Double Crust Apple Pie Recipe

This apple pie recipe makes one 9 inch double crust pie: 6 or 7 sliced apples tossed with white and brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon, then baked at 425°F for 45 to 55 minutes. Plan on about 3 hours and 20 minutes from peeling to slicing. Two of those hours are cooling. It cuts into 8 slices.

The trick is watching the bubbles. The flour only thickens the apple juice once it boils, so the pie comes out when thick, slow bubbles show through the slits in the middle, not just around the rim. I’ve baked this pie on rushed mornings and in the middle of holiday chaos, and it holds up. Use refrigerated rounds or my homemade pie crust recipe.

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Apples That Stay in Slices

Start with apples that stay firm under heat. Granny Smith brings tartness and structure, while Honeycrisp is sweeter and juicier and still does not go soft in the oven. I’ve tried Fuji and Pink Lady too, and they work, but I keep coming back to half Granny Smith and half Honeycrisp for a pie that tastes bright instead of just sweet.

Leave Red Delicious and soft McIntosh for snacking. They fall apart. Give them a 50 minute bake and you end up with applesauce under a tall dome of crust.

Peel the apples fully, since the skins curl and turn chewy in the oven. Slice them ¼ inch thick and keep the slices even. Even slices cook through at the same time. They also lie flat, which matters later.

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Sugar, Flour and Spice on Raw Apples

Toss the slices with 1 tablespoon lemon juice first. It keeps them from browning while you mix and sharpens the fruit. Without it, the filling tastes flat.

In a separate bowl, stir together ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon salt. White sugar gives clean sweetness, brown sugar adds a molasses note that backs up the cinnamon, and the nutmeg stays quietly in the background. Those 2 tablespoons of flour are the only thickener for 6 to 7 medium apples, which is why the bake matters so much.

Sprinkle the mix over the apples and toss until every slice is coated. Within about 5 minutes the bowl looks wet as the sugar pulls juice out of the fruit. That is normal. Scrape all of it into the crust, because the flour sits in that juice.

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Raw Sliced Apples or Precooked Filling?

This pie uses raw apples, so it goes from bowl to crust in about 30 minutes without touching the stove. The slices soften in the oven and keep a little bite. There is one tradeoff. Raw apples shrink as they bake, so the top crust can settle and leave a small gap.

Both make a good pie. A stovetop filling like my homemade apple pie filling is cooked first with cornstarch. It shrinks less and can be made days ahead or frozen. Pick raw slices when you want the pie in the oven fast and like firmer apples. Pick the cooked filling when you are baking for a crowd and want the tallest, neatest slices.

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Refrigerated Rounds or a Homemade Butter Crust

I’ve made this pie both ways. With time and focus, a homemade butter crust wins: deeper flavor and layers that crackle when you cut in. Refrigerated rounds bake up golden too and hold the filling well, which is why the card lists one package of 2 rounds.

Going homemade? One full batch of my pie crust recipe is exactly enough: 2½ cups flour and 1 cup cold butter make both rounds, one for the bottom and one for the lid. The dough needs at least 1 hour in the fridge, so make it the day before if you can.

Store-bought rounds crack if you unroll them straight from the fridge. Give them a few minutes on the counter, then press one into a 9 inch pie dish with no air trapped underneath.

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Filling the Dish and Venting the Lid

Pile in the apples and press them down gently with your hands so the slices lie flat. In the center they should mound about an inch above the rim. They will sink. A tightly packed layer gives the top crust something to rest on, so it bakes up domed instead of hollow.

Dot the fruit with 1 tablespoon butter in small pieces. Lay the second round over the top and cut 4 or 5 slits in the center, or weave a lattice. Pinch or crimp the edges so the two crusts are sealed; an open seam is where the juice escapes.

Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon milk or water and brush it over the top for a glossy, deep brown crust. A sprinkle of coarse sugar adds crunch.

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How Long to Bake Apple Pie at 425°F

Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a baking sheet inside, then set the pie on the hot sheet. It catches the drips, since fruit pies bubble over and burnt sugar on the oven floor smokes for the rest of the bake. The heat from below also gives the bottom crust a head start, so it crisps instead of staying pale.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, look at the rim, and if it is already deep brown, cover it loosely with strips of foil so the edges stop browning while the middle keeps cooking.

It is done when the whole top is golden and the juice bubbles thick and slow through the center slits. Bubbling only at the edges means the middle has not boiled yet, and the flour there has not thickened anything. A thin knife pushed through a vent should slide into the apples with no crunch.

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Why a Double Crust Apple Pie Runs or Sinks

• Runny slices: the pie came out before the center bubbled, or it was cut warm. Bake to the bubbling cue and give it the full 2 hours.
• Gap under the top crust: the apples went in loose or in thick, uneven slices. Slice ¼ inch, press them flat and mound them high.
• Pale, soft bottom: the pie sat on a cold sheet near the top of the oven. Preheat the sheet and bake on a lower rack.
• Dark rim, raw middle: 425°F browns the edges fast. Foil strips at 30 minutes let the center catch up.
• Mushy apples: a soft variety did the work. Use at least half Granny Smith next time.

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Cooling, Serving and Keeping Leftovers

Let the pie cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours. The juices keep thickening as they cool, and that rest is what gives you slices with clean edges. Cut it hot and the filling slides straight onto the plate. Give it the time.

Serve it warm, at room temperature or cold, plain or with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on the side. To have it warm after it has set, reheat slices in a low oven for about 10 minutes.

Keep it covered on the counter for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. The crust softens a little in the cold but still holds together. I wrap single slices in parchment so they are ready to grab.

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Baking It a Day Ahead for Thanksgiving

This pie keeps well enough on the counter that you can bake it before the big day and free up the oven for the turkey. Plan it like this. Make homemade dough up to 3 days ahead and keep the wrapped discs in the fridge. Bake the pie the day before. Let it cool completely, cover it and leave it at room temperature overnight. Warm slices briefly before serving if your family likes it warm.

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More Apple Desserts With Pie Crust

For one crust and a crunchy top, try the apple crumble pie or a Dutch apple pie. Caramel lovers should go straight to my caramel apple pie. An apple galette folds the dough around the fruit with no pie dish at all.

Short on time? Apple turnovers with puff pastry and maple glazed apple pie bars are quicker, and apple pie cookies put the same spices into something you can hold in one hand.

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Questions About Baking Apple Pie From Scratch

How many apples do I need for a 9 inch apple pie?

6 to 7 medium apples, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick. Use 7 if they are small, so the filling still mounds above the rim.

Can I make a one crust apple pie?

Yes. Press one round into the dish, add the filling and finish it with a crumb topping instead of a lid. The Dutch apple pie above is built that way.

Can I use cornstarch instead of flour?

Yes. Swap the 2 tablespoons flour for about 1 tablespoon cornstarch for a clearer, glossier filling, and bake to the same bubbling cue.

Does it bake at 425°F the whole time?

Yes, it stays at 425°F for the full 45 to 55 minutes. Foil on the edges keeps them from burning while the center finishes.

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