Apple Pie From Scratch With a Flaky Butter Crust

Two and a half pounds of apples go into one nine-inch pie. That is roughly six or seven Granny Smiths, and it is the reason a homemade pie tastes like fruit instead of syrup.

The crust is five ingredients: flour, salt, cold butter, ice water, and nothing else. Cold is the whole trick. Warm butter smears into the flour and you get a tough crust instead of a flaky one.

You can make the dough and the filling a day ahead. Both sit in the fridge overnight, and the pie goes in the oven the next afternoon.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients

Stir the flour and salt together in a medium bowl with a fork. You want them evenly combined before any fat goes in.

2. Cut in the butter

Add the cold cubed butter and press it into the flour with a fork or your fingertips. Stop while you still see lumps about the size of small peas. Those lumps are what create flakes.

3. Add ice water gradually

Sprinkle the ice water in a tablespoon at a time, tossing with the fork after each addition. Stop when the dough starts to clump. It should feel soft, not sticky.

4. Chill the dough

Gather the dough with your hands, shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate it while you make the filling. Thirty minutes is enough.

5. Prepare the apples

Peel, core and slice the apples about a quarter inch thick. Put them in a large bowl as you go.

6. Toss the filling

Add the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice to the apples. Stir until every slice is coated, then refrigerate.

7. Heat the oven

Set the oven to 375°F (200°C) and put a rack in the lower third. Give it a full 20 minutes to come up to temperature.

8. Roll the bottom crust

Flour your counter, cut the dough in half, and roll one half into a round about 1/8 inch thick. Roll it loosely around the pin and unroll it over a nine-inch pie dish. Press it into the corners and trim the overhang to about an inch.

9. Fill the pie

Spoon in the apples and press them down with the back of a spoon. Pile them slightly higher in the middle, since they settle as they bake.

10. Add the top crust

Roll the second half the same way and lay it over the filling. Trim the excess, press the two crusts together, and pinch a crimp all the way around. Make sure the seal is tight.

11. Finish the top

Brush the surface with the beaten egg and scatter the tablespoon of sugar over it. Cut four slits in the top so steam can escape.

12. Bake

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. It is done when the crust is a deep golden brown all over and the juices bubble thickly through the vents. Pale, greyish pastry needs more time.

13. Cool before slicing

Set the pie on a rack and leave it alone until it reaches room temperature. Cut it warm and the filling runs.

14. Serve

Slice into eight pieces and top each one with vanilla ice cream.

Tips & Tricks

• Keep the butter and the water as cold as you can. If your kitchen is warm, chill the flour bowl for ten minutes first.
• Let the baked pie sit for at least three hours before slicing. The filling sets as it cools.
• Put the pie dish on a sheet pan in the oven. It catches the juice that bubbles over.
• Crimp the edges firmly. A loose seal lets the filling leak out and burn on the rim.

Variations

• Swap a quarter cup of the white sugar for brown sugar for a deeper, molasses note.
• Use a store-bought refrigerated crust if you are short on time. The filling stays the same.
• Slice the apples thinner than a quarter inch if you like a softer filling.
• Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top instead of plain sugar.

How to Store Apple Pie From Scratch

Frequently Asked Questions

Apple Pie From Scratch With a Flaky Butter Crust

Build a real apple pie from scratch: flaky butter crust, cinnamon-spiced Granny Smith filling, and a golden sugared top. Eight slices, one afternoon.

40 minPrep time60 minCook time280 minTotal8Servings

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Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ sticks butter (1 1/2 sticks, cold, cubed)
• 8 tablespoons ice water (or as needed)
• 2 ½ lb granny smith apple (cored, sliced, peeled)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ lemon
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Instructions

1. 1Mix the dry ingredients — Stir the flour and salt together in a medium bowl with a fork. You want them evenly combined before any fat goes in.
2. 2Cut in the butter — Add the cold cubed butter and press it into the flour with a fork or your fingertips. Stop while you still see lumps about the size of small peas. Those lumps are what create flakes.
3. 3Add ice water gradually — Sprinkle the ice water in a tablespoon at a time, tossing with the fork after each addition. Stop when the dough starts to clump. It should feel soft, not sticky.
4. 4Chill the dough — Gather the dough with your hands, shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate it while you make the filling. Thirty minutes is enough.
5. 5Prepare the apples — Peel, core and slice the apples about a quarter inch thick. Put them in a large bowl as you go.
6. 6Toss the filling — Add the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice to the apples. Stir until every slice is coated, then refrigerate.
7. 7Heat the oven — Set the oven to 375°F (200°C) and put a rack in the lower third. Give it a full 20 minutes to come up to temperature.
8. 8Roll the bottom crust — Flour your counter, cut the dough in half, and roll one half into a round about 1/8 inch thick. Roll it loosely around the pin and unroll it over a nine-inch pie dish. Press it into the corners and trim the overhang to about an inch.
9. 9Fill the pie — Spoon in the apples and press them down with the back of a spoon. Pile them slightly higher in the middle, since they settle as they bake.
10. 10Add the top crust — Roll the second half the same way and lay it over the filling. Trim the excess, press the two crusts together, and pinch a crimp all the way around. Make sure the seal is tight.
11. 11Finish the top — Brush the surface with the beaten egg and scatter the tablespoon of sugar over it. Cut four slits in the top so steam can escape.
12. 12Bake — Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. It is done when the crust is a deep golden brown all over and the juices bubble thickly through the vents. Pale, greyish pastry needs more time.
13. 13Cool before slicing — Set the pie on a rack and leave it alone until it reaches room temperature. Cut it warm and the filling runs.
14. 14Serve — Slice into eight pieces and top each one with vanilla ice cream.

Cook's note: Cold butter and a long cool-down do most of the work here. Skip either one and the pie suffers.

Servings: 8

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

RecipesCooker40 minutes60 minutes280 minutes

Written by Darnell
Darnell covers air fryer recipes and slow cook meals, with a steady side of eggs and breakfast casseroles for people cooking on a tight schedule. He writes in a blunt, test-it-again voice and flags the mistakes that ruin texture, from soggy fries to rubbery eggs. Every post gives timings, temperatures, and a fallback if your machine runs hot.