With the winter holiday season right around the corner, there is no better time to work on your pie skills. Encased in flaky buttery crust, a mound of tender and spiced apples lends itself to the enduring classic: the apple pie!
Toni Shindler-Ruberg / Daily Nexus
Yields 1 double-crust pie
Active / Prep time: 30+ minutes and 30 minutes
Inactive / Rest: 2+ hours and 40 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Notes: Ideally, baking measurements should be made using a kitchen scale to be the most accurate. I’ve included slightly less accurate standard measurements, which work as well. If you aren’t feeling up to making the entire pie from scratch, buy some store-bought pie crust! Pie crust can also be made the day before. If you have leftover pie crust, you can bake the scraps on a baking tray to make pie crust cookies!I used Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples in this recipe, but I suggest playing around with the types of apples. I would start with at least three Granny Smith apples and mix in other apples as you see fit. Variation in apples leads to a more complex flavor profile.
Toni Shindler-Ruberg / Daily Nexus
Ingredients:
Crust recipe adapted from Chef Steps.
- 500 grams (4 cups) of bread or all-purpose flour
- 300 grams (2 ⅜ sticks) of butter, cubed and chilled
- 175 grams (¾ cups) of ice-cold water
- 7 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) granulated sugar
- 7 grams salt (2 ½ teaspoons) of kosher salt
Tools Needed:
- Bowl
- Kitchen scale (If not using a kitchen scale, you’ll need measuring cups and spoons)
- Knife
- Pastry cutter, optional
Directions:
Crust
- Cube your butter. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Place everything in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove from the fridge and begin the mixing process. You can either use a pastry cutter, butter knives, a food processor or your hands. I prefer using my hands. You want to mix and pinch the flour and butter together, breaking the large chunks of butter into small pieces. Mix until you get coarse crumbs.
- Add the ice-cold water in sections, mixing between each addition until the dough is just starting to come together. If the dough starts coming together before all the water is added, do not add the rest of the water. If the dough is too crumbly, add some more water.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead together until smooth. Some streaks of butter should still be apparent.
- Divide the dough in half, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours but preferably overnight.
Toni Shindler-Ruberg / Daily Nexus
Ingredients:
Pie recipe adapted from The Hoosier Mama’s Book of Pie and Tastes of Lizzy T.
- 960 grams (8 cups) of apples, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 16 grams (1 tablespoon) of lemon juice
- 107 grams (½ cup + a sprinkle) of granulated sugar
- 20 grams (1 tablespoon + a sprinkle) of brown sugar
- 32 grams (¼ cup) of flour or 18 grams (2 tablespoons) of cornstarch
- 1.5 grams (½ teaspoon) of kosher salt
- 2.5 grams (1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon)
- 1 grams (¼ teaspoon) each of nutmeg and cloves
- 0.5 grams (¼ teaspoon) each of ginger and allspice, optional
- Spray of canola oil and sprinkle of flour
- 14 grams (1 tablespoon) of butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg
- Dash of milk or cream
- Sprinkle of coarse sugar, optional
Tools:
- Saucepan
- Rolling pin
- Pie tin / dish
Directions:
- Do not turn your burners on yet! Place your prepared apples in a saucepan, tossing them with lemon juice. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, spices and flour (or cornstarch) to the apples and let sit for 20 minutes.
- While the apples are resting, roll out and prepare your pie crust. You can use canola oil and a sprinkle of flour to keep the crust from sticking.
- After the 20 minutes are up, remove the apples from the pan and place them into the prepared crust. Heat the leftover liquid until it begins to thicken.
- Pour the thickened juice mixture over the apples. Dot the apples with the cut butter, then cover with the top crust and seal the pie.
- Place your pie in the freezer or fridge for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Brush the top of your pie with your egg wash mixture and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbling, rotating the pie halfway through. Cool and enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed this apple pie recipe, which is a combination of multiple recipes and my own adaptations. Feel free to adjust the recipe to your liking and put your own spin on it! Fun fact: Vermont’s state legislation strongly suggests apple pie be served with a glass of cold milk, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a slice of cheddar cheese. Make the holiday season — or any other time of year — a little sweeter with this classic apple pie recipe!
