Best Ever Apple Pie Recipe From Scratch
I used to be a total Apple Pie hater. It’s always too mushy and bland. But no longer! I’ve found the perfect method to make the Best Homemade Apple Pie of your life! This classic recipe has a double crust (you won’t miss that crumble), a cooked filling for the best texture and flavor, and is super easy. I’ll show you how to make it from scratch!
How’s everyone’s October coming along? It’s finally cooling down here. We finished summer off strong just last week with a steak of 97 degree days, of course. Totally normal here in Sacramento, but it seems to surprise us every year anyway. “The Target dollar section is telling me that it’s fall! What even is this 100 degree day??”
My brother sent me this tweet yesterday that said, “Why would I spend $5 on a bag of apples at the store when I can wear warm fall clothes in 88 degrees weather and pay $36 for our family to pick them ourselves.” Ha! That one got me. (Because it’s not as Instagrammable to take your family photos in the produce section at the grocery store??)
Classic Apple Pie Recipe
We did indeed head up to Apple Hill a couple weeks ago. It’s a bunch of apple farms all next to each other, where you can pick your own apples and eat doughnuts and pretend it’s not hot. We always buy a ridiculous amount of apple cider so that we can boil it down to make these Caramel Apple Cider-Reduction Milkshakes. (We added a slice of today’s Apple Pie to the shake this time, too. HEAVEN.)
We bought a ton of apples too, and I had so much fun testing pies to find my favorite one. To be perfectly honest, apple pie has never been a huge favorite of mine. There are just so many ways it can go wrong: mushy apples, undercooked apples (a worse problem, in my opinion), under spiced, over spiced. Most of the time I find that most apple pie recipes are just plain boring when it comes to flavor. I usually much prefer apple pie when it has a custard or a crumble of some kind, like in this classic Dutch Apple Pie or even this Apple Custard Pie with Cinnamon Streusel.
But, I wanted to give double crust apple pie recipe a fair shot, so I got to testing. Here are the tips I’ve compiled to make the BEST apple pie, that is the perfect balance between tart and sweet, with a wonderful texture, where the apples get a chance to shine:
Perfect Apple Pie Recipe
I can’t think of a single one. Use the kind that you like best, and as long as you use a variety of tartness levels, you are going to be fine.
That said, Red Delicious Apples and McIntosh apples tend to be rather mealy and mushy when cooked, and you definitely wouldn’t want to make a pie out of JUST Red Delicious, for example. But if you toss a couple Reds in with a majority Fuji and Granny Smith (for example), then your pie is going to turn out fine.
Red delicious apples can turn mushy in your pie (and let’s face it, they’re objectively the worst apple for eating, period). Any other combo of apples you choose is going to be great!
Homemade Apple Pie
I’m gonna go with a hard NO on this one guys. I mean, you CAN leave on the peels and tell yourself you’re getting more nutrients and cutting down on prep time, but will this be a decision you look back on and love? No. You will regret it. The texture of the peel is all wrong, and the apple slices may even heat unevenly. Don’t go there my friends!
First gather up all your apples. You need 5 pounds before coring and peeling. That’s about 11 large apples to make 5 pounds.
Here’s how I slice my apples. You can use a mandolin if you want, but be sure to use a metal glove. Those suckers are sharp!
The Best Homemade Apple Pie Recipe (from Scratch)
Keep slicing around the core until you have these segments. Then slice to about 1/8 inch. You can slice thicker than that if you like (you may have to cook longer), but I love thin apples in my pie.
Yes, we’re cooking up these apples on the stovetop before we add them to the pie dish. This is the secret to the best apple pie! We need to cook out some of the water to let the apple flavor shine.
As you are slicing up the apples, toss them in a 12-inch high sided skillet (heat should be off) with the lemon juice and zest. Give it a stir to coat the apples with lemon.
How To Make The Best Apple Pie Recipe From Scratch
See, 5 pounds is a ton of apples! You could never fit this many raw apples into a pie crust. Time to cook it down. Add some sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, and spices. NO extra liquid, the apples will release plenty.
Place it over medium heat and let cook for about 20 minutes. Cover the pan, but stay nearby because you’re going to have to stir the mixture every couple minutes, replacing the lid each time. This keeps the steam in and helps cook the apples. You are going to get this glorious caramel-y sauce going.
Something magical happens when you gently cook the apple pie filling over a longer period of time like this. The pectin in the apples is converted to a heat-stable form. (Thanks Cooks Illustrated!) That means when you cook the apples again in your pie in the oven, the apples won’t become mushy. Whatever level of “al dente” they are at when you finish cooking them on the stove, that’s how it will taste in your pie. So you can adjust the cooking time a bit to reach your level of apple perfection. Cook longer if you like softer apples; shorter if you like them more firm. You don’t have to calculate for further cooking in the oven. Crazy, right?
The Best Apple Pie Recipe
Once the apples have cooked for about 20 minutes, remove from heat and add the vanilla. Spread the mixture across a pan or two (two pans makes it cool faster, but it will fit on one pan just fine.) I stuck mine in the freezer to chill for about 20 minutes. You can put it in the fridge, or just leave it in the pan you cooked it in and wait for it to come to room temperature (a couple hours), if you are not in a hurry.
Once the filling is completely cool, pour it into your pie crust. I’ve got all the details for rolling out pie crust on this Homemade Flaky Pie Crust post.
I topped my pie with a lattice crust. See my How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust post for all the details! But you can just use a whole crust and put it on top, no problem. Don’t forget to vent the top.
Best Homemade Apple Pie Filling Recipe [video]
Baking an apple pie usually takes about an hour. First we’re baking it at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time, just to get the crust to start browning. Then we’re baking it at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time, to fully cook the crust throughout. You may end up baking it for slightly more or slightly less time, but about an hour is standard. Just remember you have to let it cool for SEVERAL hours afterward! I know, it’s such a pain to realize that at any given moment you’re a minimum of six hours away from apple pie (an hour to make, an hour to bake, four hours to cool), but I promise you, the real deal homemade goodness is worth it.
The best way to get an evenly browned crust that doesn’t burn on the edges is to use a pie shield made out of tin foil. They sell pie shields made of metal or silicone, but I prefer foil because it is so lightweight, there is no chance of crushing your crust.
Get a square of tin foil that is the same size as your pie. Fold it in half, then in half again. Cut out the center. Open it up again. You should have a square of foil with a circle cut out of the center. See pie crust post for photos. It’s so easy and the perfect way to make sure your crust doesn’t get burned on the edges.
Best Apple Pie Recipe
The nice thing about this recipe is that your apples are already cooked exactly how you want them, so you only need to worry about getting the crust baked right. (If you used raw apples, you would have to be sticking a fork in your pie to make sure they were tender.)
The pie is done when the edges of the crust are a deep golden brown, and the top of the pie is just turning golden. Be sure to use a pie shield made of tin foil as discussed above to get even browning.
And voila! A beautiful apple pie for fall! Here is the hard part: don’t slice into your pie for
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