Apple Pie Recipe with Video (caramel apple filling + easy pie crust)
This recipe shows you how to make a perfect apple pie with buttery golden crust, and juicy tender apple filling bathed in caramelized sauce.
Equipment
- kitchen scale or measuring cups
- 9" round quiche pan (nonstick)
- Non-stick food handling gloves
- Nonstick silicone pastry mat
- Nonstick frying pan
- Apple shaped cookie cutter (optional; I actually used a pumpkin shaped one.)
- Dried beans (About 2½ cups of dried navy beans, red beans, black beans, or rice as pie weights)
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
For making pie crust
- 240 g cake flour (1¾ cups + 1 tbsp)
- 25 g granulated sugar (2 tbsps)
- 170 g unsalted butter (1½ sticks of butter; cold and cut into small cubes.)
- 30 g egg (About ⅗ of a large egg)
For making caramel apple pie filling
- 2 giant apples (I used 2 giant apples, each weighed 330g each before being peeled or cored. If your apples are smaller, you should use 4 to 6 of them as an alternative.)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsps cold water
- 50 g granulated sugar (¼ cup; I like my apple pie filling to be moderately sweet. For those with a sweet tooth, you can add up to ⅓ cup of sugar.
- 30 g unsalted butter (2 tbsps; *Use 3 tbsps of butter if you use ⅓ cup of sugar. )
- 1 g cinnamon powder (½ tsp; Or add more to your taste.)
Others
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp milk (Or water)
- 7 leaves (for decoration)
Instructions
To Make Pie Crust
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cake flour and sugar. Stir the mixture with a whisk to evenly distribute the sugar.
- Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Wear food handling gloves to prevent warming up the butter, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. The butter should be broken down into pea-sized pieces.
- Gradually add the beaten egg, 1 tablespoon at a time, while stirring with a hand. Use about 60% of a large egg (or as needed) until the dough can hold its shape when pinched with your fingers. Be cautious not to make the dough overly wet.
- Gently use your hands to form the dough into a ball, avoid over-kneading the dough. Divide the dough in ⅔ and ⅓, flatten each piece of the dough into a disc. Wrap each dough disc in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 1 day.
- Preheat the oven to 175℃/350℉.
- After chilling, take the larger dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. On a nonstick silicone pastry mat (or floured surface), wrap a rolling pin with plastic food wrap, roll out the dough into a 11'' circle.
- Carefully line the dough sheet onto a 9'' quiche pan. Gently press the dough sheet to fit the mold. Trim off the excess dough on the edge, combine it with the other ⅓ of the dough in the refridgerator. Use a fork to gently press the tines into the bottom of the dough sheet. Space the holes about 1 inch apart. (This process allows steam to escape during baking, preventing the crust from puffing up in large bubbles.)
- Optionally, line the pie crust with parchment paper, and pour dried beans onto the parchment paper to weigh it down. (The added weight helps the crust maintain its shape during baking.)
- Place the pie crust with the beans into the oven and bake at 175℃/350℉ for 18 minutes. Remove the pie crust from the oven, then carefully remove the parchment paper and the beans from the crust. Let the pie crust cool completely on countertop. (If you don't plan to use the pie crust within a day, it's best to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
To Make Caramel Apple Pie Filling
- Peel, core, and cut the apples into small cubes. You can soak died apples in iced water to prevent browning. Add cornstarch and water to a small bowl, stir until the cornstarch is fully dissolved.
- In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, add the sugar, and gently stir for about 5 minutes until the sugar has melted and turn brown. Quickly add the butter, stir until the butter is fully dissolved.
- Add the diced apples and cinnamon powder, cook and stir for about 5 minutes until they achieve a caramel hue. Pour in the cornstarch water and stir quickly until the liquid in the pan thickens.
To Assemble and Bake the Apple Pie
- Preheat the oven to 375℉/190℃. Take the smaller dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Pour the prepared apple filling into the baked pie crust, spreading it out evenly.
- On a nonstick silicone pastry mat (or floured surface), roll out the dough into a ⅛'' thick sheet. Use an apple shaped cookie cutter to cut out 7 pieces of dough. Arrange the apple-shaped dough on the apple pie.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and milk (or water). Gently brush the egg wash over the apple-shaped dough pieces and the top edge of the pie crust.
- Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake at 375℉/190℃ for 20 minutes.
- Remove the apple pie from the oven, allow the pie to cool completely. Before serving, decorate the pie with fresh leaves arranged to resemble apple leaves.