Apple

Apple Pie

by:
July 15, 2020
4
8 Ratings
Apple Pie
Photo by Anna Billingskog
  • Prep time 3 hours 35 minutes
  • Cook time 2 hours
  • Makes 1 9-inch double-crust pie
Author Notes

What makes a good apple pie great? Tart, firm, easy-to-find apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp). An all-butter double crust (lighter and flakier than shortening, less porky than lard, maximal crust to filling ratio). As I saw it, there were only two existential questions remaining: Thick wedges or thin slices? To par-bake the bottom crust or not?

An apple pie full of thick apple wedges better mimics the experience of biting into a fresh, fleshy apple, while thin slices reminds me more of a Spanish tortilla (nice but not what I’m going for). In my first test, I found that pre-cooking the wedges slightly helped cook off extra water, but made for an overly soft filling. So, how else can we get rid of excess liquid? Maceration. Toss raw apples in a spiced sugar mixture and let sit until shrunken and saucy (a method apple pie aficionados Stella Parks, Deb Perelman, and Rose Levy Beranbaum also subscribe to, albeit with thin apple slices). The liquid the apples relinquish doesn’t get tossed, oh no—instead, we reduce it down into a spiced, super-appley syrup for the filling.

As is the case with this blackberry cobbler recipe, let the season decide which spices to include. Spices this warming can feel too heavy for a mid-summer pie, so try subbing in crushed coriander seeds or a bay leaf for the allspice, ground ginger or cardamom for the black pepper, or omitting the spices altogether and leaning on the lemon. I leave the peels in as I love the bitterness and fragrance against the sweet apples, but feel free to fish them out before baking.

Onto the crust: If something’s not broken, why fix it? I’ve yet to find a pie dough more reliable and yes— stress-free—as Stella Parks’, but by all means, go with whichever all-butter crust recipe makes you most comfortable.

Though dry crispness a blind-bake promises, I’m not totally convinced it’s worth the extra step and planning (for a custard or curd pie, however, I’m sold). So, how else might we avoid a soggy bottom crust, especially with a filling this wet? A dance with the freezer (keeping the crust as cold as possible throughout assembly ensures that the buttery layers remain intact), and an extended, relatively low-heat bake atop a hot baking sheet (so the crust has a chance to really cook through). A yolk-only wash makes for a deeply burnished top, and both flaky salt and raw sugar combine for a multi-dimensional sparkly finish. I skip the lattice because it’s too tempting to fuss, and fussing is the antithesis of flakiness. Clean slices will reward the patient baker, but there’s an equal (if not greater) joy in serving the pie right from the oven, with a handful of spoons and pint of vanilla ice cream.
—Coral Lee

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Filling
  • 2 1/2 pounds (about 4 large) tart, firm apples, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, peeled and cut to 3/4-inch thick wedges
  • 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons (75 grams) light brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice or cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 small lemon, peel removed in large 2-inch swaths, plus 1 tablespoon of its juice
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Assembly
  • 1 quantity all-butter double-crust pie dough, chilled (see headnote)
  • 1 egg yolk beaten with a splash of water
  • Flaky salt and turbinado sugar, for finishing
Directions
  1. Combine the apples, sugars, spices, salt, lemon peels, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Toss to coat well, making sure the cornstarch is well distributed. Let macerate for 3 hours at room temperature.
  2. When the apples have been macerating for an hour, start on the crust: Divide the chilled dough in half, and return one portion back to the fridge. On a floured surface, roll the other portion out to an 11 to 12-inch round, and drape onto the rolling pin. Gently transfer the dough to your pie pan, lifting the edges to let the dough settle in and up the sides. Place the lined pie pan in the fridge. Roll the remaining portion to a 9 1/2-inch round, drape onto the rolling pin, and transfer onto a large baking sheet. Let both top and bottom crusts rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before assembling the pie.
  3. When the apples are shrunken, tumble into a colander set over a medium saucepan. Transfer the colander to the sink, and let the apples continue to drain while you concentrate the juices in the saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and let burble until very thick and caramel-like, about 1-2 minutes. You should have 1/4 to 1/3 cup syrup.
  4. Remove the lined pie pan from the fridge. Fill with the apples, slightly doming in the center, and spoon the syrup on top.
  5. Cover the apples with the remaining sheet of crust, setting the baking sheet aside. Leaving 1 inch of overhang, trim away any excess. Fuse the top and bottom crusts, tucking both under to create a slightly thicker lip. Crimp as desired, being sure to keep your touch light and fast. Cup your hands to gently mold the crust onto and around the bumpy apple filling. (This will make for a handsome, bumpy silhouette—if your kitchen is especially warm and your pie crust is melting or getting sticky, skip this step and go straight to the freezer.) Brush surface with half of the egg wash. Slide the pie in the freezer, the reserved baking sheet into the oven, and heat to 400°F.
  6. When the oven is ready and the pie has been chilled for at least 30 minutes, brush on remaining egg wash, and sprinkle with flaky salt and turbinado sugar. Cut a few slits into the top crust with a paring knife. Place the pie onto the preheated sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pie, drop the heat to 350°F, and bake another 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until burbling, burnished on top, and well browned on the bottom (this is why glass pans are handy! If working with a metal pie pan, start checking for doneness at the 1 hour mark).
  7. For clean slices, let pie cool for at least 2 hours before digging in; otherwise, serve straight from the pan with spoons and vanilla ice cream.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Erin Alexander
    Erin Alexander
  • Coral Lee
    Coral Lee
  • Ruth Radford
    Ruth Radford
  • Sydney
    Sydney

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15 Reviews

Ruth R.
Ruth R. October 19, 2021
Excellent recipe and it's an investment of time. I did not follow exactly, but I got close. The apples I used did not need 3 hours of maceration, nor did the pie need to bake for a full 90 minutes AFTER turning the oven down from 400 to 350. I baked for 30 minutes at 400, then 30 minutes at 350 and it was perfect. I will definite use the maceration step in the future... I am thinking that would work well w pears (which can be kinda watery).
 
Coral L.
Coral L. October 20, 2021
Hi Ruth! Glad to hear it went well—and good thinking with the pears!
 
Sydney
Sydney March 15, 2021
When it says "Toss the drained apples with the cornstarch right in the colander" in step 3, does that mean we add cornstarch a second time (the first time being in step 1)? If so, how much?
 
Coral L.
Coral L. October 20, 2021
Hi Sydney! The cornstarch is only added once (in the first mention).
 
Ellie
Ellie January 6, 2021
Man i love this pie! It's the kind of bumpily attractive pie you'd put on the windowsill to lure unsuspecting travellers into your gingerbread cottage in the middle of the forest. A real classic.

Just a note that the recipe calls for the butter crust dough to be made separately and in advance. I didn't realise and had to make the crust after prepping the apples - which added a lot more time to the process.

Also i put in only 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and the flavour was perfect. Highly recommended!
 
Anna S.
Anna S. November 12, 2020
Very excited to make this! Will it taste as good if you make the day before?
 
Coral L.
Coral L. November 16, 2020
Hi Anna! It definitely well. I actually think that overnight rest will help the filling set up better, and so your slices will be cleaner. If you'd like it warm, you can reheat it gently in the oven (350F for 10-15min) before serving.
 
Jude
Jude October 1, 2020
Won’t the pie plate crack after taking out of freezer and putting on the pre heated cookie sheet to bake?
 
Coral L.
Coral L. October 1, 2020
Hi Jude! I did not experience this, nor did our recipe testers. But, if still uneasy about it, it seems like OXO sells a freezer-to-oven-grade glass pie pan; or, you could just let the frozen-ish pie temp slightly (5 or so min) before sticking into the oven.
 
Erin A.
Erin A. September 14, 2020
This apple pie recipe is sooo good, and it makes the perfect weekend baking project. I love how the apple juices are used to make a silky spiced caramel that gets drizzled over the filling before adding the top crust—it added a little extra something that made this so much better than your average pie. Also, as a "crust person," you can't beat the one from Stella Parks—it's buttery, flaky perfection. All around awesomeness! Can't wait to warm up another slice tonight (and throughout the week) and top it with vanilla ice cream (a must).
 
Coral L.
Coral L. September 15, 2020
Aww thank you, Erin!! +1 for being a "crust person," without being, you know, a person that enjoys making crust.
 
B
B September 11, 2020
Thank you!!! That was quick! I so wanted to make this pie. I think that the size of the lemon peels might be a bit too much for me, but the rest looks wonderful--thank you so much for the prompt response!
 
Coral L.
Coral L. September 11, 2020
Of course, and happy pie-making!
 
B
B September 11, 2020
Please complete these directions: 1. Shouldn't you remove the lemon peels? What is the preheat temp of the oven? Where are the directions re preheating sheet pan? Add reduced syrup to colander (& lose it down the drain???) or add to apples in pie? "remaining" egg wash; where was the first part used? PLEASE look this over and proof these directions. Thank you.
 
Coral L.
Coral L. September 11, 2020
Hi there, B! Thanks so much for writing in, and for bringing this omission to my attention. This a glitch that we've been noticing happening with a few of our recipes—sorry about the confusion. I've reintroduced the missing steps (though leaving the lemon peels *in* was not a mistake—I love the lemony, fragrant pop it adds—try it, and let me know what you think!).