What Makes a Real American Apple Pie?

My husband grew up in Florida and has a deep deep love for American pies. Even though we’re now living in Copenhagen, Denmark, his pie cravings haven’t diminished at all! So every year on his birthday, I bake him a pie of his choice (and the other 5-6 times a year when he’s craving one!). While my personal favorites are blueberry pie and rhubarb pie, his eternal favorite remains the classic American apple pie. I have baked apple pie more times than I can count and over the years I have tweaked and perfected my apple pie recipe so it’s foolproof and just the way we like it.

What makes a classic American pie special is its unique crust—crispy and flaky, baked to golden perfection. The top crust is what gives the pie its signature look. Traditionally, the top crust is woven into a lattice, allowing the filling to peek through and creating those charming air holes. However, you can also opt for a solid crust layer and use your decorative skills. The sky’s the limit when it comes to how you decorate your pie!

Perfect Flaky Pie Crust

One of the standout features of American pies is their crust. It’s known for its flaky texture that falls apart beautifully with each bite. The key to this flaky texture is using large amounts of cold butter and ice-cold water. The cold helps create those delightful flakes, so it’s crucial to keep the dough chilled at all times before it goes into the oven. Make sure to chill the dough for a few hours before rolling it out and keep it cold while you work with it. If it starts to soften, pop it back into the fridge.

When rolling out the dough, sprinkle a little flour on your work surface. Roll the dough from the center outward. It can be a bit tricky to roll out, but avoid touching it too much with your hands as it’s essential to keep it cold. If the dough becomes too warm, chill it again briefly.

The Best Apple Filling for American Pie

Of course, the filling for a classic American pie is all about the apples! I add cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar to the apples to enhance their sweetness and flavor.

The Best Apples for Pies

Since apples make up such a significant part of the pie, the type you choose is crucial for the overall taste. Opinions vary on the best apples for pies, but here are my personal favorites for apple pie:

1. Granny Smith
2. Golden Delicious
3. Fuji

How to Cut the Apples

You’ll need to wash, peel, and cut the apples. How you cut them will affect the texture of the filling. It determines both the consistency when you eat a slice and how the filling looks through the pie crust.

• Wedge apple filling: Cut apples into thin wedges and avoid stirring them too much while cooking.
• Chunky apple filling: Cut apples into thin wedges, then into chunks. Stir gently while cooking to break them up a bit.
• Smooth apple filling: Cut apples into thin wedges, then into chunks. Stir frequently while cooking to create a smoother filling.

Our preferred filling is the chunky apple filling, which is what you see in the pictures.

Creating a Lattice for Your American Pie

What sets American pies apart from European tarts is that they have a double crust: one on the bottom and one on top of the filling. The top crust can be decorated in various ways—woven into a lattice or cut into fun shapes.

American pie dough is excellent for pie decorations because it holds its shape well, as long as it’s very cold when it goes into the oven. That’s why ice water is added to the dough, and why it should be kept chilled if you spend a lot of time decorating the pie.

Getting creative with pie designs can be a fun challenge. Check out Google or Pinterest for pie crust designs to see some truly stunning pies. For example, you can use cookie cutters to add cute shapes to your pie, as I did with the stars on mine.

Baking Your Apple Pie

Once your pie is fully assembled, brush it thoroughly with beaten egg all over the visible crust. This helps the crust to stay together and achieve an even golden color.

Baking time varies depending on your oven and the depth of your pie, but most pies will need about 45-55 minutes at 200°C (400°F). Since the filling is already cooked, you’re mainly ensuring that the crust is perfectly baked with a golden top and a well-cooked bottom. If you suspect the bottom isn’t cooking enough while the top is getting too dark, you can cover it with a piece of aluminum foil to stop the browning.

Once baked, let the pie cool in the pan on a wire rack. This helps prevent the bottom from becoming soggy from residual heat. The filling will be extremely hot, so let it cool before serving. Enjoy your delicious homemade apple pie!

Recipe

Classic American Apple Pie

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This delicious classic apple pie recipe has a flaky pie dough and the most amazing apple cinnamon filling. The dough works perfectly well for creating pie decorations.

Time: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Difficulty: Moderate

Yield: 8 servings

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Ingredients

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Pie Crust (for bottom and top):

• 500 g all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 350 g butter (cold)
• 2 dl ice water* (approx.)

Apple Filling:

• 1 kg apples
• A bit of butter for the pot
• 150 g sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 dl apple juice (or sub with water)

For Baking:

• 1 egg for brushing

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Instructions

Pie Crust:

• Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and blend it into the flour mixture using a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Avoid using your hands to prevent warming the dough.
  500 g all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, 350 g butter
• Gradually add the ice water, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together. It should be slightly sticky.
  2 dl ice water*
• Quickly knead the dough on a floured surface until it forms a ball. Divide the dough into two portions and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (this step is crucial!).

Apple Filling:

• Meanwhile, wash, peel, and slice the apples into wedges or smaller pieces, depending on your desired texture.
  1 kg apples
• Melt a bit of butter in a pot, then add the apple slices along with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and apple juice.
  A bit of butter for the pot, 150 g sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 dl apple juice
• Simmer on low heat with the lid on for 10–20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. For firmer apple slices, stir gently; for a softer, sauce-like filling, stir more. Adjust simmering time to achieve your preferred consistency.

Assembling the Pie:

• Roll out one portion of the dough on a floured surface, ensuring it’s large enough to cover the bottom of a 24 cm (9.5 inch) pie dish. Lightly grease the dish and press the dough into it, molding it to the shape of the pan.
• Fill the pie dish with the apple filling, leaving about 1 cm of space from the filling to the top edge to prevent overflow during baking.
• Roll out the second portion of the dough and cut or shape it as desired to create a top crust. Cover the pie with the dough.
• If the dough has warmed during assembly, refrigerate the pie briefly before baking.
• Brush the top and edges of the pie with the beaten egg.
  1 egg for brushing

Baking:

• Preheat the oven to 200 °C (392 °F). Bake the pie for 20 minutes.
• Lower the temperature to 180 °C (356 °F) and bake for an additional 25–35 minutes. Cover the edges or top with foil if they brown too quickly.
• Let the pie cool on a wire rack before serving.

Notes

*To make ice water, add ice cubes to cold water and let it sit for a bit.

Make ahead: The pie dough can be prepared up to 1 week in advance and stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap. Or it can be frozen up to 3 months. 

Baking: If the crust edges brown too quickly, cover them with foil during baking.

Freezing: The finished unbaked pie can be frozen with filling for up to 3 months. Bake directly from the freezer, just add approx. 10 minutes to the baking time. 

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