Name: Double-Crust Apple Pie
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 320 g All-purpose flour (divided between the pastry and work surface); 15 g granulated sugar (for the pastry); 6 g fine salt (divided between the pastry and filling); 225 g Unsalted butter (cold, cut into 1 cm cubes); 90 ml ice water (use more only if the dough remains dry); 1000 g apples (peeled, cored, and sliced 5 mm thick); 140 g Brown sugar (packed); 30 ml Lemon juice (freshly squeezed); 2 tsp Ground cinnamon (for the filling); 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (for the filling); 25 g tapioca starch (for thickening the filling); 1 piece Egg (beaten with 15 ml water for brushing)

How to prepare

Whisk 300 g of the flour with the granulated sugar and 4 g of the salt in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture has pea-sized pieces and a few larger flat flakes.

Drizzle in the ice water and mix with a fork just until shaggy clumps form. Divide the dough into two portions, shape each into a disk, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Toss the sliced apples with the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, remaining 2 g salt, and tapioca starch. Let stand for 20 minutes, then drain off any visibly pooled liquid while keeping the apples coated.

Heat the oven to 220°C and place a sturdy baking sheet on the middle rack. On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough disk into a 33 cm round. Ease it into a 23 cm pie dish, leaving the edge untrimmed, and chill for 10 minutes.

Fill the crust with the apples, mounding them slightly in the center. Roll the second dough disk into a 30 cm round, lay it over the apples, trim both crusts to a 2 cm overhang, and crimp the edge. Cut five vents in the top crust, then brush it with the beaten egg and water.

Unbaked double-crust apple pie with crimped edges and steam vents

AI-generated image

Bake on the hot sheet at 220°C for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven to 190°C and bake for 35 to 45 minutes more. The crust should be deep golden brown and the filling should bubble visibly through the vents; shield the rim with foil if it browns too quickly.

Freshly baked double-crust apple pie with a golden crust and bubbling filling

AI-generated image

Cool the pie on a rack for at least 3 hours before slicing so the filling can set. Cut into eight wedges and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Why this recipe works

A short rest with sugar draws excess juice from the apples, while tapioca starch thickens that juice without making the filling cloudy. Starting hot sets the crust quickly, then a lower oven temperature cooks the apples evenly.