Best Apple Pie Recipe from scratch:Easy Recipe for Apple Pie

This Apple pie recipe from scratch will help you make the best homemade apple pie with flaky pie crust and thick and gooey apple pie filling.

Apple pie is one of my favorite desserts.This apple pie recipe from scratch is easy to make and less time consuming.It’s perfect for the holidays or a weekend dessert.

I love the flaky, buttery pie crust and the sweet and tart homemade apple pie filling, seasoned with aromatic spices.

I like simple and organic method of baking.And so in this classic apple pie recipe from scratch, we are making apple pie in an old fashioned method; very similar method our grandmas used to bake them.

If you are in hurry, you can use store bought pie sheets to make this apple pies..which makes the whole process so much easier and quick.

But when we make the pie dough at home, we can get rid of those trans hydrogenated fat which is used in making commercial puff pastry sheets and from those preservatives present in them.

This classic apple pie is made completely from scratch with a homemade pastry dough and a simple apple filling.

The key to the best pie is the crust. In this Homemade Apple pie recipe from scratch, I use my foolproof Homemade Apple Pie Crust Recipe for buttery and flaky layers.

WHAT YOU WILL LOVE ABOUT THIS EASY APPLE PIE RECIPE FROM SCRATCH

• In this apple pie recipe,We can make this homemade apple pie in a very simple and easy method.
• We don’t need to use any special equipments
• We use only a few basic ingredients that are mostly already present in your pantry.
• In this Classic Apple Pie Recipe,We are making apple pie from scratch:we will make the pie crust and the apple pie filling from scratch.
• We can get rid of those trans hydrogenated fat which is used in making commercial puff pastry sheets and from those preservatives present in them.
• We don’t need to pre-bake the apple pie crust
• We don’t need to pre cook the Apple filling for making this Old fashioned Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING THE APPLE PIE CRUST FROM SCRATCH

For making the apple pie crust, we use only three main ingredients Flour,Butter and water.Also we are adding some sugar and salt for taste.

1. Flour :325 g or  2 and 1/2 cups
2. Unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces:180 g or 3/4 cup +1 tbsp or 1 and 1/2 stick +1 tbsp
3. Water :8-9 tbsp or (120-135 ml)
4. Salt :3/4 tsp
5. Sugar :2 tbsp or 25 g

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING APPLE PIE FILLING

1. Apples (peeled, cored and sliced ) :6-7
2. Cinnamon Powder :1 tsp
3. Ground All Spices :1/2 tsp (optional)
4. Salt :1/4 tsp
5. Sugar :7-8 tbsp (or according to your preference )
6. Lemon Juice(optional)
7. Corn starch or corn flour :3-4 tbsp

FOR EGG WASH

• Egg :1
• Milk : 1/2 tablespoon
• Sugar for sprinkling on top :1 tablespoon

WHAT ARE THE BEST APPLES FOR MAKING APPLE PIE

The best apples for apple pie are those that hold their shape well when cooked, such as Fuji, Granny Smith, Gala,Pink Lady ,Honeycrisp etc

The type of apples to be used for making apple pie is our choice.

If you like a more tart apple pie filling, then go for green apples like Granny smith apples, Northern Spy and Cripps Pink.

Or if you like sweet apple filling,Sweeter varieties of apples that are best for pie include Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Crispin, Jazz and Fuji.

I like to use a mix a both kind of apples; tart ones and sweet ones.

My favorite is a combination of Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples.

And the good thing is that even if we don’t have the kind of apples you need, you can adjust the amount of sugar and lemon juice for your preference.

If you have only tart apples increase the amount of sugar by 3-4 tbsp and if you have only sweet apples add 1/2 -1 tbsp lemon juice or according to your preference.

HOW MANY APPLES DO YOU NEED FOR APPLE PIE?

You need 6 cups of peeled, sliced apples for one apple pie. This is typically about 6-7 apples, depending on their size.

In this recipe,I used 3 Granny smith apples and 4 Pink Lady Apples

IS IT NECESSARY TO ADD LEMON JUICE TO THE APPLE FILLING

No It’s not necessary.But if your apples are sweet and not tart, it will taste bland if we don’t add lemon juice.So in such case adding juice from half of a lemon can give some refreshing flavor and tartness to our apple pie.

HOW TO MAKE THIS APPLE PIE RECIPE FROM SCRATCH

In this easy apple pie recipe from scratch, we are going to make this homemade apple pie in four simple steps.

1.PREPARE THE PASTRY DOUGH

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. 

Slice frozen butter into thin slices.

Add the Frozen cold butter and, toss it into the flour mixture . 

Add cold water, little by little into the flour mixture and, using a fork, gently toss and stir together until large lumps form and almost all of the flour has been moistened. 

We need to be careful while adding water..if we add more water, the pastry will become tough and hard.

So add water little by little and stop when the dough can be squeezed and be pressed to form dough.

We don’t want all our butter to get dissolved into the dough..and it is a good sign to see the butter flakes in between the dough.

Using your hands, squish and pat the dough into flat sheet.Then with the help of a dough scraper fold the dough over on itself to form layers of butter.After a few folding it will form, a comparatively smooth pastry dough.

Now divide it into two equal parts.

Wrap with plastic film or parchment paper. 

Place in freezer for 30-35 minutes or Refrigerate for 45 minutes or more until the dough is firm(if preparing ahead of time, the dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month).

2.PREPARE THE APPLE FILLING

Just before taking the pie dough out from fridge, let’s prepare the easy apple filling.

Peel, core, and slice the apples.

Put the sliced apples in a large bowl.

Sprinkle the apples with the sugar, corn flour, cinnamon powder, salt and ground all spices. Toss until apples are thoroughly and evenly coated.

Now take out the pie dough from fridge.

3.ROLL THE PIE DOUGH AND SEAL THE PASTRY

Roll out one disk of piecrust to a 1/8-inch-thick circle, about 13 inches in diameter.

Squish and join the dough ,if the pastry sheet break while rolling.

Drape dough over a 9-inch pie pan. 

And then I placed the pie plate in freezer so that it will stay cold while I roll out the second pastry dough.

Roll and flatten the second pie dough to form a circular sheet.

Take the pie plate from freezer.

Pour the apple filling into the crust-lined pie pan.

Then place the second crust on top.

Tuck dough under, and crimp edges with a fork or your fingers.

HOW TO SEAL PIE CRUST

You can seal the two parts together by pinching the edges into a crimped look using your thumb and forefinger, all the way around the perimeter of the pie.

Start preheating your oven to 425 F

During this time, I like to keep our prepared pie dish in Refrigerator.So that the butter will be solid and ready while we take this into the oven for baking.

Note : At this point, keeping the pie in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes or in freezer for 20 minutes; this chills the fat, which ultimately increases the crust’s flakiness and helps the crimp hold it’s shape.

Give Egg wash

Brush the top of pastry crust with egg wash.

It will give a nice golden brown color and shine to the pie crust when it is baked.

Sprinkle the top with some sugar (optional).This can bring a nice caramel flavor to the pie crust when it come out of the oven.

Slice vents into the top crust so that the steam can easily evaporate through the top of pie as it bakes.

Egg Wash Substitute

If you don’t want to use egg wash, use milk instead of egg.

Brush the top of pie with milk.It can give a nice golden brown color.

4.BAKE THE APPLE PIE

How long to bake apple pie

Bake the pie at 425°F for about 20 minutes until the top and the edges become light golden/brown color.

Then lower the temperature to 375°F and continue baking for another 35-40 minutes until the top layer is deep golden/brown color and the apple filling is bubbling.

Why do we need to bake a pie initially at high temperature

Pie crust gains its flaky texture from the fat in the dough melting and producing steam .This happens most quickly and effectively at a higher temperature. 

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO KNOW IF YOUR APPLE PIE IS DONE

For this apple pie, the top crust will be golden brown, and you’ll be able to see filling bubbling around the edges and/or through the vents.

For best results, let the filling bubble for at least five minutes before removing the pie from the oven.

DO WE NEED TO COOL THE PIE BEFORE SLICING

Take it out of the oven and let it cool off for 1-2 hours before serving.

 The filling will be runny when it’s warm, but will set as the pie rests.

If you want the pie to slice cleanly, without oozing filling, allow it to cool completely before serving.

This allows time for the pie filling to gel and become firmer, which allows the piece of pie to hold together better when cut.

WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF CORNSTARCH AS A THICKENER IN MAKING APPLE PIE FILLING

We usually use flour or cornstarch as a thickener.

But in certain instances Plain flour,tapioca flour , arrowroot powder or potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency.

WHICH IS BETTER TO USE FOR MAKING PIE CRUST? BUTTER OR SHORTENING

 Shortening is more malleable at refrigerator temperatures than butter, making them easier to work with and creating a pie dough that can roll out easily without the need to add too much water.

But this can make the crust tough, leathery .

Another downside is that shortening is relatively flavorless than butter.

An all-butter pie crust has much better flavor than the one made with shortening. But because butter is so hard until it melts, it can be more difficult to work with.

But when we incorporate butter as in this Apple pie Video,We can do it effectively and easily.

So I prefer using butter in making pastry dough.

WHY MY APPLE FILLING TURNED SO MUSHY

Less tart apples tend to get cooked and loose its shape than the tart apples.

Pectin is the biological glue that holds together plant cells, giving fruits and vegetables their shape and structure. When apples are cooked, this pectin breaks down, and the apples turn mushy.

Pectin breakdown is inhibited by low pH levels (that is, it breaks down less when the environment is acidic). Thus the tarter the apple, the more likely it is to hold its shape upon baking.

Also I have noticed that when the water oozes out from the apples is high, the apples will get cooked so much that even the tart apples can become mushy.

There is another way that we can prevent this from happening. Prepare the apple pie filling just only a few minutes before transferring it into the pie dish so that it will have only a small amount of seeped juice.The sugar and salt enhances the leakage of fluid from apples and so avoid preparing the apple pie filling earlier.

If in case you prepared the apple filling too earlier, we can remove any excess liquid that seeps out from the apple filling mix prior to transferring it into the pie plate.

WHY MY APPLE FILLING IN APPLE PIE TURNED SO WATERY AND RUNNY

This usually happen when the inside of the apple pie is not well cooked.The apples in the apple pie filling will be raw and the pie filling will be runny in consistency.

We can solve this issue by sticking to the recipe and its baking instruction.

The probable reason that may cause this mistake is when the apple pie is baked in the wrong baking temperature.

If baking temperature is high ,the crust will get browned fast.In that case, if we take the pie out of the oven seeing the browned top crust, the inside of the apple pie will not be cooked properly and it will be runny in consistency.

WHY IS MY PIE CRUST CRUMBLY

If your pie crust is crumbly, it means it’s probably too dry.

You can add moisture to the dough to moisten it will help; just sprinkle a little ice-cold water into the dough a teaspoon at a time ,you won’t need much ,just enough to make it more cohesive.

HOW LONG DOES THIS APPLE PIE CRUST DOUGH LAST FOR

You can store this Apple pie crust in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

HOW TO PREVENT SOGGY BOTTOM APPLE PIE CRUST

We can prevent the soggy bottom Apple Pie Crust by placing the apple pie into a very hot oven.

The high oven temperature used for this recipe helps to prevent soggy bottom crust.

You can also position your oven rack low so that the bottom crust gets plenty of heat.

DO I EAT PIE WARM OR COLD?

You can actually eat it warm or cold depending on how you like it. When you eat it warm, it tastes amazing with some ice cream on top or a little bit of whipped cream.

When it’s cold, the apple pie filling will get gelatinized and so we will get clean slices of apple pie.It’s delicious both ways so just go with your favorite. 

HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE APPLE PIE

This homemade apple pie from scratch will remain fresh and good at room temperature for two days.

If you want to store longer , store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Rewarm slices in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 5 to 10 minutes before serving them.

HOW TO FREEZE HOMEMADE APPLE PIE

For freezing, wrap it with plastic wrap or tin foil tightly. Then put it inside of an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months.

To defrost, place it in the refrigerator overnight and serve when thawed.

4 TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST APPLE PIE FROM SCRATCH

1. Use Very Cold Butter 

Butter should be well-chilled and cut into small pieces to start with for the flakiest crust in the end. The fat in a pie crust must maintain some of its integrity in the dough to make the crust truly flaky.

The cold butter will help the easy handling of the dough.

2. Use Water Sparingly

Water aids gluten development, which you want to avoid for a tender pie crust. Add just enough water so the dough holds together when you pinch a piece between your fingers. The dough should look quite shaggy.

3.Chill the Assembled Pie Pan before baking

Cover and chill the pie pan along with the top crust, before baking. This helps the pie keep its shape when you bake it.

This also helps to get flaky pie crust.

4. Bake at Proper Temperature

We need to bake the apple pie at high temperature for first 20 minutes(425 F)which helps to get the butter to melt in-between the layers which results in flaky pie crust and form the shape.Then reduce the baking temperature to 350 F and bake for another 40 minutes.This will help to cook the apple filling properly and to get a crispy pie crust.

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