Apple and pie crust

Thanksgiving Apple Pie

Double Crust Apple Pie is warm, gooey, and has a sweet filling wrapped in a buttery and flaky homemade crust.

Yield: 10 -12 servings

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes

Tessa’s Recipe Rundown.

Taste: Classic apple pie flavors, the perfect amount of sweetness, tartness, and spicy warmth.
Texture: Perfect, tender apples floating in a gooey goodness with a delightfully flaky crust.
Ease: A little more advanced and time consuming, but the process is so enjoyable!
Pros: Stayed delicious for days, held its shape while baking.
Cons: The pie takes a long time to make, only for special occasions.
Would I make this again? Absolutely, this is my go-to apple pie recipe.

Apple pie… a dessert that’s ALWAYS good. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it, right? So I thought after 9 years it was finally time to update my classic apple pie recipe.

So here it is: a tender, gooey, warm, spicy, tart, and sweet fresh apple filling wrapped in a beautiful buttery and flaky homemade crust.

This is a traditional double crust apple pie. Nothing crazy or fancy but I’ve listed a bunch of pie baking tips in the pink box below to guarantee your success.

Although apple pie is pretty straightforward, it’s easy for things to come out not quite right. Whether your crust gets soggy, the filling is too sweet or kinda of bland,

How to Make Perfect Apple Pie

Apple Pie Crust

For this recipe you’ll need a double batch of pie crust. You can use my Best Ever Pie Crust, or whichever crust recipe you know and love. When making pie I typically will prepare the dough in advance to save time. You can refrigerate your two disks of dough for up to 3 days before assembling the pie.

I have a ton of pie tips in my recipe post, and also in my free Pie Crust Troubleshooting Guide.

Don’t forget to cut vents in your pie crust before baking to allow steam to escape! This will prevent mini pie filling explosions or the crust from ballooning up. Be sure to cut the vents after brushing on the egg wash.

You can even make a Lattice Pie Crust if you prefer.

Lattice pies are handy for moisture rich fillings like this apple one. There’s a lot of water content that turns into steam and will need to evaporate as it bakes. Lattice by its design allows that steam to readily escape.

I have an entire article that includes step-by-step photos and a video of How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust.

How to prevent soggy crust:

There’s nothing worse than soggy bottoms in apple pie. It’s all too easy for this to happen since the filling has so much moisture. Here are two tips:

Bake your pie 30 minutes after filling and assembling. In the below recipe you’ll see after you fill and assemble the pie you refrigerate it for 30 minutes to relax the gluten. This prevents the crust from shrinking and ensures the butter is nice and cold for a flaky texture. If you keep it in the fridge for longer, the moisture from the filling will start to seep into the crust and create a soggy bottom.

If soggy bottoms are a common problem, bake your pie on the lower rack of your oven. Even better, bake it on a rimmed sheet pan (to prevent spillage) on top of a baking stone to ensure the bottoms are well browned.

Tips for Apple Pie Filling

Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices and place in a large bowl. I usually prefer thicker pieces of apple so they don’t get mushy or mealy, but this does make for a “looser” filling texture. So feel free to slice thinner to your preference.

Toss the apples immediately with the sugars, spices, and salt. If time permits, allow the apples to macerate for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours, tossing occasionally. Macerating the apples will intensify their flavor and prevent the filling from being watery and the crust from getting soggy. However, this step can also be skipped if you don’t have the time.

The pie filling isn’t cooked before baking. I wanted the apples to shine in this recipe and maintain some tartness and texture. The filling is thickened with just a tablespoon of cornstarch. This prevents the filling from turning syrupy and mushy. However, if you prefer a thick filling feel free to add another tablespoon of cornstarch.

Best apples for apple pie?

I love Granny Smith apples in this recipe because they won’t get mushy or mealy during baking and their tartness cuts the sugar in the filling perfectly.

You can also use Braeburn, Pink Lady, McIntosh, or Honeycrisp or some mixture of your favorites.

How to Tell when Apple Pie is Done Baking

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling has an internal temperature of 195°F measured with a digital instant read thermometer. This will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes, but will depend on your pie pan and oven. Metal pans tend to cook faster than glass or ceramic.

How to Store & Make Apple Pie Ahead of Time

As I mentioned, the disk of pie dough can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. The rolled out crusts can also be covered and refrigerated overnight.

The baked cooled pie can be wrapped in foil for up to 3 days at room temperature. Reheat in a 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes to refresh if desired.

Can apple pie be frozen?

Yes! Apple pie freezes better unbaked. . Assemble the pie fully, double wrap in plastic, and then freeze for up to 1 month. Let the pie partially thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour, then bake as directed by the recipe, adding about 10 minutes to the baking time.

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Perfect Pie Crust

Intimidated by pie dough? This flaky pie crust recipe walks you through every step for the perfect pie. Use all butter or a combo of butter and shortening. Plus learn how to blind-bake a pie crust.

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Yes, you can make your own homemade pie crust! It’s not hard, once you get the hang of it, and the result is so much better than your typical frozen pie crust that you get at the store.

Video: How To Make Perfect Pie Crust

Perfect Pie Crust

There are many different ways to make a pie crust. Every baker I know seems to have their favorite recipe or trick.

The most classic pie or pastry crust is made with butter. That one can take some practice to master, because if you handle it too much it will end up tough.

A more forgiving pie crust is one that is made with a mixture of butter and shortening. That way you get the flavor of the butter, with the easy flakiness that comes from using shortening.

Some people use all vegetable oil, and some swear by lard. One of my favorite ways to make a pie crust these days is to use sour cream as the fat, along with butter. No need for a food processor; the dough is easy to roll-out, and the crust is wonderfully flaky.

The following are instructions for making 1) a basic butter crust (pâte brisée) for sweet and savory pies and tarts, 2) a pre-baked pie crust needed for dishes such as quiche, 3) a combination butter and shortening crust, and 4) an egg wash finish for the pie.

The instructions will yield enough dough for 1 10-inch pie with a crust top, or 2 10-inch topless pies or tarts. If you are making a tart or just a pie bottom, cut all ingredients in half.

Pies to Make Using This Crust!

Perfect Pie Crust

These recipes call for unsalted butter. If you are using salted butter instead, omit the added salt.

As a variation, swap out 1/2 cup of the flour with ground blanched almonds or almond flour.

Ingredients

All Butter Crust

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

1 cup ( 8 ounces ) unsalted butter , very cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Combination Butter and Shortening Crust

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter , chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

8 tablespoons ice water

1 tablespoon heavy cream , half and half, or milk

1 large egg yolk

Method

Put flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times to mix.

Add about half of the butter to the food processor and pulse several times. Then add the rest of the butter and pulse 6 to 8 times until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of large peas.

Sprinkle the mixture with 4 tablespoons of the ice water (make sure there are no ice cubes in the water!) and pulse again. Then add more ice water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition until the dough just barely begins to hold together. You may not need all the water.

The mixture is ready when a small handful of the crumbly dough holds together when you pinch it with your fingers.

Carefully empty the crumbly dough mixture from the food processor on to a clean, dry, flat surface. Gather the mixture in a mound.

Divide the dough mixture into two even-sized mounds. Use your hands and knead each mound just enough to form each one into a disc. Do not over-knead! Kneading develops gluten which will toughen the dough, not something you want in a pastry crust. You should just knead enough so that the dough holds together without cracks.

If you started with cold butter you should be able to see small chunks of butter speckling the dough. This is a good thing. These small bits of butter will spread out into layers as the crust cooks so you have a flaky crust!

Sprinkle each disc with a little flour, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour or up to 2 days.

Remove one crust disc from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier.

Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking.

Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

Roll out second disc of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie.

Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together.

Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.

How to Pre-Bake a Pie Crust

If your recipe calls for a pre-baked crust, as many custard pie recipes do, follow all the steps above for a single, bottom crust only, without filling.

until chilled. This is an important step in pre-baking. Otherwise the crust will slip down the sides.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

When the pie crust is sufficiently chilled, line the pie crust with aluminum foil. Let the foil extend over by a few inches on two sides to make it easier to lift to remove the pie weights when the baking is done.

Fill the crust to the top with pie weights — dry beans, rice, or sugar. (Sugar works best.)

Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes if making a crust for a pie that will require further cooking, for example a quiche. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes if making a crust for a pie that you don’t need to bake further.

You may need to tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil when you bake your pie, to keep the edges from getting too dried out and burnt.

See more detailed instructions and photos for how to blind bake a crust here.

Combination Butter and Shortening Crust

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse 4 times.

Add shortening in tablespoon sized chunks, and pulse 4 more times. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas.

Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Pulse a couple times. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it’s ready.

If the dough doesn’t hold together, keep adding water, a teaspoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until the mixture just begins to clump together.

Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface.

Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks.

Do not over-knead the dough!

Dust the discs lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days before rolling out.

After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for an hour, you can take it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you may need to let it sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before rolling.

Sprinkle a little flour on a flat, clean work surface and on top of the disc of dough you intend to roll out. (We use a Tupperware pastry sheet that has the pie circles already marked.)

Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough.

Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough (a pastry scraper works great for this) to make sure it is not sticking.

You have a big enough piece of dough when you place the pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least 2 inches all around.

When the dough has reached the right size, gently fold it in half. Lift up the dough and place it so that the folded edge is along the center line of the pie dish. Gently unfold. Do not stretch the dough.

If you are only making a single crust pie, use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the lip of the dish. Tuck the overhang underneath itself along the edge of the pie dish. Use your fingers in a pinching motion, or the tines of a fork to crimp the edge of the pie crust.

If you are making a double crust pie, roll out the second disc of dough. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Use a kitchen scissors to trim the overhang to an inch over. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Finish the double crust by pressing against the edges of the pie with your finger tips or with a fork.

Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust, so the steam has a place to escape while the pie is cooking.

Before scoring, you may want to paint the top of your crust with an egg wash (this will make a nice finish).

Egg Wash

A lovely coating for a pie can be achieved with a simple egg wash.

Beat egg yolk with cream and brush on the surface of the pie with a pastry brush.

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