How to Make the Most Iconic Apple Pie

Today I’m going to teach you how to make what is probably the most iconic pie of all time. It is a homemade apple pie. This one is loaded with apples. The process is a little different and it’ll surprise you, but you’re gonna love the results. So let’s get started.

What You Need

For the Sauce

• ○ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ○ 3 tablespoons flour
• ○ 1/4 cup water
• ○ 1 cup sugar

For the Filling

• ○ 6 to 7 Granny Smith apples (about 2 and a quarter pounds)
• ○ 1 and a half teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Pie

• ○ 2 rounds of homemade all butter pie crust (chilled)
• ○ Flour, for dusting
• ○ 1 egg
• ○ 1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

1. Make the sauce: Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt in the 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of flour and let that simmer for about a minute, whisking constantly.
2. Next, whisk in the 1/4 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Bring that to a boil, then reduce the heat and continue simmering for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. This sauce is the secret ingredient. It literally takes less than 5 minutes but will transform your pie. When it’s done, it’ll have a light caramel sauce consistency. Take it off the heat and let it cool while you prep your apples.
4. Prep the apples: Peel all of your apples, then cut them in half and remove the cores. To remove the cores, you can either use a small paring knife or an apple coring tool or even a melon baller.
5. Once the apples are all peeled and cored, thinly slice them. You should get about 7 cups of thinly sliced apples.
6. Transfer the apples to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the top with one and a half teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Stir to evenly coat the apples with cinnamon.
7. Next, add all of that sauce that you made earlier and make sure you get every last drop. Stir in the sauce to coat the apples. It’s so worth it to spend the extra 5 minutes to make this sauce for the most incredible apple pie filling.

8. Prepare the pie crust: Sprinkle your work surface generously with flour and roll out your first pie crust to about a 12-inch diameter circle. If you find the dough is sticking to your rolling pin, sprinkle on just a little more flour.
9. The easiest way to transfer this into the pie pan is to wrap it around your rolling pin gently and use a food scraper to loosen the dough in case it gets stuck to the surface. Now simply unwrap it into a clean pie plate. Mold that gently into the plate and you should have a little bit of dough hanging over the edges.
10. Add all of the apple mixture, mounting it slightly in the center. Be careful not to get the filling on the edges of the dough, which will make it difficult to seal. Set that aside.
11. Roll the second crust on a floured surface, but this time just to about an 11-inch round circle. If you push the edges in like this, it’ll roll into a much more even circle, which is important because we’re going to be making strips out of this for the lattice topping.
12. Using your favorite pizza cutter, cut 10 even thickness strips.
13. Make the lattice topping: Making a lattice topping is easier than you think. Take one of the long strips from the center and place it across the middle of your pie. The first five strips should be in one direction across your pie with the longer strips in the center and the shorter ones towards the edges.
14. Peel back the second and fourth strips and place one large strip down the center. Now peel back the alternating strips and add another strip of dough. Continue doing this on the right and then the left until all of your lattice is complete.
15. Finish the pie: Place any remaining scraps of dough around the edges of the pan where needed. Tuck the excess pie dough into the pan around the edges.
16. Once all the edges are tucked in, you can crimp or flute the edges of the pie dough. This process is so easy but will make your pie look super fancy. Push the dough in with one finger on one hand and pinch around it with two fingers on the other hand. Pat the edges down slightly so that they don’t brown too much in the oven.
17. Next, beat together one egg and a tablespoon of sugar. Brush that egg wash generously over all of the surface of the dough. This will add beautiful color to your pie while it’s baking.
18. Bake the pie: Transfer the pie to the center of a preheated oven and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
19. Without opening the door, reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking another 45 minutes or until the apples are soft and the filling is bubbling through the vents at the top.
20. Rest and serve: Once this comes out of the oven, you want to give it at least an hour to rest. You want those apple juices to thicken up so that way when you cut into it, it doesn’t slide all over the place and you won’t burn your mouth. That’s important.
21. The pie has been resting and is just barely warm. Honestly, that’s the hardest part is the waiting because you just want to jump right in and do the taste test. This pie holds together and the filling is amazing, especially when paired with an easy no-churn ice cream to serve with dessert.

Recipe Notes

Just that little bit of cinnamon really amps up the apple flavor. The sweet tart apples are perfectly sweetened. The crust is flaky, buttery, and really easy to make, like pastry perfection. If you enjoy baking exquisite desserts, you might also love our decadent homemade chocolate cheesecake recipe.