As they say, nothing is more American than apple pie and I've been making them for many years. During that time I've changed and improved my recipe and technique and in this post, I combine all of my prior hints and tips so you too can prepare this classic American dish,
Crust(s): The first decision you need to make is the crust. Store bought, fresh or frozen; or make it from scratch. If you don't have time to make it fresh using my recipe, then purchase Pillsbury fresh pie dough in the refrigerated case near the biscuits. Stick with this brand as it is always good. Determine if you will make a bottom (one-crust) pie only topped with a crumb topping (bottom of this page) or if you plan to make a top crust, either full or lattice. Prepare or buy your dough accordingly.
Pie Pan(s): See my blog entry for best pie plate selection. Glass or heavy metal work best.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 medium lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice (optional)
1.5 pounds Gala apples (about 3 medium apples)
2.5 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 5 medium apples)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon coarse ground/crystal sugar, for topping
Instructions
Crust: Prepare your pie crust or use store-bought according to my prior post here. Line your glass or metal pie plate with the bottom crust. I use a deep dish pie dish for this recipe but it's not huge like some of the new ones. If you are purchasing pre-made crust only a pie plate about 1.5 -2 inches deep will work. This recipe calls for a top crust as well as a bottom crust, but if you prefer, you can make a crumb topping following my recipe at the bottom of this posting. Remember to keep the dough refrigerated until you are ready to use it. I even put it back in the refrigerator after I've lined the pie pan or rolled out the top crust. Chilled dough bakes better so keep all of it as cold as possible for as long as you can.
Oven: Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500F degrees. Let the baking sheet get hot while you prepare the filling below.
Filling: Mix granulated sugar, flour, corn starch, lemon zest, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and optional allspice together in a large bowl that will fit into your microwave oven*.
Peel, core, and slice apples to 1/4 inch thickness.
Add apples to the bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Toss on the dry seasonings and starches and turn until apples are coated. Cover loosely with a clean towel.
Microwave the apples on high for 8=10 minutes, stopping and gently turning the apples once half way through cooking. This step will set the pectin in the apples and keep them from becoming mushy during baking. They will continue to cook as they cool so do not overcook. Just get them to about your desired consistency as the Granny Smith will retain this level of firmness when baked. Pre-cooking in the microwave will also tell you how much juice you can expect the apples to expel so you can adjust accordingly so your pie is not soggy.
Remove the apples from the microwave and let them cool to room temperature. Once cooled, turn them gently to determine how much juice has been released. If there is a large pool of juice in the bottom of the bowl, drain off all but a tablespoon or two. Ideally, the apples will be coated with a thickened sauce and very little will pool in the bottom of the bowl.
Reduce oven temperature to 425F degrees.
Spread apples with their limited juices into the chilled dough-lined pie plate. Gently move the second dough round on top of the filling. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Turn the edge of the top dough under the edge of the bottom dough and pinch edges firmly together to seal the pie. Crimp dough evenly around the edge of pie using your fingers or a fork. Cut four 2-inch slits in the top center of dough. Brush surface with beaten egg and sprinkle evenly with 1-2 tablespoons coarse ground/crystal sugar.
Place pie on the heated baking sheet and bake until crust is light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375F degrees, rotate baking sheet, and continue to bake until juices are bubbling and crust is deep golden brown, about 20-30 minutes longer. Check the pie periodically and place a piece of foil around the edge or over the entire crust if becoming too brown. A lattice top typically cooks more quickly than a full top crust.
Remove from oven and let pie cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 4 hours. Serve.
*Note: If you don’t have a microwave or the bowl will not fit, transfer apples to Dutch oven and cook, covered, over medium heat on your cooktop, stirring frequently but gently, until apples are tender when poked with fork but still hold their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. (Apples and juices should gently simmer during cooking.)
Optional Crumb Topping
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter, direct from the refrigerator
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Crumb Topping Instructions
In a medium bowl, toss together the topping ingredients except for the nuts coating the butter pieces very well. Using a hard bladed (not wire) pastry blender/knife, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms small pieces and resembles coarse sand. Stir in the chopped walnuts if using. If using whole walnuts as I often have on hand, simply use the pastry blender to chop the walnuts right into the topping mixture.
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| Julian's Classic Apple Pie |
Thankfully now you can find good apples year around and don't have to wait for apple season. However, I still usually make apple pies and crisps in the late summer and early fall, as they just seem to be right that time of the year. Local apples are also inexpensive and very available here in Chicago during this season so today I'm making my classic pie. You’ll need to use a tart, crisp apple like Granny Smith, that will hold its shape and texture. But you will also need a few sweet apples like Gala that will cook down and become the flavorful soft apple that will bind the pie together.
Apple Preparation: You could of course just use a paring knife or potato peeler to core and peel your apples, but that can be tedious if you need to do many. For years I've had this mechanical device that peels, cores and slices the apples in one quick step. They sell them at many stores now, like Kohls', Bed Bath and Beyond and of course on Amazon. Don't' prepare the apples until it is indicated in the recipe.
Video: apple peeled, sliced and cored in one quick step above.
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| Crumb Topping |
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| Solid Crust - Deep Dish Ceramic Pie Plates |
Classic Apple Pie
Ingredients3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 medium lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice (optional)
1.5 pounds Gala apples (about 3 medium apples)
2.5 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 5 medium apples)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon coarse ground/crystal sugar, for topping
Instructions
Crust: Prepare your pie crust or use store-bought according to my prior post here. Line your glass or metal pie plate with the bottom crust. I use a deep dish pie dish for this recipe but it's not huge like some of the new ones. If you are purchasing pre-made crust only a pie plate about 1.5 -2 inches deep will work. This recipe calls for a top crust as well as a bottom crust, but if you prefer, you can make a crumb topping following my recipe at the bottom of this posting. Remember to keep the dough refrigerated until you are ready to use it. I even put it back in the refrigerator after I've lined the pie pan or rolled out the top crust. Chilled dough bakes better so keep all of it as cold as possible for as long as you can.
Oven: Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500F degrees. Let the baking sheet get hot while you prepare the filling below.
Filling: Mix granulated sugar, flour, corn starch, lemon zest, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and optional allspice together in a large bowl that will fit into your microwave oven*.
Peel, core, and slice apples to 1/4 inch thickness.
Add apples to the bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Toss on the dry seasonings and starches and turn until apples are coated. Cover loosely with a clean towel.
Microwave the apples on high for 8=10 minutes, stopping and gently turning the apples once half way through cooking. This step will set the pectin in the apples and keep them from becoming mushy during baking. They will continue to cook as they cool so do not overcook. Just get them to about your desired consistency as the Granny Smith will retain this level of firmness when baked. Pre-cooking in the microwave will also tell you how much juice you can expect the apples to expel so you can adjust accordingly so your pie is not soggy.
Remove the apples from the microwave and let them cool to room temperature. Once cooled, turn them gently to determine how much juice has been released. If there is a large pool of juice in the bottom of the bowl, drain off all but a tablespoon or two. Ideally, the apples will be coated with a thickened sauce and very little will pool in the bottom of the bowl.
Reduce oven temperature to 425F degrees.
Spread apples with their limited juices into the chilled dough-lined pie plate. Gently move the second dough round on top of the filling. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Turn the edge of the top dough under the edge of the bottom dough and pinch edges firmly together to seal the pie. Crimp dough evenly around the edge of pie using your fingers or a fork. Cut four 2-inch slits in the top center of dough. Brush surface with beaten egg and sprinkle evenly with 1-2 tablespoons coarse ground/crystal sugar.
Place pie on the heated baking sheet and bake until crust is light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375F degrees, rotate baking sheet, and continue to bake until juices are bubbling and crust is deep golden brown, about 20-30 minutes longer. Check the pie periodically and place a piece of foil around the edge or over the entire crust if becoming too brown. A lattice top typically cooks more quickly than a full top crust.
Remove from oven and let pie cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 4 hours. Serve.
*Note: If you don’t have a microwave or the bowl will not fit, transfer apples to Dutch oven and cook, covered, over medium heat on your cooktop, stirring frequently but gently, until apples are tender when poked with fork but still hold their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. (Apples and juices should gently simmer during cooking.)
Optional Crumb Topping
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter, direct from the refrigerator
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Crumb Topping Instructions
In a medium bowl, toss together the topping ingredients except for the nuts coating the butter pieces very well. Using a hard bladed (not wire) pastry blender/knife, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms small pieces and resembles coarse sand. Stir in the chopped walnuts if using. If using whole walnuts as I often have on hand, simply use the pastry blender to chop the walnuts right into the topping mixture.
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