Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Old Fashioned Apple Pie is a double-crust pie filled with spiced apples in a buttery, slightly thickened sauce. The crust should be golden and crisp, the filling tender but not mushy, and the spices warm without overpowering the fruit.

Ingredients for Old Fashioned Apple Pie

All-purpose flour and salt form the structure of the crust. Cold butter cut into small pieces creates a flaky texture by staying solid during mixing and baking. Ice water brings the dough together without warming the butter. Apples (a mix of tart and sweet varieties) are the filling’s base, providing texture and flavor. Granulated sugar and brown sugar sweeten the filling and help draw out the apples’ juices. Cornstarch thickens the filling so it does not run when you cut a slice. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice add warmth and depth. Lemon juice brightens the filling and prevents browning. Egg mixed with water creates the egg wash that browns the crust.

Why This Old Fashioned Apple Pie Works

The crust works because cold butter stays in separate pieces as you mix, creating pockets of fat that steam during baking and turn into flaky layers. Warm butter would blend into the flour and produce a tough, dense crust instead. Ice water keeps the butter cold and activates just enough gluten to hold the dough together without making it chewy.

The filling thickens as it bakes because cornstarch absorbs the apple juices and sets them into a sauce. Without it, the filling would be soupy. A mix of tart and sweet apples gives better flavor than one type alone: the tart ones hold their shape and add brightness, while the sweet ones soften and add body to the sauce.

The egg wash browns in the oven, sealing the crust and giving it color. Baking at 425°F (220°C) for the first 15 minutes sets the crust quickly so it does not absorb moisture from the filling and turn soggy. Lowering the temperature lets the apples cook through and the filling thicken without burning the crust.

Mistakes To Avoid

Warm butter in the dough blends into the flour instead of staying in separate pieces. The result is a dense, tough crust that does not flake and feels more like a biscuit or shortbread. Keeping butter cold and working quickly prevents this.

Overmixing the dough after adding water makes gluten develop too much and turns the crust chewy and hard. Mix just until the dough comes together in a ball, with some streaks of flour still visible. Stop as soon as you can gather it.

Filling the crust too full or using apples that release too much liquid causes the filling to bubble over onto the oven floor and makes the bottom crust soggy. Toss the apples with cornstarch and let them sit for 10 minutes before filling so you can see how much liquid they release, then drain it off.

Cutting the pie while it is still warm breaks the filling apart because the cornstarch has not fully set. The slices will fall apart and the filling will run out onto the plate. Waiting at least 4 hours gives the filling time to gel.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (227g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
• 6 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 8 cups)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add 1 cup cold butter cubes and cut them in with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture looks like coarse sand with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible, about 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork until the dough just comes together. Stop as soon as it forms a ball; do not overmix.
3. Divide the dough in half, shape each into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
4. Peel, core, and slice 6 medium apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss with 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain off excess liquid if needed.
5. Roll one dough disk on a floured surface into a 12-inch round and transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Let it hang slightly over the edge. Add the apple filling and mound it slightly in the center.
6. Roll the second dough disk into an 11-inch round. Place it over the filling, trim both crusts to 1 inch overhang, fold under, and crimp the edge with a fork or your fingers. Cut 4 vents in the top crust.
7. Whisk 1 large egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush it over the top crust. Refrigerate the pie for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven.
8. Bake at 425°F (220°C) on the lower oven rack for 15 minutes until the crust begins to brown. Reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 35 to 45 minutes more until the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles slightly at the vents.
9. Cool the pie on a wire rack for at least 4 hours before cutting so the filling sets completely.