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How to Make Apple Pie Recipe

Emily Parker
How to make apple pie: a golden double-crust pie and a separate slice on a cream plate
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Homemade butter pastry surrounds a cinnamon-apple filling in a vented double-crust pie. Bake until the filling bubbles, then cool completely before slicing.
Estimated Recipe CostEstimated US$7.50 per pie, about US$0.95 per slice (8 slices), using budget apples; toppings, water and energy excluded.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Chilling and cooling 5 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 553
Ingredients Equipment Instructions Nutrition Video Notes

Ingredients
  

Butter pastry
  • 325 g all-purpose flour about 2 2/3 cups, spooned and leveled
  • 12 g granulated sugar 1 tablespoon
  • 5 g fine salt about 3/4 teaspoon; weigh for accuracy
  • 225 g unsalted butter cold, cut into small cubes
  • 95–120 ml ice-cold water about 6–8 tablespoons, added gradually
  • 20 g all-purpose flour up to this amount for dusting
Apple filling
  • 1250 g firm apples, peeled, cored and sliced prepared weight; about 1.6 kg whole apples; cut into even 1/4-inch slices
  • 150 g granulated sugar 3/4 cup
  • 40 g all-purpose flour about 1/3 cup
  • 15 ml lemon juice 1 tablespoon
  • 3 g ground cinnamon about 1 teaspoon
  • 0.5 g ground nutmeg about 1/4 teaspoon
  • 0.5 g fine salt a small pinch
  • 14 g unsalted butter 1 tablespoon, cut into small pieces
Egg wash
  • 1 large egg about 50 g without the shell
  • 15 ml water 1 tablespoon

Equipment

  • 1 9-inch metal pie pan, about 2 inches deep
  • 1 Rimmed baking sheet
  • 1 Large mixing bowl and fork or whisk
  • 1 Pastry blender, or clean fingertips
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 Kitchen scale and measuring spoons
  • 1 Knife, peeler and cutting board
  • 1 Pastry brush, foil and wire cooling rack

Instructions
 

  1. In a large bowl, whisk 325 g flour, 12 g sugar and 5 g salt. Cut in the 225 g cold butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs with some pea-size butter pieces. Add 95 ml ice-cold water and toss with a fork. Add more water a teaspoon at a time, only until a squeezed handful holds together; you may not need all 120 ml.
  2. Bring the dough together without kneading it smooth. Divide into two slightly unequal portions, shape into disks about 1 inch thick, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The larger disk is for the bottom crust.
  3. Set an oven rack in the lower third and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Set out a rimmed baking sheet and a 9-inch metal pie pan about 2 inches deep. Wash the apples under running water, then peel, core and cut into even 1/4-inch slices. Weigh out 1,250 g of prepared fruit.
  4. Use some of the dusting flour to roll the larger disk into a 12-inch circle. Ease it into the pie pan without stretching; leave the overhang. Refrigerate it while you mix the sliced apples with 150 g sugar, 40 g flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and the small pinch of salt. Arrange the apples in the lined pan, fitting the slices close together and mounding slightly in the center. Add all juices from the bowl and dot with the 14 g butter.
  5. Roll the remaining dough into an 11-inch circle and lay it over the filling. Trim the combined pastry overhang to about 3/4 inch, fold it under and crimp to seal. Cut 4–6 short vents in the top. Refrigerate the assembled pie for 15 minutes.
  6. Beat the egg with 15 ml water and brush a thin coat over the top crust; discard any unused wash. Set the pie on the rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then lower the oven to 375°F (190°C). Continue baking about 50–65 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden, apples feel tender when pierced through a vent, and thick juices bubble through the vents. Let visible bubbling continue for at least 5 minutes. Loosely tent the top or shield the edge with foil if it browns too quickly.
  7. Transfer the pie pan to a wire rack and cool completely, about 4 hours, before cutting into 8 slices. The cooling time allows the filling to settle. For a warm serving, gently reheat a cooled slice.
  8. Once fully cooled, cover and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below; plan to eat it within 4 days. For longer storage, freeze well-wrapped pie or slices for up to 4 months for best quality, then thaw in the refrigerator. Keep cream and ice cream separate until serving. Do not taste raw pastry or egg wash.

Nutrition

Calories: 553kcalCarbohydrates: 77.4gProtein: 6.5gFat: 25.5gFiber: 3.5gSugar: 36.2g

Video

Notes

Weights are the main measurements. Start with about 1.6 kg whole apples, then use 1.25 kg after peeling and coring. A mix of firm tart and sweeter apples works well. Timing varies with the pan, apples and oven; the filling cues matter more than the timer. This recipe makes one 9-inch double-crust pie. Nutrition is an ingredient estimate per one-eighth of the pie, including all listed flour and the whole egg; some egg wash and pastry trimmings may not be eaten. Toppings are extra. Video: Martha Stewart’s separate apple-pie demonstration uses a taller filling and pastry decorations. Follow this card’s smaller filling, simple vents, ingredient amounts and timing.

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