We tasted a wide variety of apples in the filling and learned that a combination of two distinct types — tart Granny Smith and sweet Mclntosh — yields the richest apple flavor. They also cook at different speeds, which makes for a multi-textured filling: The Granny Smiths soften a bit but stay pretty firm and the Mclntoshes break down to become mushy. For the crispest crust, we found that it’s important to first bake the pie at a very high temperature, then reduce the temperature so that the filling cooks completely. Baking the pie on the lowest rack of the oven, on a heated baking sheet, ensures that the bottom remains crisp.–The Editors at America’s Test Kitchen
LC Potential for Peeling Prowess Note
Are we the only ones whose moms used to be the mavericks of apple peeling, able to peel large apples in a single, long, dangly curlicue of bright red apple skin? There was some serious apple peeling prowess happening in our kitchens when we were growing up. And without any fancy pants peeling contraptions bought on late-night TV. A partially knicked paring knife is all that was needed. If you’re feeling a little nostalgic–not to mention inadequate in the peeling department–just recall, practice, practice, practice.
Classic Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- For the crust
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces nd chilled
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
- 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
- For the pie
- 2 pounds (4 to 6) McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and slice 1/4-inch thick
- 1 1/2 pounds (3 to 4) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 recipe Double-Crust Pie Dough , bottom crust fit into pie plate
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
Directions
- Make the crust
- 1. Process the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and, using short pulses, process the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to a bowl.
- 2. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, stir in the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.
- 3. Divide the dough into two even pieces and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let the chilled dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out and fitting one of the pieces into the bottom of a pie plate.
To make ahead: The dough can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the frozen dough thaw on the countertop until malleable before rolling. - Make the pie
- 4. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Toss the apples with cup of the sugar, the flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and spices, and set aside.
- 5. Roll out the top crust to a 12-inch circle. Spread the apples in the unbaked pie crust bottom, mounding them slightly in the middle. Loosely roll the top crust around the rolling pin, then gently unroll it over the apples. Trim all but 1/2-inch of the dough overhanging the edge of the pie plate with scissors. Seal the edge by pressing the top and bottom crusts together, then tuck the edges underneath. Crimp the edges, and cut four vent holes in the top. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- 6. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C). Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, reduce the oven temperature again to 375°F (190°C), and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.
To make ahead : The pie can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, for up to 2 days.
Hungry for more? Chow down on these:
- Goat Cheese and Apple Tart from A Cozy Kitchen
- Key Lime Pie from Brown Eyed Baker
- Rustic Apple Tarts from Leite's Culinaria
- Fresh Peach Pie from Leite's Culinaria
Classic Apple Pie Recipe © 2005 The Editors at America's Test Kitchen. Photo © 2005 Carl Tremblay. All rights reserved.
I made this pie with a Pillsbury frozen crust, and used 6 granny smith apples. Otherwise, it was spot on following the recipe. There was a lot of liquid when i cut it, even though i cooked it fully. I LOVE the flavor, but the texture was a little more over done than i would have liked. My husband loved it though and I will make it again.
More flour maybe?
Susan, I love this pie. More flour will definitely thicken the filling. I sometimes use a bit of tapioca powder, which is a powerful thickener. Give it a shot and let me know how it turns out.
This pie is delicious! I’ve never baked a pie from scratch before, but this one came out flawless twice in a row. Susan, thanks to your comment, I did add a bit more flour in with the apple mixture, and it was perfect. Thank you! Also, instead of vegetable shortening, I just used butter (at a one to one ratio). Great recipe—I’ll make this again, surely more than once.
[Cynthia Furey] I’m in love with this recipe, mostly because it tells you why you’re using the variety of apples you’re using. A lot of the time I’ll come across an apple pie recipe that just lists the apples, but there’s no accompanying note explaining the flavors or results. The combination of McIntosh and Granny Smith produced a result exactly as the recipe states: Tart and sweet. I did take David’s advice to add more flour (1 extra tablespoon) so the pie wouldn’t end up juicy. I also didn’t have that air gap between the pie crust and the apple mixture. The lemon juice wakes up the apples’ flavor, though next time I might add a tad bit less, as I could actually taste the lemon instead of the effects of it. Overall, this is a wonderful, solid back-pocket recipe.
I’ve made this pie a few times and people really love it. I seem to remember a small amount of allspice was in this recipe, perhaps an 1/8 tsp? I’ve made it both with and without and it is great either way.
Chris, as you say it works with or without the allspice, but it lends a slight hint of warmth to the pie.
Made this today but with Jonagold apples. I cut the sugar a bit to make up for the slightly sweeter (though still tart & pectin-filled) variety. Turned out great, though the crust baked into a dome that the apples cooked down beneath, leaving a cavity. Partly this was my fault for overfilling the pie. Not a real problem, but next time I might cut the apples a bit thicker in the hopes that they don’t cook down quite as much. Important thing is that it was delicious.
Hi! I would like to make this pie tonight but was wondering…does this recipe make 2 pie crusts? Also, do I have to pre bake the bottom half of the crust first? I watch ATK and they always end up pre-baking so the crust doesn’t shrink! Help!
Hi, Mya. This recipe makes just the right amount of pie crust for this double-crust pie recipe–you need a bottom and a top crust, hence the dividing of the dough into two pieces. And no, you do not need to pre-bake the bottom crust, it will be just fine without this step. Let us know how it goes!
Thank you sooo much! I ended up making the pie last night and it was amazing! I was a bit nervous since it was my first time making a pie, but everything turned out perfect! Thanks again!!
So lovely to hear, mya! And I’m not surprised to hear it turned out well, ATK knows what it’s doing…