How To Make Apple Pie From Scratch
To make the best apple pie, youve got to start with a top-rated recipe, like this apple pie recipe from Maggie Greene, a reader in Granite Falls, Washington. Heres what youll need to make this pie.
What You Need for Homemade Pie Crust
Youll need a good foundation for this pie. We recommend our Test Kitchens favorite butter pie pastry.
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold butter, cubed
- 1/3 to 2/3 cup ice water
Ingredients for the Apple Pie Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
What Are The Best Apples To Use For Pies
Try to find a firm apple to use in this recipe. I like a mix between sweet and sour apples. You can use Granny Smith, Jonathan, Jonagold, Winesap, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Gala, or Rome Beauty. I used a mix between Golden Delicious and some kind of tart firm apples from our trees for this pie, and it was great. Its very forgiving, so experiment!
- Granny Smith Tart, green, flavorful, and perfect for apple pie
- Jonathan red on yellow, bright flavor, and juicy
- Golden Delicious Softer, sweet, and yellow in color
- Gala light red, crispy, and mildly sweet
How Do You Make Apple Pie Filling
Soft apples are a must for us in apple pie. Because of this, we like to soften our apples first in a saucepan on the stovetop. Combine the apples, flour , sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook these over medium low heat until the apples start to soften which will be about 10-15 minutes. Stir the apples often so that the sugar doesnt burn on the bottom of the pan. This will create a nice, syrupy apple mixture that you can pour into your pie shell.
*A note on the sugar. You can try lowering the sugar if youd like. Weve gone down to ½ a cup of sugar at different times. Its really a matter of tasteand even what apples you choose. If your apples are more tart, then you might want the full ¾ cup sugar. If they are sweeter apples, try lowering the sugar.*
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Easy Homemade Apple Pie
Bake the perfect homemade apple pie without any fuss using our quick and easy recipe. Make it entirely from scratch or take some of our cheats’ shortcuts!
When it comes to desserts, this simple homemade apple pie is one of our 5 most popular recipes along with apple crumble, butterscotch pudding, Baileys cheesecake and New York baked cheesecake! You can follow our recipe and make it entirely from scratch or take some of our time-saving shortcuts.
How To Tell When The Pie Is Done
Here are three simple methods for telling when apple pie is ready to come out of the oven:
Visual cue: Apple pie is done when the juices are bubbling through the vents of the top crust or lattice. If you do not see bubbles, the pie needs more time.
Internal temperature: The pie is done when an internal thermometer inserted into the middle of the pie reads 195 degrees Fahrenheit .
Texture of the apples: Piercing the pie is a good indication of how soft the apples are. If they feel too crunchy, the pie needs more time.
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How To Make Perfect Homemade Apple Pie
Its taken us a while to zero in on our favorite method for making apple pie, but I think weve finally nailed it. This simple recipe guarantees perfectly cooked apples surrounded with a thick gently spiced sauce. Theres no need for precooking the sauce or apples and the steps to make this pie are simple, you just need a little time.
As with all of the pie recipes on Inspired Taste, we start with this homemade pie crust. Im a stickler on this one. It has never failed us and is our go-to recipe for pumpkin pie, tarts, and other fruit pies like blueberry pie.
You can make the crust in advance. It can be refrigerated or frozen. Definitely check our pie crust recipe for our tips on making it .
As for the apples, we use a lot of them and like to use two or more varieties for the most apple-flavored pie. Ive listed some of our favorites below. It isnt a complete list, but it should give you some inspiration when shopping for your homemade pie. If you find yourself with extra apples, try making homemade applesauce!
We dont precook the apples before adding them to the crust.
Instead, we toss peeled and sliced apples with sugar, salt, and spices in a large bowl. When the apples are well coated, we set the bowl aside and let the apples sit for about an hour.
In this hour, the sugar and salt work on the apples to help them release their delicious liquid . The apples also soften quite a bit. We do this when making apple bread, too.
Types Of Apples To Use:
Granny Smiths are generally considered the best apples to use for apple pie. They don’t go as mushy as other varieties and their tartness is the perfect contrast to the sweet pastry. You can however use any type of apple you like! I’ve also used Pink Lady and Jonathan apples, although Granny Smith are my favourite pie apple.
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How Long To Bake Apple Pie
To bake, place the pie on a baking sheet in a 375°F oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the top starts to lightly brown, then lower the temp to 350°F and bake anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour or more longer.
The way you know that the apple pie is done is that the juices are noticeably bubbling. If you have an instant read thermometer, you can insert it into the center of the pie. A reading of 200°F is done.
At any point during the baking the top of the pie begins to brown too much, just tent it with aluminum foil. I usually tent the pie about halfway through the baking with foil.
Let the pie cool for an hour before cutting into it, and serve it plain or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!
How To Make A Basic Apple Pie
Every year, especially around the holidays, the desire to make apple pie surges. With the tart taste of apples, the sweetness from the cinnamon sugar, and the crunch of that delicious flaky crust apple pie undeniably embodies the flavors of fall.
If you’re like us and were a little overzealous when you went apple picking, you’ll need a way to use up that bounty. Sure, you can whip up apple butter and applesauce, but nothing beats a classic apple pie, particularly when apple season is at its peak.
Below we provide a step-by-step tutorial of how to make your basic apple pie with either a lattice or standard top crust. No matter if you are a beginner, or veteran baker looking to brush up on their apple pie making skills, we’ve got you covered.
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Best Toppings For The Pie
There is much debate about the best way to top your apple pie. Some say it’s best totally on its own – but I love trying out new combinations!
- Ice cream is the accompaniment of choice for many U.S. bakers and eaters alike! Vanilla is the most traditional choice, but something like salted caramel, or brown sugar, would be incredible alternatives.
- Speaking of which, salted caramel is a fantastic addition. There are plenty of recipes, as well as store-bought versions that don’t break the bank!
- Whipped cream is a regular choice for this pie. But have you ever spiced it up? Cinnamon, apple pie spice, or ginger, can be folded into fresh whipped cream for a special something.
- Just a drizzle of honey also makes a lovely addition to this pie. In fact, during the summer months, this is a great way to eat chilled or room temperature apple pie!
The Best Apples For Apple Pie:
Any sweet/tart and crisp apple will do and you can adjust the sugar accordingly, we use a full cup of sugar for tart Granny Smith and slightly less for a sweeter apple such as Golden Delicious.
- Granny Smith firm, tart and the gold standard for baking
- Golden Delicious balanced sweet/tart flavor
- Jonagold sweetness amplified by baking
- Honeycrisp ultra-crisp and sweet
- Braeburn crisp and doesnt get mushy
- Pink Lady sweet and tart apples, hold their shape
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Two: Making Your Apple Pie Filling
- Peel and cut six large apples, and put them into a large bowl.
- Add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl. Gently toss apples in the spices to avoid bruising .
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 45 minutes. During this phase, the juice from the apples blends with spices to make that signature pie filling!
The Best Apples For Apple Pie
Apple pie is the perfect vessel for using up whatever random variety of apples you got from the market or while apple picking. In fact, a combination of sweet and tart apples makes for a more balanced pie filling. Granny Smith and Jonagold are ideal tart apples for baking, while Pink Lady, Gala, and Honey Crisp are sweet. All of these varieties also keep their shape as they bake.
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What Are The Ingredients For Apple Pie
There are a couple of key ingredients for our homemade apple pie.
- Saigon Cinnamon. Youll want to look for a cinnamon that is labeled Saigon cinnamon. This cinnamon has a higher essential oil content and has a stronger flavor than most cinnamons. Youll pay just a little more for this cinnamon, but the difference it makes in baked goods is worth it!
- Freshly Grated Nutmeg. Yes, you can buy nutmeg already ground, but if youre looking to add a unique flavor to your pies, try freshly grated nutmeg. You buy nutmeg nuts and a small grater. Simply grate the nut on the grater and watch that freshly grated nutmeg fall into your apple mixture. Its so, so good!
- Lemon Juice. Dont worry. You wont taste the lemon in this pie. You can actually leave the lemon out if youd like, but we feel it helps add to the fresh flavor of the pie.
- Flour. Flour thickens up the filling slightly so your pie is not runny.
- Sugar. We normally use white sugar, but we have made it with brown sugar too!
- Butter. Before putting the top pie crust on, we dot the top of our pie with butter. Butter adds flavor and richness to fruit desserts.
The Best Apples For Pie
With an apple pie recipe, you want apples that are tart, sweet, and firm. You want the apples to be strong enough not to break down completely while you bake the apple pie, but light enough that they are soft when they bake. Below are our favorite apples to use in apple pie!
- Granny Smith Tart, green, flavorful, and perfect for apple pie
- Golden Delicious Softer, sweet, and yellow in color
- Northern Spy Red and green, honey notes, and on the sweet side
- Idared Red in color, not too harsh in flavor, on the tart side
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How Do You Make Apple Pie From Scratch
I know the ingredient list looks a little long, but dont let that intimidate you. Most of it involves pantry staples. It takes only 30 minutes to prep and thats largely because of slicing, peeling, and coring those apples. Youll use a frozen deep dish pie crust, make the filling, and bake it. If you wan to go the extra mile you can make your own cold water pie crust from scratch with pie dough but it will take significantly more time. This one is quick, easy, and delicious!
Once you make this simple apple pie recipe with buttery pie crust, I assure you that you will never buy another ready-made pie. And youll never attempt to make one with that canned apple garbage they sell on the shelves. It tastes so much better fresh, and youll have this one ready almost as fast as you can say apple pie!
Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.Jane Austen
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How To Make Homemade Apple Pie
Make the crust:
1. In a food processor or stand mixer, mix together the flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until the butter resembles the size of walnut halves. Add 3/4 cup ice water and mix until incorporated. Keep dribbling in ice water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together into a lump. It should be moist, but not sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough together, turning over a few times, until smooth and solid.
2. Divide the doughyoull need 2/3 of the dough for the bottom crust and 1/3 for the top crust. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger quantity of dough to 1/3-inch thick. Transfer it to the deep dish and trim the edge so there is a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Chill the dough inside the pan for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Make filling:
1. Peel apples, and then cut them from top to bottom around the core to give you four pieces of apple. Compost or discard the cores and slice the apple 1/4-inch to 1/3 thick.
2. Combine sugar and ground cinnamon in a bowl and whisk together. Place two tablespoons of cinnamon sugar in a bowl. Set to one side for sprinkling over top crust.
4. Continue to cook until reduced and thick. Transfer apples and juices to a rimmed baking sheet and cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Place in refrigerator 20-30 minutes.