Old Fashioned Apple Pie

This old fashioned apple pie has a homemade flaky pie crust and a filling with layers and layers of different varieties of apples, spices and butter. Serve with a side of ice cream or custard for a traditional dessert.

🥧Apple desserts in fall

I love apple anything in the fall. I have both apple pear crisp and apple crisp cupcake recipes on here, and noticed that I was missing a classic apple pie recipe! Well, here it is!

This is my absolute favourite traditional apple pie. It has 2 parts to it - the flaky homemade crust and the spiced apple filling. You can use a store bought pie crust if you like, but I urge you to try homemade. This is a super simple pie dough and is very forgiving.

The apple pie filling is perfectly spiced with all those warm spices you expect in an apple pie. Dots of butter goes on top of the filling, so when it melts, it'll create a perfectly thick filling.

🍏What are the best apples for apple pie?

It's best to use a combination of apples. Some apples cook faster then others, some stay more firm and others more soft. Some apples are tart while others are sweet. By combining them, you will get a more complex flavour. These are the varieties of apples that are perfect for apple pie and other apple desserts:

• Granny Smith - This is one of the most popular tart apples to use in baking.
• Fuji - A crisp and juicy apple with a sweet flavour.
• Golden Delicious - These are crisp sweet apples.
• Braeburn - A sweet and crunchy apple.
• Pink Lady - A good balance of sweet and tart. These are one of my favourites!
• Honey Crisp - These have a sweet and tart flavour and are extra crisp.

🔪Instructions

Pie Crust

Start your apple pie by making the pie crust first. You can make the dough a day or two ahead and keep the dough discs chilled in the refrigerator.

This pie crust uses lard, but you could also use shortening in it's place. Lard or shortening makes such a deliciously, super flaky crust that you want in a pie. Click here for a more in depth tutorial on how to make pie crust.

Apple pie filling

Make your apple filling while your prepared dough is chilling in the refrigerator. Peel, core and cut the apples up into chunks. I find that cutting them into chunks instead of slices makes an easier pie to eat, and is preferred by my family.

Pour and mix in some fresh lemon juice to the apples. This helps keep the apples from browning too much. Toss the apples with sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and let it sit while you roll out your dough.

Roll the dough out into about a 12 inch circle, ⅛" inch think. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish with the dough and use your fingers to smooth out the dough. Scoop the apple filling into the pie dish and dot butter over the top. Roll out the second dough disc. Place the second dough over the apples and trim and flute the edges of the pie dough to seal. Make tiny slits at the top of your pie to create vents for the steam to escape. Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle the top with sugar.

Baking the apple pie

Place the apple pie in a 375°F oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown. You can put a pie shield over your pie to stop the edges from darkening too much. I usually do this about 25 minutes into the baking time. I make my own temporary pie shield by cutting out a square piece of aluminum foil. Cut a large circle in the center of the square and place it over your pie. The center will be exposed and the edges will be covered.

Let the pie cool on a wire rack for about an hour. The filling will firm up as it cools so you get clean slices of pie when you cut into it.

🍨The best toppings for apple pie

There is nothing like a warm slice of apple pie with a scoop of ice cream. You could also top it with custard, caramel sauce or homemade whipped cream.

💭FAQs

📋Recipe

📋 Recipe

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Nina

This old fashioned apple pie has a homemade flaky pie crust and a filling with layers and layers of different varieties of apples, spices and butter. Serve with a side of ice cream or custard for a traditional dessert.

5 from 1 vote

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Additional Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 40 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine North American

Servings 10 servings

Calories 362 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  One 9 inch pie dish

Ingredients

  

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Pie dough

• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅔ cup shortening/lard chilled and cubed
• ▢ 5 tablespoons milk cold
• ▢ 5 tablespoons water cold

Apple pie filling

• ▢ 6 cups apples peeled and chopped (approximately 8-10 apples)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

To finish

• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon water
• ▢ ½ teaspoon granulated sugar

Instructions

 

Pie Dough

• Whisk flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Add the shortening/lard to the bowl.
• Using a pastry cutter, or two forks, cut the shortening into the mixture until the flour coated fats are pea sized.
• Add the milk and water to a measuring cup and stir. Drizzle this in, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix with a spoon or your hands. Do not add too much of the milk/water. Stop adding this when the dough comes together easily. You may need to use less in the summer and more in the winter. Form the dough into a ball.
• Cut the dough into two, with one half being slightly larger then the other. The larger one will be the bottom pie shell, and the smaller one, the lid.
• Flatten each ball of dough into 1-inch thick discs and wrap each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

Apple Pie Filling

• Prepare the filling by mixing the apples and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Stir in sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg until all the apples are coated and set aside.

Assemble

• Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9-inch pie dish. Set aside.
• Roll out the larger chilled pie dough on a floured surface. Turn the dough a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle that is about 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place it into the prepared pie dish, using your fingers to smooth it out. Trim off any extra overhang with a knife.
• Fill the pie crust with the filling and dot the butter overtop. Roll out the other chilled pie dough the same way as the first dough disc, until about 10 inches in diameter. Carefully place it on top of the pie and trim any extra overhang. Crimp and flute the edges of the dough with your fingers.
• Cut 4 small slits at the top of your pie to allow steam to escape. Whisk the egg and water together and brush the top of the pie with it. Sprinkle sugar over top of the pie. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the pie is golden brown. Place a pie shield over the pie 25 minutes into the baking to stop the edges from getting too dark. Or you can take a square piece of aluminum foil and cut a circle from the center to make a pie shield.
• Place the baked pie on a wire rack and let it cool for about 1 hour. Store it covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

• Use a combination of apples for a more complex flavour. Pick a tart apple and a sweet apple variety.

• Use fresh lemon juice in your pie filling. The fresh lemon juice has less chance to oxidize because it is fresh, and therefore has a brighter flavour. It also has no funny preservatives like the bottled versions.
• Use a pie shield partly into the baking time to prevent the edges of the pie from getting too dark.

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Nutrition

Serving: 10gCalories: 362kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 70mgPotassium: 131mgFiber: 3gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 113IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

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