How to Bake an Apple Pie from Scratch

Co-authored by Brooke Cazier

Last Updated: March 24, 2023 Approved

Though a store-bought apple pie can give you some of the sweet, rich flavor you're craving, nothing beats an apple pie that you make at home from scratch. Not only is making an apple pie not as hard as it sounds, but making it yourself will help you cut costs and to make a pie that is as fresh as possible. It is also more healthy. All you have to do is make the crust, fill it with diced apples and a variety of spices and then layer extra sections of the crust over the filling to make the top of the pie. If you follow these instructions, you'll see that making an apple pie that's as good as your grandmother's is as easy as pie.

Ingredients

Crust

½ liter or 2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
¾ of a stick (90 grams) of tenderflake pastry lard or butter
10 tablespoons of cold water
1 egg (for brushing, helps the surface get golden)
Milk (for brushing the crust)

Filling

80 mL or ⅓ cup of white sugar
80 mL or ⅓ cup of brown sugar
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons of flour
6-8 medium-sized apples (Granny Smith is good for baking)
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Steps

1
Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
2
Make sure you have a clean, spacious counter top available for kneading and rolling out the dough.

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3
Place the flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or fork, cut the butter into the flour until it forms tiny balls with the flour. Then slowly add the water.^{[1]
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4
Knead with floured hands until a large dough ball forms. Split the ball in half and wrap one of the pieces in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator.^{[2]
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- An alternative is to wrap both of the dough balls and refrigerate them for 30 minutes before proceeding to the next step.
5
Begin to roll the dough out on a floured counter-top. Make a circle shape about 2 inches (5.1 cm) larger in diameter than the pie pan. Some people prefer to place a layer of plastic wrap on top of the dough as it's being rolled so that it wouldn't stick to the rolling pin.
6
Lift the flattened dough off the counter-top slowly. Do this by wrapping the dough completely around the rolling pin.
7
Unroll the dough over the pan, being careful not to let it tear. Fit it into the pan, pressing it against all the sides.
8
Cut off the overhanging edges. Leave about ¹⁄₄ inch (0.6 cm) of extra dough over the pie pan.
9
Place the pie shell in the refrigerator.
10
Make the filling. Peel and slice the apples into pieces about 1/8 of an inch thick or chop them into 1/2" cubes. Put them into a large bowl and mix with sugars (white and brown), salt, lemon juice, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Drain apples for 20 minutes and then heat the liquid produced along with 3 cubes of butter in the microwave until it's reduced to third of its volume and becomes thicker (prevents a soggy crust).^{[3]
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- Add a heaping tablespoon of flour (7.8 g) to the sugar and cinnamon mixture to help prevent your apple pie from getting watery.
11
Roll out the remaining ball of dough on a floured surface, just like you did before.
- Sliced top. Gently fold it in half and make 4 to 5 half inch long slices along the fold and 4 slices in the center of the folded piece. These will allow the filling to breath and not break through the sides. Unfold the top crust set it aside.^{[4]
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- Lattice top. Cut the rolled out dough into as many 1" wide strips as it will yield.^{[5]
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12
Remove the pie shell and filling from the refrigerator.
13
Pour the filling into the pie shell. Spread it out with the back of a spoon. There should be enough filling to fill the entire pan and stack up above the edge at least an inch in the center.
14
Brush the edges of the pie shell with a beaten egg.
15
Lay the top crust over the pie.
- Sliced top. Lay the sliced top crust over filling. Cut off the excess edges with a butter knife. Take both thumbs facing each other and place them over the edge. Push thumbs down and towards each other. Do this around the entire pie to seal it.
- Lattice top. Place the pastry strips across the top of the apples in a criss-cross pattern, then weave them together to create a lattice effect.^{[6]
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  Research source} Cut off the overhanging excess pastry and press the edges down into the rim as previously described.^{[7]
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16
Sprinkle milk over the top or brush the lattice with the egg wash. This will help to brown the crust. Dust cinnamon and sugar over the top crust for an extra touch.
17
Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 15 minutes. Turn down the oven to 375ºF (190ºC) for 45 minutes.^{[8]
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- Remove when top crust is golden brown.
- The juices from your pie should be bubbly and spilling out.
18
Allow the pie to cool for 45 minutes to one hour at room temperature before serving.
19
Finished.

Community Q&A
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Question

Do you have to cook the apples before putting them in the pie?

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Not all recipes advise cooking the apples first, but doing so has certain advantages. Cooking the apples ahead of time will not only affect the taste of the pie and give it a more caramelized flavor, but it will also help prevent a gap from forming between the crust and the apples as they cook down in the oven.
Question

What kind of apples are best for making pie?

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That depends on your preferences and what kind of flavor you’re going for. If you want your pie to be tart, try sour varieties like Granny Smith, Northern Spy, or Jonathan. For a sweeter pie, use Fuji, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold. There are also a variety of intermediate options, like Braeburn, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp.
Question

How do you keep your apple pie from getting runny?

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There are several ways to do this. First, try pre-cooking the apples along with your other filling ingredients for 5-10 minutes to help the juices cook down and thicken up. You can also reduce the juice by simmering it with sugar for several minutes until it becomes thick and syrupy. Thickeners such as corn starch or tapioca can also make your filler less runny. When you bake the pie, vent the crust or use a lattice to help let out steam, and cook the pie thoroughly before taking it out of the oven.