Serve this all-time favourite warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect homemade dessert!
My perfect Apple Pie
Of all the sweet pies out there, Apple Pie might just be the most iconic of them all. In America, it’s practically its own religion and talk about what exactly makes the perfect Apple Pie can get as prickly as politics. Well, let me weigh in and tell you about my idea of the perfect Apple Pie. My perfect pie is packed with a generous amount of apple filling that’s never mushy and never undercooked. There’s some spicing but it’s even-handed and doesn’t overwhelm. The filling is also not overly sweet and won’t leave you grasping for a glass of water. Then the pastry. All this cosy apple goodness is encased in a shell of irresistibly flaky, buttery shortcrust. It’s not chewy nor is it sad and soggy. And let’s not forget the base! Of course it’s got to be perfectly crispy – no exceptions. That’s my vision of perfect Apple Pie. If that all sounds good to you, then dare I say this might become your perfect apple pie recipe too. I hope you enjoy this recipe for many years to come! Recipe credits – Many thanks to my French pastry chef teacher Jennifer Pogmore and RecipeTin’s Chef JB for their assistance and expertise to bring my vision of the perfect Apple Pie to life. We did it!!!
Where so many Apple Pie recipes go wrong
I don’t normally write so bluntly. But this is a very long post so I don’t have time for measured politeness! My recipe for perfect Apple Pie is really borne of all the things I have disliked about other Apple Pie recipes I have tried over the years, which I wanted to address. Here’s my biggest gripes: Reading back over my list, you must think I’m a bit of a whiny, difficult-to-please person. 😂 It’s not that at all! People in my life know very well I am far from a hoity-toity type. For me, the thing about Apple Pie is that it’s not a quick recipe especially when you take the time to make the crust from scratch. So the end result needs to be worth the effort, ie. flawless! The other thing – and this is the clincher – is that pretty much all of the issues I listed above boil down to how the filling is dealt with. A filling made with raw apples for instance is a very common approach but leads to all sorts of problems like those I mentioned. If we can just fix the filling, we’re laughing.
The solution: Bake the apples
The solution to my gripes turned out to be simple: Bake the apples. It’s as easy as that. Here’s why it works:
The apples cook evenly The apple juices can be reduced to a syrup so it’s not runny and doesn’t soak the base The apples are cooked down first so you don’t end up with a giant empty pie-lid cavity It’s far easier than stovetop-cooking your apples. Stirring a tonne of apple slices is not fun, plus they don’t really cook evenly. And … better flavour!
Here’s the proof!
And here’s photo evidence of the difference baking the apples makes:
Exhibit A: Crispy base
Here are a couple of photos to show you the crispy base.
Exhibit B: No giant empty cavity under the lid
And this is what the pie looks like straight out of the oven – Flat lattice, and the inside filled to the brim with apples.
OK! Ready to see how to make my Apple Pie?? Let’s do this!
What you need to make Apple Pie filling
Here’s what you need to make the Apple Pie filling. (PS. The egg is out of place, it’s for brushing the pastry!).
Granny Smith apples – There’s plenty of opinions out there about the best apples for Apple Pie. But for me, Granny Smith is The One, for its tartness and ability to hold its shaped once cooked. This is key to avoiding a mushy filling! Brown sugar – My choice of sugar for caramelly sweetness. I use 1 cup of brown sugar which, to me, provides the perfect level of sweet-but-not-too-sweet. Apple Pie spices – Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Mix up your own for better flavour control instead of using a pre-made mix! Butter – Just a dab, for simmering with the apple juices on the tray to make a syrup for the Apple Pie filling. Salt – Just a touch, to bring out the other flavours. It doesn’t make it salty at all. Egg – Used to brush the pie lid to make it a beautiful and shiny golden brown!
Apple Pie crust
The classic crust used for apple pie is shortcrust and that’s what I use. My recipe is very standard (flour, butter, salt, sugar, water). However the one thing I should probably address is the debate over butter vs vegetable shortening. Advocates of vegetable shortening (which is a type of fat made from vegetable oil) love how it makes shortcrust pastry ultra-crumbly and flaky. I have no issues with vegetable shortening per se, except that it is tasteless. So while shortcrust pastry made with butter may not be quite as flaky, it is still flaky enough to me and more importantly, is a whole lot tastier to eat. And if your mind is going straight to “why not use a combination”?, you must think like me because I tried that too. But I just found it still lacked flavour even using a 50/50 mix. So, all-butter shortcrust it is! Recipe here. PS. Also – I use a food processor. Because I have hot little hands which melt the little bits of butter as I work with the dough. Food processor = exactly the same results as handmade + superior flakiness + SPEEDIER.
How to make Apple Pie
Heads up – there’s a lot of information here because I explain there why and also provide tutorial information so even first-timers can have the confidence to nail the Great Apple Pie! If you’re a pro, just skip on ahead to the recipe or the how-to video, or to Dozer. 😂 For everyone else, come along for the ride.
1. Prepare the pie crust
2. Blind bake the crust
Blind baking (par baking) is key to ensure the crust is not just crispy, but also fully cooked. We tried numerous variations without blind baking the crust. The results were mixed. For some, the base was soggy, and for other attempts, either the base and or/sides were not fully cooked. To line the pie tin, roll the pastry off the work surface on to the rolling pin, then unroll it over the pie tin. This is not just the simplest technique to transfer the pastry (no tearing!) but you will also avoid stretching the pastry which then causes the crust to shrink when it bakes. Drape the pastry into the pie tin, taking care not to stretch it (as noted above). Wrap the pie tin in cling wrap and freeze for 2 hours. You can actually even leave it there frozen for up to 1 month (probably longer, I just haven’t tried). Freezing pastry is a terrific technique I learned from my French pastry chef teacher Jennifer Pogmore (she’s based in France and we work remotely together!) Baking a pastry from frozen results in basically zero pastry shrinkage – and excellent pro tip! It’s extra-important to avoid pie crusts shrinking with a fully-loaded apple pie because it can lead to a broken crust when the filled pie is baked! Why? Well, imagine all the weight of all that filling pressing against a crust that has shrunk away and is no longer reinforced by the pie tin walls. It can crack like a burst dam. Apple juices seep under the crust which then glues the crust to the pie tin … disaster! (Clearly you can tell I speak from experience 😂). Conclusion: blind baking is essential! Here’s how to do it.
3. Baking apple slices
Baking the apple slices is the key step for the Perfect Apple Pie. Read the reasons why in the section above! No baking beads? Use uncooked rice or dried beans. Keep for re-use indefinitely. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before filling with the Apple Pie Filling. This is another crispy base insurance step, ie. hot pastry absorbs liquid more.
4. Fill the pie
OK! We’re on the home stretch here to the best part: cooking but more importantly, EATING IT!!! Peel then halve the apples. Now place them flat side-down and cut into 1cm / 0.4″ thick slices. Try to cut them as evenly as possible so they cook evenly. A simple lesson learned: Check your apple doneness early. Easy! What the done apples should be like: The apple slices should be tender and offer no resistance when you pierce them with a knife. However, you don’t want them mushy. They will be a bit delicate when hot out of the oven but will firm up as they cool. They won’t cook much more once inside the pie, that step is more about melding everything together to become a juicy pie filling. You should have around 1/2 cup of juices. Some days though I have less, other days I have more. It doesn’t matter because we are reducing it in the next step to a specific amount. Reducing the apple juices to a syrup serves 2 purposes. Firstly, we are not wasting free flavour – never, we are getting apple flavour to the max! It made me want to cry every time I read an Apple Pie recipe that directed people to discard apple juices. Secondly, by reducing the apple juices to a thicker syrup, it will cling to the apple pieces better and will not soak into the base as much. Which means – yup, you guessed it – crispy base! Once the syrup is ready, set aside to cool.
5. Lattice tutorial!
OK! I know we all want our Apple Pies to sport the neat, criss-cross woven pastry lid like we see in every classic Apple Pie photo ever. So here’s a little pie lattice tutorial. I promise it’s not hard! With the remaining apple, firstly arrange some in a heap in the centre to create a slight mound. Then keep layering the rest of the apple slices over the top of the filling. You can see in my photo I’ve placed them slightly overlapping in a neat arrangement. You don’t need to do that!
6. Bake it!
Here’s a close up of the cut apple pie after it’s rested overnight and has been reheated in the oven. It’s still nice and juicy, and cuts neatly. I try to do this step while the apples are baking, returning the strips to the fridge (covered in cling wrap) until required. Fold back every 2nd strip to halfway. Place a strip of pastry perpendicular to the laid strips, right up the strips are folded. Now unfold the strips to return them to how they were. Next, fold up the alternative strips you didn’t fold first time around, and place another strip across the pie in the same way. Repeat with one more strip. Rotate the pie and repeat with the remaining 3 strips to do the other half of the pie. Obviously, this is a good time to watch the video to see how it’s done! Trim excess strip pastry using scissors or a small sharp knife. Seal by using water and pressing the strips against the crust to adhere. I find it easiest just to use my finger. Neat slices – If you would prefer to serve neater slices as pictured, just refrigerate the pie overnight. It will firm up and become sturdy enough to turn out onto a plate and cut neat slices. Leaving overnight also gives the pie filling flavours a chance to meld together even more. To then reheat, cover with foil and reheat in the oven (10 minutes at 180°C/350°F) or use the microwave for a speedy option (1 minute). And yes, the base stays crisp! Serving without vanilla ice cream is not even an option. It goes without saying – right??!! Maybe with cream too – or would that take it over the top? And there you have it. My perfect Apple Pie! A strange time to share it perhaps, heading into Australian summer. But she cannot always choose when she will finally be happy with a recipe. Still, she is chuffed that she managed to squeeze this in just before Thanksgiving – enjoy, my American friends! – Nagi x PS. I don’t know why I’m writing about myself in the 3rd person. Note to self: come back and fix this!
Watch how to make it
Recipe .
Life of Dozer
That time he came to a book signing and he dribbled on one of the books……. 🙀🙀🙀
