Making Apple Pie

Have you always wanted to make a pie from scratch, but were afraid/intimidated by the crust?

With a lot of help from Janis Nicolay (who shot this video) I've created a step by step tutorial on how to make that perfect flaky pie crust.

Once you've mastered how to make crust, you can add any filling you want. 

         

Classic Straight up Apple Pie 

First - please notice the tabs above.  'Making Crust' has everything you need to master the art of flaky pie crust.  Your shopping list is above - everything you need for making pie crust from scratch.  

Start with the 'Making Crust' tab, then come back here for your filling.

By the first week of September, I'm so ready for fall.

The apples are starting to ripen (but not on my farm) so we hit a local country u-pick.

we picked our own apples - mostly gala this time of year - and made some new friends

 If you can find an apple orchard near you, take the time to go picking.

It's way more fun than grabbing a bag from the grocer.

Classic Apple Pie Filling Recipe

I've tried every kind of apple pie recipe out there, but am never happy with the finished product.  It's not the crust - NEVER the crust - it's the filling.  The apples aren't cooked in the middle - they are still crunchy and raw.  I cook the pie longer, in attempt to cook the apples, but the crust gets burnt. 

But I've figured it out...cook the filling slightly, then bake it.

Perfect Delicious Apple Pie

Ingredients for Classic Apple Pie

6-7 apples - I used Gala Apples and they were a good size - not too small

1/2 cup (120ml) apple juice

1/2 cup (100 grams) of light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) of granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

Peel, core and chop your apples into about 1/2 inch slices.

 Place them in a pot with the 1/2 cup of apple juice and bring the juice to a boil.

Reduce the heat and let them simmer, stirring often, for ten minutes.  They will give off extra juice and almost steam themselves to a slightly soft, yet still crunchy stage

Remove from heat - gently stir in your sugars, flour, salt and cinnamon.

You need to cool the filling right down so it doesn't melt your crust.

Either place it in the fridge, or make the filling ahead of time and let it cool while you make your crust.

Once the crust bottom is made (from the 'Making Crust Tab), and the filling is cool, pour it into your shell.

Add the three tablespoons of butter to the top - drop little bits here and there.

Roll out your top layer of dough.

You may want to pop over to the 'Making Crust' tab to see how to finish off the top of the pie with slits for steam release plus cream and sugar sprinkles.  It also covers how to prepare the top layer if you are unsure.

Bake at 425F for 13 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350F for 25 - 30 minutes.

Let cool before eating so the filling has time to set up.

For the Spiced Version...

 The recipe stays the same, with the addition of a few extra spices

6-7 apples - I used Gala Apples and they were a good size - not too small but not overly huge

1/2 cup (120ml) apple juice

1/2 cup (100 grams) of light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) of granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves