Classic Two Crust Apple Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Peel, core and thinly and thickly slice the apples; toss with lemon juice if using.
• Combine and mix apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; pour into crust-lined pie plate; dot with butter.
• Place top crust, seal and vent; cover edges of crust with narrow band of aluminum foil, shiny side out.
• Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes; reduce temperature to 375°F and bake another 30-40 minutes until filling is bubbling and crust is nicely browned.
• If necessary remove foil last 10 minutes to brown edges.

Steps:

• Peel and core the apples; slice 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, cinnamon and salt and stir until the juices thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. (The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
• Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Add the cooled filling and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
• Roll out the remaining disk of dough into a 12-inch round. Lay the dough over the filling and press the two crusts together around the edges. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp with your fingers. Brush the top crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut a few slits in the top crust to let steam escape. Chill 1 hour.
• Put a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack and preheat to 425 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. Put the pie directly on the hot baking sheet and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F; bake until the pie is golden and the filling is bubbly, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes, rotating the pie as needed. (Cover the edges with foil if they are browning too quickly.) Transfer to a rack and let cool until the filling is set, about 3 hours.
• Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, vinegar and salt in a food processor until it looks like fine meal. Add the butter and pulse until it is in pea-size pieces. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough with your fingers; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 4 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse again.
• Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pat each into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or preferably overnight, or freeze up to 2 months.

Steps:

• Make the crust: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter pieces into the flour using your fingers until pea-size pieces form. Drizzle in the vinegar and ice water; stir gently with a fork to combine. If the dough doesn't hold together when you squeeze it, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disk; wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch round. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang, then tuck the overhanging dough under itself; crimp the edges with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Meanwhile, make the crumb topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Rub the butter into the mixture with your fingers until no longer floury and crumbs form. Freeze until ready to use.
• Make the filling: Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the lowest oven rack; preheat to 400˚. Mix the apples, melted butter, both sugars, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Spoon the filling into the chilled pie crust. Pat the crumb mixture on top.
• Bake the pie on the hot baking sheet until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚ and bake until the apples are completely soft when pierced with a paring knife, 60 to 80 more minutes. (If the topping is getting too dark, cover loosely with foil.) Transfer the pie to a rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a bowl combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Place mixture in a pastry-lined 9 inch pie plate. Dot with butter and adjust top crust that has been vented.
• Place in oven and bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Turn oven temperature down to 275-300 degrees F (135-150 degrees C) and bake 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Let cool and serve.

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk flour and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and shortening and rub in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons water; toss until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften slightly at room temperature before using.)
• For filling:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish with nonstick spray. Stir all apples, 3/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Let stand until juices form, about 15 minutes. Mix in flour.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Place dough in prepared pie dish. Spoon in filling; dot with butter. Roll out second dough disk to 13-inch round. Using small bottle cap, cut out ten 1/2-inch-diameter circles from dough for decoration; discard circles. Drape dough over filling. Seal top and bottom crust edges together; trim to 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under; crimp decoratively. Brush pie with milk. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and large pinch of cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle over pie.
• Transfer pie to baking sheet; place in oven. Immediately reduce temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until crust is golden brown, apples are tender and filling is bubbling thickly, covering edge with foil if browning too quickly, about 2 hours. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely; store at room temperature.)

Steps:

• For crust: Whisk flour and salt in large bowl to blend.
• Add butter and shortening and rub in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms.
• Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons water; toss until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry.
• Gather dough into ball; divide in half.
• Flatten into disks.
• Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour.
• (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften slightly at room temperature before using.) For filling: Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Spray 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish with nonstick spray.
• Stir all apples, 3/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and vanilla in large bowl to blend.
• Let stand until juices form, about 15 minutes.
• Mix in flour.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round.
• Place dough in prepared pie dish.
• Spoon in filling; dot with butter.
• Roll out second dough disk to 13-inch round.
• Using small bottle cap, cut out ten 1/2-inch-diameter circles from dough for decoration; discard circles.
• Drape dough over filling.
• Seal top and bottom crust edges together; trim to 1/2-inch overhang.
• Fold overhang under; crimp decoratively.
• Brush pie with milk.
• Combine remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and large pinch of cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle over pie.
• Transfer pie to baking sheet; place in oven.
• Immediately reduce temperature to 375°F.
• Bake pie until crust is golden brown, apples are tender and filling is bubbling thickly, covering edge with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour.
• Cool 30 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely; store at room temperature.).

Steps:

• Make the filling: Toss the apples with the granulated sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until the juices are simmering. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the firmer apples soften but still hold their shape, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, cinnamon and salt and toss to thicken the juices, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool. (The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and 4 tablespoons butter; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add 6 more tablespoons butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form. Add 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse a few times. If the dough doesn't hold together when squeezed, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time. Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pat each into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface (or between 2 sheets of floured parchment) into a 12-inch round. (If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate until firm.) Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Add the filling, mounding it slightly in the center, and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator.
• Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round. Lay the dough over the filling and press the 2 crusts together around the edges. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp as desired. Brush the beaten egg over the top crust and edge; sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Pierce the top crust with a knife a few times to let steam escape. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Put a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom oven rack and preheat to 425˚ F for 30 minutes. Place the pie on the hot pan and reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ F. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 1/2 hours; rotate the pie as needed and cover with foil if the crust browns too quickly. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• To prepare the piecrust, combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening with your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons water over the flour, and gently toss with a fork. Push the flour to the sides of the bowl, add the remaining cold water, and mix until all is moistened and combined. Divide the dough in half, and form each half into balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• In a large mixing bowl toss the apples with lemon juice. Combine the sugar, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the apples and toss until completely coated. Set mixture aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball into a 12-inch circle, and place into a 9-inch pie plate.
• Transfer the apple mixture into the pastry lined pie plate. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the apple mixture. For the top crust, roll out remaining dough, place on top, and seal and flute the edge. Cut slits on top crust to allow steam to escape.
• To make the egg wash, crack egg in a small bowl, add a pinch of salt, whisk, and brush on top of the pie. Cover pie with foil to prevent over browning, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes until crust is golden and apples are tender.
• Serve warm with ice cream or just plain.

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the apple wedges and saute until slightly softened but holding their shape, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar and stir to combine. Add the raisins, cinnamon, and cloves and stir.
• In a bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the apple mixture and remove the pan from the heat. Let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Fill an unbaked bottom crust with apple filling and dot the top crust with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Top with a rolled-out top crust. Cut 1/2-inch vents in a round-the-clock pattern into the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the top lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Put the pie on a cookie sheet or other low-sided baking tray to catch any spillage. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, checking occasionally to ensure that the top is browning evenly. Rotate the pie 180 degrees to move the front edge to the back of the oven, and bake until the top is uniformly golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Put the flour and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse a few times until the mixture begins to become mealy and the butter forms plainly visible pea-size nuggets.
• Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in the water. With the motor running, pour in the water and let mix, just until the dough pulls together. Do not over-mix the dough. If it appears dry and is not holding together, add a few additional tablespoons of water.
• Form the dough into a ball, flatten, and wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Lightly flour a pastry board and a rolling pin and unwrap the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and keep the second piece refrigerated. Tamp down the dough with the rolling pin and gently begin to roll it out into a circular pie shape by rolling evenly in one-eighth turns to keep the rolling even. When the dough is rolled out to an even thickness of about 1/8-inch and is about 12 inches in diameter, it is ready to be transferred to a 10-inch pie dish.
• Lightly butter the dish, lift the dough with the rolling pin by partially rolling the dough up on the pin, center the dough in the dish, and unroll. Pierce the dough in several places with the tines of a fork.
• Roll the second half of the dough into a circle slightly larger than the pie dish. Fill the bottom crust with your chosen filling. Cover the filling with the top half of the dough. Using both hands, crimp the edges of the 2 crusts together to seal. With a sharp knife, make several crosshatch slits in the top crust. Brush with the egg wash and bake in a preheated 375 degree Foven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Fit 1 pie crust to bottom and up side of 9 inch deep dish pie plate. Pick bottom of crust with fork and refrigerate while preparing filling.
• In a small bowl, blend 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, the light brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Set aside.
• Cut apples into 1/2" pieces. Melt butter over medium heat. Add apples, lemon juice and sugar mixture. Cook about 10 minutes until juices thicken. Cool on a rack for 25 minutes.
• Pour cooled mixture into the prepared crust lined pie plate. Roll second crust to about 12 inches. Cut 1 inch vent hole in center of dough. Transfer dough to top of pie. Crimp edges together and flute decoratively.
• Brush pie with egg mixture.
• Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cover pie with foil if it bakes too quickly. Cool at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat and add apples to the pan. Stir to coat with butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is evenly distributed, about 1 minute.
• In a small bowl, whisk together sugars, spices and salt. Sprinkle over the apples and toss to combine.
• Lower heat to medium and cook until apples have softened completely but still hold their shape, about 17 to 25 minutes. (Some varieties cook more quickly than others.)
• Sprinkle cornstarch evenly over the apples and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the apple mixture comes to a simmer and thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and stir in lemon juice and zest. Allow apples to cool completely (spreading them onto a rimmed baking sheet speeds this up). Apples can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to a 9- or 10-inch metal pie plate, trimming it to leave a 1/2-inch overhang. Place crust in the freezer for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
• When ready to bake, place a rimmed baking sheet on the middle oven rack and heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Roll out the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10- to 11-inch circle. Remove pie crust from freezer and add the cooled filling in an even layer. Cover apples with remaining dough. Press the edges together, trim the excess dough, and crimp the edges with your fingers or a press down with the tines of a fork. (Using a fork might be easier if the bottom crust is too cold to crimp.) Brush the top of the pie with cream, milk, or some beaten egg, then sprinkle lightly with sugar if you like. Using a sharp knife, cut some steam vents in the top of the crust.
• Place pie on the hot sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until the filling bubbles in the steam vents, and the crust is golden brown. Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. The pie can be baked up to 24 hours ahead of serving; do not refrigerate before serving.