ingredients have been prepared and the top dough is chilling for the last time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Pricking the bottom crust is not necessary if you have pie weights, if you don't have pie weights, then you must prick the bottom crust. Make sure the bottom crust is covered with parchment paper (aluminum foil can also be used), pour the pie weights over the parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes until the bottom crust is light golden brown.

BAKE THE PIE

After the bottom crust has been blind baked, spoon in the apple pie filling with a slotted spoon. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of the filling juices leftover in the bowl over the apples. I wouldn't recommend using all of the juices as it will be too watery. Gently press down on the apple slices to remove air pockets.
For insurance, you can easily add about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the filling if it seems really watery.
After the top crust pie dough has chilled for 30 minutes, remove from the refrigerator and carefully place over the apple pie filling. Crimp and trim the edges. Create 2-3 slits in the top dough for venting.
Egg wash is optional, but this is when you would add it to the top dough circle. Be aware that an egg wash can make the pie look more browned as it bakes, so keep an eye on it in the oven.
1 large egg, 1 Tablespoon water
Bake for 1 hour. Check on it 30-45 minutes in to make sure the top isn't getting overly browned. Place an aluminum foil tent with a circle cutout for a vent to reduce browning, if need be. Bake the remaining time.
Allow the pie to cool completely, this ensures it sets up before you cut into it.

Author: Amanda Davis

5 from 2 votes

Notes

For a standard 9 inch pie you need about 3 pounds of apples, which is roughly 8 to 9 medium ones. It always looks like far too many when they are sliced and piled in the bowl. They cook down considerably.
Granny Smith is my go-to. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Pink Lady, and Golden Delicious all bake well too! Avoid soft eating apples like Red Delicious or McIntosh on their own, since they break down into mush. Mixing two varieties, one tart and firm and one sweeter, gives you the most interesting flavor profile.
Cold butter is not a suggestion in pie crust, it's part of the magic! I cube mine and put it back in the freezer while I measure everything else. Those cold chunks turn to steam in the oven and push the dough apart into layers, which is where flakiness comes from.

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time2 35

Cook Time1 15

Total Time3 50

Nutrition