Arabic
There’s nothing quite like the comforting aroma and taste of a homemade apple pie. From the sweet, tender filling to the perfectly golden, flaky crust, it’s a classic for a reason. Today, we’re diving into a recipe that not only delivers on that traditional apple pie goodness but also features a stunning lattice top that’s easier to achieve than you might think. Get ready to impress your family and friends with this from-scratch masterpiece!
This recipe focuses on creating a truly exceptional crust – one that’s both buttery and wonderfully flaky, providing the ideal foundation for the star of the show: the sweet and slightly spiced apple filling. I recommend reading through the entire recipe before starting because it has a lot of steps, and if you need more guidance regarding the crust, you can read my Pie Crust Techniques blog first. There’s a explanatory video showing you how I made it too. Let’s get baking!
Homemade Apple Pie
A perfect apple pie from scratch, featuring a beautifully golden lattice top and a melt-in-your-mouth crust.
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust:
- 245 g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter cold and cut into pieces
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 tbsp cold milk
For the Apple Pie Filling:
- 4 large apples peeled cored, and sliced ¼ to ½-inch thick
- 35 g (¼ cup) all-purpose flour
- 165 g (¾ cup) brown sugar
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg lightly beaten (for egg wash)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar for sprinkling on lattice
Instructions
For Making the Pie Crust:
- In a large bowl or blender, add the flour, sugar, and the salt. Scatter the cold, cubed butter over the flour mixture.
- Using the blender or your fingertips, mix the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. The mixture should hold together when clumped, with visible lumps of butter.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cold milk until just blended.
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the dough just barely comes together. It will likely look shaggy.
- Dump the dough onto a work surface. Gather it into a tight mound.
- Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Prepare the Filling:
- In a medium bowl, combine the sliced apples, brown sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Toss gently to coat the apples evenly. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to help soften the apples, allowing you to pack more into the pie.
Assembling and Baking the Apple Pie:
- Remove the chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. On a well-floured work surface, roll out three-fourths of the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter and ⅛-inch thick. Reserve the remaining dough for the lattice top.
- Carefully place the dough on baking paper and flip on top of a 9-inch pie pan. Press the dough gently into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim the overhanging edges, leaving about a ½-inch lip. Fold this overhang under and crimp it decoratively around the pie.
- Blind Bake the Crust: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat 170°C. Line the chilled pie shell with baking paper and fill it with pie weights (or dried beans/rice). Blind bake for about 30 minutes, or until the entire shell is light brown.
- Once the pie shell is ready, remove it from the oven (leave the oven at 170°C). Carefully remove the pie weights and baking paper.
- Pile the apple filling into the warm pie shell, pressing down lightly to compact them.
- Create the Lattice Top: On a well-floured work surface, roll out the remaining pie dough into a rectangle about 10 inches long by 6 inches wide and ¼ inch thick. Cut lengthwise strips, each about ¾ inch wide.
- Drape four of the dough strips across the top of the apples, arranging them parallel to each other and spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Drape the remaining four dough strips at a 45-degree angle to the first set of strips, again spacing them about 2 inches apart to create the lattice pattern. Let the ends of the lattice strips overhang the edge of the pie shell.
- Brush the top of the lattice strips with the lightly beaten egg.
- Sprinkle the lattice strips with the granulated sugar.
- Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 ½ hours, or until the lattice strips are golden brown all the way through and the apples are soft and easily pierced with a small knife.
- Let the pie cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Video
