Recipe · Kitchen · October

Classic double-crust apple pie that doesn't leave a gap

Name: Classic double-crust apple pie that doesn't leave a gap
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: Crust for a double pie: 2½ cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar, 16 tbsp cold butter, 6–8 tbsp ice water; 3½ lb apples, half tart (Granny Smith), half sweet (Honeycrisp or Gala); ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar; 1 tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp nutmeg; 2 tbsp butter; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 egg, beaten, for the top

Pre-cooked apple filling, so the top crust doesn't dome over an empty gap. A mix of tart and sweet apples, all-butter crust. Serves 8.

By Almanac Kit EditorsUpdated Oct 15, 20261 h 55 minServes 8

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You'll need

Why cook the filling first

Raw apples shrink by about a third in the oven. The top crust bakes firm before they do, so you end up with a high dome over a hollow space. Cooking the apples briefly first shrinks them before they go in, and the pie bakes up full.

It also means you can taste and fix the filling before the pie is sealed.

Classic apple pie

Prep 45 · Cook 70 · Serves 8

Ingredients

Crust for a double pie: 2½ cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar, 16 tbsp cold butter, 6–8 tbsp ice water
3½ lb apples, half tart (Granny Smith), half sweet (Honeycrisp or Gala)
½ cup sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg, beaten, for the top

Steps

Step 1: Make the dough, divide it in two disks, wrap and chill 1 hour.
Step 2: Peel, core and slice the apples ¼ inch thick. In a large pot, cook them with the sugars, spices and butter over medium heat, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring twice, until just tender.
Step 3: Drain the juice into a small pan and boil it down to about ⅓ cup. Toss the apples with the cornstarch, lemon juice and the reduced juice. Cool completely.
Step 4: Roll out both crusts. Line a 9-inch dish with one, add the cooled filling, cover with the second, trim, crimp and cut 4 vents. Brush with egg. Chill 15 minutes.
Step 5: Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, then at 375°F for 45–50 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the juices bubble through the vents. Cool at least 3 hours.

Stoneware pie dish

Emile Henry 9-inch Deep Pie Dish

For pie week in November, and every pie after.

Check price on Amazon

French rolling pin

17-inch Wooden French Rolling Pin

A tapered wooden pin turns easily and gives you a feel for the dough's thickness.

Check price on Amazon

Which apples

Use two kinds. Tart apples hold their shape and keep the pie from tasting like candy; sweet apples soften and fill the gaps. All-Granny-Smith pies are sharp and dry; all-Gala pies turn to applesauce.