Classic Apple Pie Recipe
There’s a particular magic that fills the kitchen when an apple pie is in the oven. It’s more than just a dessert; it’s the scent of melting butter, caramelising sugar, and warming spices that wraps around you like a cosy blanket on a crisp autumn day. This isn’t just any apple pie recipe; it’s the culmination of years of tinkering, testing, and tasting, a true labour of love that began with a page from my grandmother’s old, flour-dusted notebook. She always insisted on using the sharpest cooking apples and the coldest butter, lessons I’ve carried with me ever since.
What makes this apple pie so special is the pastry. It’s an all-butter shortcrust that is wonderfully flaky, crisp, and substantial enough to hold the generous filling without becoming soggy. Inside, sharp Bramley apples cook down into a beautiful, jammy consistency, tender but still holding a little bite. They’re spiced with just enough cinnamon and nutmeg to feel warm and familiar, but not so much that they overpower the wonderful tartness of the fruit. I’ve found this combination by accident, trying to use up leftover spices, and it’s been a hit ever since.
This dessert is ideal for a Sunday lunch, a special treat to share with friends, or simply when you want to fill your home with the most comforting aroma imaginable. It’s a recipe that always gets compliments, and seeing the smiles around the table when you slice into that golden crust is a reward in itself. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and bake something truly wonderful together.
Recipe Overview
This apple pie recipe focuses on two key elements: an exceptionally flaky, all-butter pastry and a perfectly balanced apple filling that’s sweet, tart, and gently spiced. The result is a substantial, rustic pie that feels both traditional and a little bit luxurious. From my testing, the most crucial step is allowing the pie to cool for at least two hours before slicing; this allows the filling to set properly, ensuring a clean slice every time.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling)
- Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Servings: 8 people
- Difficulty: Medium
Why You’ll Love This Apple Pie Recipe
- Genuine Flavour: The tartness of the Bramley apples is beautifully balanced by the rich, buttery flavour of the shortcrust pastry. The filling isn’t overly sweet, allowing the natural fruitiness and warm spices to shine.
- A Rewarding Bake: While it takes a little time, the process is straightforward and incredibly satisfying. The entire pie, from pastry to filling, is made from scratch.
- Flexible Recipe: You can easily adjust the spices to your liking. Add a pinch of allspice or cardamom for a different warmth, or toss a handful of blackberries in with the apples for a lovely sharp burst of flavour.
- Great for Gatherings: It works beautifully as the centrepiece dessert for a family Sunday dinner, after a hearty main like my Meatloaf With Stove Top Stuffing Recipe.
- Family Tested: This is the pie my family requests for birthdays and special occasions. My dad always claims the first slice, served warm with a dollop of clotted cream.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the best results, use a good quality unsalted block butter, not a soft spreadable type. The low water content in block butter is key to creating those delicious, flaky layers in the pastry. I always reach for a brand like Lurpak or a supermarket’s own-brand equivalent.
- For the All-Butter Pastry:
- 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 225g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 100ml iced cold water
- For the Apple Filling:
- 900g Bramley apples (about 4 large ones)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 75g light brown soft sugar
- 50g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 25g unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 medium egg, beaten (for the egg wash)
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Kira’s Tip: To get your water properly ice-cold for the pastry, fill a jug with water and a handful of ice cubes and let it sit for five minutes before measuring out what you need. It makes a noticeable difference to the texture.
How to Make This Apple Pie Recipe
We’ll start by making the pastry, which needs to chill before we roll it out. While it’s resting in the fridge, we can get on with preparing the delicious apple filling. Don’t rush the chilling time—it’s essential for a flaky crust.
- Make the Pastry: In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and caster sugar. Add the cold, cubed butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some larger, pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. For a deep dive into pastry technique, BBC Good Food has a great guide on how to make shortcrust pastry.
- Bring it Together: Add the iced water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a cutlery knife until the dough just starts to come together. I find that using a knife prevents the warmth from my hands from melting the butter. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together into a ball. Do not overwork it. Divide the dough into two pieces (one slightly larger for the base), flatten into discs, wrap in cling film, and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Prepare the Filling: While the pastry chills, peel, core, and slice the Bramley apples to about 1cm thickness. Place them in a large bowl and toss immediately with the lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
- Mix the Filling: In a small bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, caster sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornflour. Pour this mixture over the apples and toss well to ensure every slice is evenly coated.
- Assemble the Pie Base: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Place a baking tray inside to heat up. On a floured surface, roll out the larger disc of pastry until it’s about 3mm thick. Carefully line a 23cm pie dish with the pastry, leaving a little overhang.
- Fill and Top the Pie: Spoon the apple mixture into the pastry-lined dish, mounding it slightly in the middle. Dot the top of the filling with the 25g of cubed butter. Roll out the smaller pastry disc for the lid. Brush the rim of the pie base with a little of the beaten egg, then carefully place the lid on top.
- Crimp and Seal: Trim the excess pastry from the edges and press down firmly to seal. Crimp the edges using your thumb and forefinger or the tines of a fork. Brush the entire lid with the beaten egg, make a few small slits in the centre to allow steam to escape, and sprinkle generously with demerara sugar for a crunchy top.
- Bake to Perfection: Place the pie on the preheated baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan) and bake for a further 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
- Cool Before Serving: Let the pie cool in its dish on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. This is the hardest part, but it’s vital for the filling to set.
Tips From My Kitchen
- Temperature Control: The secret to flaky pastry is keeping everything cold. Use butter straight from the fridge and iced water. If your kitchen is warm, you can even chill your mixing bowl and flour for 15 minutes before you start.
- The Secret Step: Placing your pie on a preheated baking tray does two things: it helps cook the base of the pie more quickly, preventing a soggy bottom, and it catches any potential drips from the bubbling filling. I learned that this small step makes a huge difference.
- Make-Ahead: The pastry dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept well-wrapped in the fridge, or frozen for up to a month. You can also assemble the entire unbaked pie and freeze it, then bake from frozen, adding about 15-20 minutes to the cooking time.
- Storage: Once cooled, the apple pie will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can gently reheat individual slices in the oven or microwave.
Equipment You’ll Need
- 23cm (9-inch) pie dish
- Large mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- Pastry brush
- Baking tray
- Wire cooling rack
Delicious Variations to Try
While this classic apple pie recipe is wonderful as it is, it’s also a great base for experimentation. Here are a few ideas I’ve tried and loved:
- Apple and Blackberry Pie: Add 150g of fresh or frozen blackberries to the apple filling for a beautiful colour and a lovely sharp flavour contrast.
- Spiced Orange Version: Add the finely grated zest of one orange to the filling mixture along with a pinch of ground cloves for a warm, festive twist.
- Vegan Apple Pie: This recipe can be adapted for a plant-based diet. Use a good quality vegan butter block (the hard kind, not a soft margarine) in the pastry, and brush the lid with oat milk or another plant-based milk instead of the egg wash.
What to Serve With This Apple Pie Recipe
An apple pie this good deserves the perfect accompaniment. We love to keep it classic in our house, but here are a few suggestions:
- Proper Custard: A jug of warm, homemade vanilla custard is the ultimate partner. Its creamy sweetness is the perfect foil for the tart apples.
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream: A scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream melting slowly onto a warm slice of pie is a timeless combination for a reason.
- Thick Double Cream: For pure indulgence, a simple dollop of cold, thick double cream provides a wonderful temperature and texture contrast. It’s simple, elegant, and lets the pie be the star. For a lighter meal pairing, it works well after something like my Grilled Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Make the Pastry: In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and caster sugar. Add the cold, cubed butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some larger, pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. For a deep dive into pastry technique, BBC Good Food has a great guide on how to make shortcrust pastry.
- Bring it Together: Add the iced water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a cutlery knife until the dough just starts to come together. I find that using a knife prevents the warmth from my hands from melting the butter. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together into a ball. Do not overwork it. Divide the dough into two pieces (one slightly larger for the base), flatten into discs, wrap in cling film, and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Prepare the Filling: While the pastry chills, peel, core, and slice the Bramley apples to about 1cm thickness. Place them in a large bowl and toss immediately with the lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
- Mix the Filling: In a small bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, caster sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornflour. Pour this mixture over the apples and toss well to ensure every slice is evenly coated.
- Assemble the Pie Base: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Place a baking tray inside to heat up. On a floured surface, roll out the larger disc of pastry until it's about 3mm thick. Carefully line a 23cm pie dish with the pastry, leaving a little overhang.
- Fill and Top the Pie: Spoon the apple mixture into the pastry-lined dish, mounding it slightly in the middle. Dot the top of the filling with the 25g of cubed butter. Roll out the smaller pastry disc for the lid. Brush the rim of the pie base with a little of the beaten egg, then carefully place the lid on top.
- Crimp and Seal: Trim the excess pastry from the edges and press down firmly to seal. Crimp the edges using your thumb and forefinger or the tines of a fork. Brush the entire lid with the beaten egg, make a few small slits in the centre to allow steam to escape, and sprinkle generously with demerara sugar for a crunchy top.
- Bake to Perfection: Place the pie on the preheated baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan) and bake for a further 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
- Cool Before Serving: Let the pie cool in its dish on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. This is the hardest part, but it's vital for the filling to set.
Notes
I truly hope you enjoy making this apple pie recipe. It’s one of those bakes that feels like a real achievement, and the result is a dessert that brings so much warmth and happiness. It’s more than just a sweet treat; it’s a slice of home. If you try it, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. Happy baking!
