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Hello, BBs, and welcome to fall at Begin with Butter! When fall rolls around, there is one pie that is arguably the queen of pies. She appears on many holiday tables throughout the year, and she is always the first to go (and potentially cause…ahem…”mayhem fights consternation” at the dessert table 😂). BBs, today I have for you: Classic Apple Pie.
And now you can make it, because this recipe will walk you right through it. So let’s get to it!
About this Simple, Classic Apple Pie
Oftentimes, when we hear the words “make” and “pie” in the same sentence, our ears shut down entirely and we shake our heads “no” like toddlers being fed Brussels sprouts. Because we’ve convinced ourselves that pie is fickle and difficult, and that only people with “pie hands” can make delicious, flaky pie.
Here at Begin with Butter, we are all about dispelling baking myths. And that, dear reader, is a BIG MYTH. So, let me take you by the hand and show you the apple pie for which you will become famous at every gathering going forward. The beautifully-spiced apples maintain a crisp-tender texture (no baby food apples here!), the crust is my now-famous all-butter pie crust, and you’ll want to add this to your comfort food dessert table forevermore.
It’s just the sweetest little piece of Americana. Really.
Apple Pie Filling Ingredients
Apples: You’ll need 9 cups of apples for this pie. But not just any apples. You need crisp apples. So, put those red delicious and Macintosh apples down. Any apple that is soft when it’s raw will turn to mush when it’s baked in a pie, and since the objective is to get apples that maintain an al dente texture, we have to start with crisp apples. My absolute favorite, commercially-available apples for baking are a combination of Fuji, Granny Smith (because of course), and Honeycrisp. However, this is a deeply personal decision, so I invite you to explore and find your favorite baking apple combination! (I also peel my apples for apple pie, because I don’t want the texture from the peel in the bite of pie, but by all means, you can eliminate that step if you want the fibrous texture!)
Granulated Sugar: The standard amount of sugar that I call for in this recipe is 200 grams (1 cup). However, the amount of granulated sugar that I use for the filling mostly depends on the sweet-tart balance in the apples! For example, if I’m using all Honeycrisp apples, which are more sweet than tart, I will cut the sugar amount to 150 grams (3/4 cup). This decision is highly personal to you as the baker; the sugar adds sweetness to the pie filling and also helps with caramelization of the pie overall (because the filling will bubble up over the top crust 😋), but you will get the best of both worlds with either 150 grams or 200 grams. Want a more tart pie? Use less sugar! Go ahead!
All-Purpose Flour: Remember how I said that you can personalize the amount of sugar in the filling? Yeah, you can’t do that with the flour. 😂 The flour has an important job; it literally holds everything together. Without it, the pie, even when cooled, will be very runny. So, don’t forget that little 32 grams (1/4 cup) of flour. It’s crucial to pie cutting success.
Lemon Juice: The lemon juice in this recipe adds an important element: acid. You need that acid to balance the sweetness of the apples and the sugar. Yes, salt also balances the sugar, but the acid actually neutralizes the sugar to an extent, which actually creates that harmonious balance that we are looking for, whereas salt works in a different way.
Fine Sea Salt: If acid neutralizes sugar, salt counteracts that sugar beautifully to help desserts avoid becoming overly sweet. Salt is also a flavor enhancer, meaning that it will help you better taste the more complex flavors presented in the sugar! Those caramel notes you taste in this pie? That’s not caramel! It’s the caramelization of the sugar, as enhanced by the salt.
Ginger, Allspice, and Cinnamon: This is my holy trinity of apple pie spices. Used in proper amounts, they contribute to that warm, loving apple pie scent that will draw family, friends, acquaintances and neighbors to your kitchen on a random Sunday. (My advice: put them to work! Those dishes won’t wash themselves! 😂)
Butter: Ah, the famous “knob of butter”. Once your pie filling is in the bottom pie crust, you’ll cut that knob of butter into four pieces and add them to the top of your pie. This butter does two things well: it adds to the Maillard (caramelization) effect when your pie bakes, and it also adds an even more luxurious mouthfeel to your finished pie. Full disclosure: I forget this knob of butter about 40% of the time when making pies, and the pies are still unforgettable. 😂
Turbinado Sugar: You can use turbinado sugar to finish your pie, after it’s baked for a while. I’ve gotten away from this habit, because: 1) for me, it allows the sugar too much of a starring role; and 2) I’m not crazy about the crunchy texture on top of the pie. But this is, again, a very personal choice!
Beginners Start Here
Pie really forces us to hone in and develop our baker’s feel: that intangible sense that lets you know when you have enough water, when your laminated dough is ready to put into your pie plate, when your pie filling has reached the proper consistency…I could go on. So, for this reason, pie is really daunting for many a baker. Don’t worry, though, I’ve got some tips that will help you!
In this section, I’m going to walk you through the techniques that I use in this pie, to give you a FAQ tutorial to make this amazing pie (and all of the pies in your future). Remember, the absolute best apple pie will come with practice, practice, practice. So that leads to the first tip:
Tip #1: Don’t expect to master pie crust the very first time.
We hear it everywhere: “Mindset is key”. Nowhere in the baking world is that more true than when working with pastry. Because pastry is as much about feel as it is about skill. And the learning process can be incredibly frustrating. But it’s incredibly rewarding when it “clicks”, so the best advice I can give you? Indulge your curiosity, take your time, and go into your first pie crust attempts with a beginner’s mind.
Tip #2: Chill your tools.
One of the best ways to ensure great pie crust is to keep all of your crust ingredients very cold. But, did you know that if you keep your tools cold, you actually increase your chances of great, flaky crust?
When preparing to make pie crust, I recommend chilling your (stainless steel) mixing bowl, your pastry cutter, your rolling pin, and even the little fork that you’ll use to stir ingredients together. This initial chilling helps make sure that your butter doesn’t melt as you work with it, and that’s vitally important to helping you achieve the flaky crust of your dreams.
And if the butter starts to melt, don’t panic, refer back to Tip #1, and get it into a refrigerator as quickly as possible.
Tip #3: Make your filling before the pie crust and allow it to “cook”.
Remember that lemon juice? In addition to its sugar neutralizing super power, it helps to “cook” the apples, drawing out the liquid from those apples and allowing that liquid to combine with the sugar to create the most gorgeous syrup. But, in order to achieve maximum goodness, you have to allow the pie filling to sit for a time before adding it (and the syrupy goodness) to the pie crust. So, I actually make my filling first and allow it to stay in the refrigerator while I make my pie dough. Then, everything can go in the fridge until the next day!
Tip #4: Your refrigerator is as important as your oven!
I get it. When we think of “baking” we think of using our oven to heat things to a certain temperature. And while that is correct, it is also correct that another appliance is equally important for this apple pie: your refrigerator.
First, you’ll need to refrigerate/freeze your ingredients and tools to help everything stay nice and cold. Some recipes even call for the use of frozen butter, and while this recipe does not require that, I have much respect for those who do use it.
Second, you’ll need to halve the completed pie dough, create thick discs with each half, cover them in plastic wrap, and, you guessed it, refrigerate those discs for at least two hours before using.
Third, you’ll need to make and refrigerate your apple filling. Like chill it to the center. So, once again, the refrigerator is the MVP.
Fourth, as you build the pie, you’ll need to use your refrigerator to keep the bottom crust in place while you roll out the top crust.
And finally, you’ll need your refrigerator to hold the completed pie while your oven does a long preheat. You don’t want to skip this final refrigeration, since this helps keep your pie from shrinking!
So yes. Give the refrigerator its flowers because it is an extremely important participant in the all-butter pie crust world. 😊
Tip #5: Slow and steady baking wins the race!
There are two schools of thought when it comes to baking fruit pies: either start at a high temperature and reduce to a lower temperature, or bake at a steady temperature for the entire baking time.
I have a strong preference for the latter. In my experience, starting at a higher temperature (425°F) and then reducing to a lower temperature (375°F) can lead to overbaked, dry external edges and inconsistently baked crust underneath. A steady-state bake brings this apple pie to its best deliciousness, with consistent crust all around.
Tip #6: Allow the pie to cool COMPLETELY before cutting.
This one is difficult, BB. You see, that all-purpose flour in your filling needs time after the baking process to finish its work. While the pie is cooling, the filling is completing its gelling process. If you are a patient baker and wait until the pie is completely cooled and chilled in the refrigerator (~2 hours after it’s finished baking, and then in the fridge again overnight, if possible), you’ll be able to cut it into beautiful, picture-perfect slices with filling that remains intact.
Feeling confident and ready? Let’s make some apple pie! (And psst…if you’re feeling confident and ready and you want a photo tutorial of how to make the most perfect all-butter pie crust, check out this post!)
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Simple, Classic Apple Pie
This delicious and classic apple pie will become your signature; only you have to know how easy it is to make!
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 352 g (2.75 c) All-Purpose Flour (I like White Lily for this pie crust)
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 227 g (1 c) unsalted butter, cold, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 125 g (1/2 c) water, plus more if needed (up to two tablespoons)
For the Filling:
- 981 g (9 c) apples, peeled and sliced (between 6-8 apples; I use a combination of Honeycrisp, Fuji and Granny Smith Apples for my apple pies)
- 200 g (1 c) granulated sugar
- 32 g (1/4 c) all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 /4 tsp allspice
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp butter, cut into four pieces
- Turbinado sugar, for finishing (optional)
Instructions
To Make the Filling:
- Add peeled and sliced apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, flour, fine sea salt, ginger, allspice and cinnamon to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Cover and place the bowl in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to fully combine. Liquid will begin to build in the bowl and you want that to happen!
To Make the Crust:
- Add the 352 g (2.75 c) all-purpose flour, fine sea salt, and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl. Stir with a fork to combine.
- Add the butter to the flour mixture. Stir gently to cover the butter with the flour. Then use a pastry cutter to break the butter into smaller pieces. The pieces of butter should be between the size of a pea and the size of a walnut. The pieces will not be uniform and this is ideal!
- Pour the 125 g (1/2 c) of water evenly over the flour/butter mixture and stir very gently to combine with a fork. The mixture should be shaggy but combined. If necessary, add water a tablespoon at a time until you get the correct consistency. You should not need more than about 2 additional tablespoons!
- Split the pie dough into two equal-ish parts in your mixing bowl. Shape each half into the size of a fat disc and cover each disc with plastic wrap. Place in a refrigerator for at least two hours before rolling out. An overnight rest period is even better!
To Make the Pie:
- Place flour on a pastry mat. Remove one of the thick discs from the refrigerator and place it atop the well-floured pastry mat. Flour the top of the dough disc and also your rolling pin. Test to see if the dough is ready by gently tapping your rolling pin on top of the disc; if the rolling pin makes small indentations, you’re ready to roll. Gently roll to 1/4” thickness. If the dough breaks when rolling, allow the dough to sit for 2-3 minutes and then try again. Dough often breaks when the fats are still too cold from the refrigerator.
- Once you’ve reached 1/4” thickness, fold the dough in half two times. Add flour as necessary and turn over the pie dough occasionally; don’t worry about over-flouring at this point.
- After folding the dough, roll the dough again to 1/4” thickness. Repeat this step one more time, for a total of three times.
- Brush excess flour from the top of the pie dough. Use your rolling pin to place the dough into a 9” or 10” pie plate. Add the apple filling to the pie plate. Cut your knob of butter into four parts and dot the top of the filling.
- Place the pie plate in the refrigerator while you roll out the second half of the dough.
- Roll out the second half of the pie dough, using the same technique as above.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the rim of the bottom dough with a small amount of water. Add the top crust and press gently to seal. Trim the pie crust to 1” outside of the pie plate, and fold over the crust to seal. If desired, crimp or flute the crust.
- Place the completed pie in the refrigerator while you warm your oven to a true 375°F, and place an oven rack on the bottom third of the oven. Allow your oven a significant amount of time to reach the proper temperature. I allow my oven at least 45 minutes to come to temperature. (Alternatively, you can place your built pie in the refrigerator overnight! This will help ensure that the pie holds its shape and reduce shrinkage of the dough.)
- Make an egg wash by adding a whole egg and 1 tsp of water to a small bowl, then whisking thoroughly to combine.
- Before baking, cut small vents into the top pie crust with a sharp knife, then brush with egg wash. Bake for 35 minutes, then remove briefly from the oven to check the outer crust (to see if it’s browning too quickly) and top with sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar (if desired). Allow to bake for another 25-35 minutes, or until the pie crust is cooked through.
- Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. For the most beautiful slices, allow to cool and then refrigerate overnight!
- Serving idea: my No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream and Salted Caramel No-Churn Ice Cream are perfect accompaniments for this pie!
Notes
- The longer you refrigerate the completed pie, the less shrinkage you will experience in the oven. That is because the butter will have more time to become more firm and melt more slowly during the baking process.
- Prep Time: 2 hours (active)
- Refrigeration Time: 4-24 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: dessert