This is my recipe for The Best Homemade Apple Pie. I have been making this pie for decades and have never found one any better. Since I have a very picky family, they want and expect the best. So every Thanksgiving, I would make at least two of these. One for the holiday dinner, and the other for my mother to take home. Now if you think I am kidding about my picky family, let me give you an example. One year, I was not feeling well. Therefore, I did not make the pies myself. I purchased them at a local fruit stand famous for their pies. I was really nervous when dessert time came around. Well, lo and behold, from another room I heard this: “This is not June’s Apple Pie; what happened”?
Best Homemade Apple Pie: Ingredients
- First, you will need 8 to 10 apples per pie. I use six Granny Smiths and four Pink Ladies. But you can experiment with your favorite baking apples. Peel and core the apples, then slice approximately 1/8th of an inch. Placing them in iced and lemoned water will reduce browning.
- Next, I pre-cook the apples in the water for approximately 8 to 10 minutes of boiling. Remove from the heat and drain immediately, rinsing with cold water to stop any further cooking.
- Now, in a very large bowl, I combine the following: 1½ cups granulated sugar (I like Florida Crystals, not bleached sugar), ¾ cup of brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 6 tablespoons of flour (make sure you add the flour before the lemon juice), and 6 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix thoroughly, then add about 1 cup of golden raisins and the cooked apples. Stir thoroughly but gently.
Apple Pie: Crust and Baking
Now make your crusts.
- Measure at least 2 cups of flour. I like to have extra dough to fit into my deep-dish pie plates, plus for the ridge.
- Next, I use 1 cup of butter at room temperature.
- Add a pinch of salt to the flour.
- Keep a measuring cup of ¾ cup iced water.
- Cut the butter into the flour using either your hands or a pastry cutter to blend. ***The Butter should be at room temperature and not melted or runny*** ( I prefer using my hands as I can feel the moistness of the dough as I add the water.)
- Once the flour and butter are combined, make a little indentation in the mixture. Pour a tiny amount of water into the indentation and slowly mix into the flour mixture. Repeat this step until your dough holds its shape and is moist but not sticky. If too much water is added, then it will be sticky. To fix it, simply sprinkle a small amount of flour in the bottom of the bowl. (Using small amounts makes corrections easier.) Now roll the dough around to pick up the flour. Then mix it into the ball of dough.
- To make the two crusts, we will need to allocate portions of the dough for each crust. Since one portion is going to fill a pie plate, one needs to be larger. So I try to make the portions 2/3 to 1/3. With the larger crust at the bottom.
Rolling Out and Placement Of The Crust:
- Now roll out your crust and place it on a pie plate. I either use wax paper to roll out my crusts or I use a round crust rolling bag. But first, lightly dust both sides with flour. Take the larger portion of dough and roll it out according to the size of your pie plate. Gently remove one of the waxed papers or one side of the bag. Now take the other side with the dough attached and place the dough side on the pie plate. Keeping the waxed paper or bag tight as you gently roll it from your dough taking care not to allow holes in the dough. Once the dough is free from the paper, you can adjust the placement on the pie plate. Using care, simply take the side with too much, lift off the side, and adjust toward the middle of the plate. Then, from the other side, gently lift from the side and bring towards you. Adjusting all around until fairly even Caution: do not push the dough down on the pie plate, as this will cause it to stick.
- You are now ready to fill the pie plate with the apple mixture. I always overfill the pie plate with apples, not the juice. Since the apples will cook down. Now put pats of butter in an X configuration. Around the apples (1 in the center, then 1 in each quarter, about ½ inch from the crust).
- Now roll out the remaining crust. Exactly like the first one. Place on top of the apples, close the edges, and crimp to seal. Make sure you make some slits in the top crust, or your pie will explode in the oven due to the buildup of steam.
Now You Are Ready to Bake:
- Place the pie into a pre-heated oven at 425°F and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating 180° halfway through the cooking time. Should the edges of the crust begin to get too brown, simply cover them with crust protectors or tin foil. Remove it when fully cooked. And allow cooling at room temperature.
Now the Best Homemade Apple Pie is ready to eat. While many like to eat it hot out of the oven and only slightly cooled, others will prefer to have it cold. However, there are those on both ends who want a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. But beware, the aroma of cooking fresh apple pie will entice the family out of their respective rooms for an update on when they will be eating.
GO HERE For An Amazing Recipe For Apple Carmel Cake
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