Homemade Best Apple Pie Recipe

Best apple pie recipe with homemade pie crust

This best apple pie recipe is just wonderful. It makes the best homemade apple pie one can make and due to the method developed by Rose Levy Bernabaum, the apples don’t sink and the apple pie doesn’t have a hole between the filling and the apple pie crust.

best apple pie recipe To make a great apple pie one needs good apples. Here are some apples that are good for baking: Macoun, Stayman-Winesap, Cortland, Jonathan, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Idared, and Pink Lady.

This homemade best apple pie recipe actually comes from “The Pie and Pastry Bible,” which I can only strongly recommend as a great book for anybody that likes fresh apple cake recipes or any other fruit cake recipes.

The pie crust recipe delivers a crunchy and tasty crust. To my European taste it is not sweet enough, so I added extra two tablespoons of sugar (30 g), but you can adjust the sugar amount to your own likes.

I hope that you will enjoy this best apple pie recipe and that you will invest the extra time needed for the apples to release the juices.

Best Apple Pie Recipe

For the homemade apple pie:
• 2.5 lbs of baking apples; peeled cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick. It yields about 8 cups sliced apples or 907 grams.
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• ¼ cup (54 g) light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50 g) white sugar
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of freshly grounded nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of butter (28 g)
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch (13 grams)

Apple Pie Crust Recipe:
• 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cold (170 g)
• 2 cups of flour (300 g) or 2 cups and 3 tablespoons of pastry flour (284 g)
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of baking powder
• 4.5 oz of cold cream cheese*(128 g)
• 2 tablespoons of ice water
• 1 table spoon of cider vinegar
* If you like, you can use mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese, but skip the vinegar then. Also, you can add 2 tablespoons of sugar if you like.

How to make an apple pie:
• To make the best apple pie, one must take great care in making the pie crust. I find this the most difficult process in making any kind of a pie. In order to make a flaky pie, all the ingredients must stay cold during the making process, so that is why you will need to use the freezer and the fridge in the process.
• Place your mixing bowl in the freezer to cool.
• Cut the butter into ¾ inch (2 cm) cubes, put it into a 1 gallon reclosable freezer bag, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• Place the flour, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl (not the cold one) and add the cream cheese. Using your fingers, blend the cream cheese with the flour until it resembles a coarse meal.
• Add the flour-cream cheese mixture to the butter, get rid of any air from the bag and close it.
• Roll the bag with a rolling pin until the butter is flattened into thin flakes.
• Place the bag to the freezer for 10 minutes or until the butter is firm.
• Move the mixture to the chilled bowl and add the water and vinegar. Toss lightly with a rubber spatula. Divide the mixture into two and place it into two plastic freezer bags.
• Holding both ends of the bag opening with your fingers, knead the mixture by alternately pressing it, from the outside of the bag, with the knuckles and heels of your hands until the mixture holds together into one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it into the fridge for 45 minutes or if times allows overnight.

How to make the best apple pie:
• Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit until it is soft enough to roll.
• Roll the bottom crust 1/8 inch thick or thinner and 12 inches in diameter on a silicone pad and transfer into a 9 inch pie pan. Cover with plastic foil and transfer to the fridge for a maximum of 3 hours.
• In the meantime, combine the sliced apples, lemon juice, sugars, and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt). Set the apple mixture aside for about 30 minutes to 3 hours. Move the apples to a colander and strain the apples over a bowl. You should end up with ½ cup of liquid.
• Boil the apple juice with the butter in a small sauce pan, reduce the heat and let it simmer until the juice has reduced to 1/3 of a cup or until it has lightly caramelized.
• Transfer the apples to a bowl and toss them with the cornstarch until all traces of it has disappeared. Pour the caramelized apple juice over the apples. Toss lightly. The juice might harden upon contact with the apples, but don’t worry, it will dissolve during baking.
• Roll the top pastry crust 1/8 inch thick or thinner and 12 inches in diameter on a silicone pad.
• Place the apples into the pie shell, moisten the border of the bottom crust by lightly brushing it with water and cover the apples with the rolled out top.
• Tuck the overhang under the bottom crust and press all around the top to seal it. Crimp the border using a fork or your fingers.
• Make 5 evenly spaced out cuts on the top of the pie to release the steam while baking.
• Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour. This will maintain flakiness and help with the shrinking of the pie crust.
• Before preheating the oven, line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and place it on the lowest rack in your oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F for at least 20 minutes before baking.
• Place the pie in the middle of the foil and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the juices bubble through the opening. After 30 minutes, you should cover the sides of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning. To make such a ring, I suggest cutting a circle 12 inches in diameter and then cut another circle in the middle. That way you will end up with a ring that will fit on top of the pie edges.
• Cool the pie for at least 4 hours before cutting it.
• This seems l like a lot of work, but I suggest making the crust a day before and just space out the baking through the morning so by the time evening comes you will have your best apple pie. I hope that this best apple pie recipe will not scare you to death, and that you will still give it a try. Happy baking.