Epic Single Crust Apple Pie Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Bake

by: Erin Jeanne McDowell

August17,2021

4.5

19 Ratings

  • Prep time 1 hour
  • Cook time 1 hour
  • Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

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Author Notes

This single crust apple pie, is amazing because it needs no lattice, no top crust—no finishing on the surface at all! It’s stunning all by itself due to some thoughtful (but not difficult—I swear!) arrangement of apples. Best of all, it tastes amazing, the texture of the apples is the perfect combination of soft with a little crispness, and they get a sort of roasty flavor from being uncovered during their bake time. It’s truly a stunner all on its own, and very easy to recreate.

Featured in: Two Sweet, Flaky Pies That Are Too Pretty to Eat (Like That Would Stop Us). Process shots live there! —Erin Jeanne McDowell

Test Kitchen Notes

This is a showstopper of an apple pie that is far easier to make than it looks. You'll make it for every Thanksgiving from now on. Erin walks you through it step by step and gives some of her best tips for making this pie as beautiful as possible, which she expands upon in her article: "You begin by slicing the apples super thin, then sweeten and season them with spices. I do the slicing by hand, but you can certainly bring in the help of a mandolin or the slicing attachment of a food processor. It also doesn’t need to be insanely thin—just as thin as you can comfortably go. The thinner the slices are, the easier it is to get them to create the final shape.

"I stand by my tried and true method: After peeling, I cut the apple in quarters. Then, with my knife at a 45-degree angle, I cut the core out of the apple, leaving a flat surface where the core was removed. With this flat surface, it’s easier to cut the apples thinly. Then, I sweeten the apples with brown sugar and season them with the typical pie spices. After they’ve been tossed, I arrange the apples in the par-baked pie crust. I do it in a rosette, but anything really goes: concentric circles, a spiral, even 'stripes' of the apples, all fanned out. Or, you can totally dump the thin slices right in the center and leave it at that—it will taste just as good." —The Editors

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • 1 recipe All Buttah Pie Dough (https://food52.com/recipes...)
  • 2 poundsHoneycrisp apples, peeled (907 grams)
  • 1/4 cupdark brown sugar (53 grams)
  • 1/4 cupgranulated sugar (50 grams)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoonscornstarch (11 grams)
  • 1 teaspoonground cinnamon (3 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoonfine sea salt (2 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoonground ginger (2 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoonground cloves (1 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoonground nutmeg (1 g)
  • 2 tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted (28 grams)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoonsboiled cider (available from King Arthur Flour—optional but VERY good here!) (32 grams)
Directions
  1. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough into a circle ¼ inch thick. Roll the dough up onto the rolling pin, starting at the far edge of the round. With the pie pan in front of you, start at the edge closest to you and gently unfurl the dough into the pan. Press gently to make sure the crust settles all the way to the bottom, but be careful not to poke any holes in the dough. Trim away the excess dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang all around. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, or freeze for 5 to 10 minutes.
  2. Tuck the excess dough under at the edges, pressing lightly to help “seal” the dough to the outer rim of the pie pan. Return the dough to the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes or to the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Crimp the edges of the dough as desired.
  3. Heat the oven to 425°F, preferably with a baking stone on the bottom rack. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Cut a square of parchment slightly larger than the pie pan. Place the parchment over the crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust on the stone or bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes, just until the edges barely begin to turn golden.
  4. Remove the parchment and weights and return the pan to the oven for another 2 to 4 minutes, just until slightly more golden around the edges and the base looks dry. Let cool completely.
  5. Using a sharp knife, quarter the apples, then core each quarter individually by laying it on the cutting board on one of its cut sides, holding the knife at a 45-degree angle and cutting out the core in a single motion. The apples then have a flat base (where the core was), so they can lie flat on the cutting board, which makes it easier to slice them thinly. Cut into slices about ¼ inch thick.
  6. In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg to combine. Add the apples and toss well to combine.
  7. Starting on the outer edge of the pie crust, arrange the apple slices in a tight spiral—the pieces should be overlapping each other by about three-quarters of the way. Continue the tight spiral inward. Place the final pieces in a circle to create the center of the rosette look.
  8. Drizzle any of the juices from the bowl over the apples. In a small bowl, stir the butter and cider (if using), then brush evenly over the apples.
  9. Transfer to the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 425°F, and continue to bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the apples are tender.
  10. Let cool completely (or at least 20 minutes) before serving.

Tags:

  • Pie
  • American
  • Cinnamon
  • Apple
  • Butter
  • Bake
  • Thanksgiving
  • Holiday
  • Fall
  • Dessert

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Amber Thorpe

  • Debbie McDaniel

  • cooks_inCT

  • Mkowalakperez

Recipe by: Erin Jeanne McDowell

I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

Popular on Food52

12 Reviews

cooks_inCT October 29, 2023

Made it for FIL's birthday (one of three pies made), voted best by the crowd. This was last minute add-on, so didn't have the cider, used maple syrup. It was awesome. Used a "mandoline" to slice peeled apples, and then quartered them DO NOT try to use half-slices, they do not bend enough to make a tight circle. Fabulous!

Mkowalakperez November 12, 2022

It’s in the oven now but I agree with the comments, thinner apples and I kept the temp at 425.

Catcook October 30, 2022

Made this today as a project with our visiting nephew who likes to cook. I cheated with a frozen pie crust and it ended up with more than one layer of apple. Next time I would cut the apples even thinner. Didn't have the boiled cider but I made a reduction of apple juice with a splash of organic apple cider vinegar. This pie really only serves 3, lol. It was delcious.

W J. October 29, 2022

Very similar to the French Apple Tart recipe by Sara Moulton, which appears on pp 331-333 of Sara Moulton's Home Cooking 101. https://saramoulton.com/2020/05/french-apple-tart/ She has a neat way of cutting the apples, which make the slices easy to fan out. Instead of the cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg spice, she uses apricot jam (which is very French, btw) and a bit of sugar. I have made that pie many times since watching her make it at a local cooking demonstration back in the late 1980s.

In fact, one can generalize on this and make savory versions using potatoes and salami slices arranged in a similar fashion with a cheese layer on the bottom and heavy cream as a sauce.

Either of these, whether sweet or savory, is a hit to serve to guests or family.

nancy O. October 28, 2022

The recipe says to use peeled apples, but the video has unpeeled. I'd love to not peel the apples, is the texture okay after baking?

reginafood October 18, 2022

The video clip showed the different time limits for baking than the recipe itself outlines. Confusing.

Nc November 6, 2021

In your apple pie recipe, you parbake the crust at 425°
Then, once filled, it says reduce temperature to 425°.

Should the parbake be hotter?

Amber T. March 3, 2019

We had some friends over for dinner and I made this pie and it was a big hit! The whole thing was consumed in just a few minutes. I was very pleasantly surprised with the softness of the apples and the lightness of the pie. I've never made an apple pie like this before, and I will definitely be making it again.

Elaine December 1, 2017

My husband told me this was the best apple pie he had ever eaten! He ate every last bit. I didn't have King Arthur boiled cider on hand when I wanted to make this, but I did have some organic apple juice. So I boiled the apple juice down to make a reduction and added just a splash of balsamic vinegar. I then used that combo in place of the boiled cider. It worked! The pie had a wonderful flavor!

Debbie M. November 23, 2017

do you bake the filled pie on the baking stone on the bottom rack, too?

Emma November 19, 2017

Thus was a gorgeous and impressive dessert to top off a lovely Friendsgiving. Used 1/2 the sugar and Granny Smiths and served with bourbon whipped cream--perfect!

Margaret November 13, 2017

So if I read the recipe correctly it's a shallow pie, with one layer of apples, almost like a tart, yes?

Epic Single Crust Apple Pie Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Should I Prebake crust for apple pie? ›

Pre-baking is a must if you're looking for a flaky pie crust. It's especially helpful for recipes with a wet center. Recipes for most tarts, pies, and quiches call for pre-baking to ensure that the final product doesn't end up soggy.

How do you make the bottom crust of apple pie not soggy? ›

Sprinkle dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes, or other types of cereal, on the bottom crust before filling and baking in the oven.

What is the difference between a two crust pie and a single crust pie? ›

Even though a Single Pie Crust does not have a top crust, it will often have some type of topping added either as part of the pie or as it is served. Some of the common toppings used are meringue and whipped cream. Double-crust pie: A pie made with both a bottom and a top crust.

Should I Prebake a pie crust for fruit pie? ›

You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie. you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking.

How long to prebake pie crust for apple pie? ›

Line the crust with foil, parchment, or a paper coffee filter. Fill it about two-thirds full with dried beans, uncooked rice (or other uncooked grain berries), pie weights, or granulated sugar. Bake the crust in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes, set on a baking stone or steel if you have one.

What temperature should I pre bake a pie crust at? ›

Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper, place in ziplock or other airtight bag/vessel, and stash in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but ideally 12 to 24 hours or for as long as 3 days. You also can store it in the freezer for as long as 3 months. To parbake or blind bake the pie crust: Heat your oven to 425ºF.

Should you poke holes in bottom of pie crust? ›

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

What is the secret to crispy bottom pie crust? ›

Getting a brown, flaky/crispy bottom crust on your pie is all about quick and effective heat transfer. That's why aluminum or aluminum/steel pans — rather than glass or stoneware — are your best choice for baking pie. Metal, especially aluminum, transfers heat quickly and efficiently from oven to pie crust.

Should I egg wash the bottom pie crust? ›

You've spent time and effort putting the pastry together, so don't sell yourself short by skipping the final step—the egg wash for the pie crust. The truth is that cream and egg washes are a simple but vital step to improving the appearance and flavor of pies and other baked goods.

Should you refrigerate pie crust before baking? ›

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Tip: Chilling hardens the fat in the dough, which will help the crust maintain its structure as it bakes. And the short rest before rolling relaxes the dough's gluten, helping prevent a tough crust.

How long should pie dough sit out before rolling? ›

Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, or until slightly pliable. Roll the dough out on a floured work surface. Keep turning the dough after every roll to ensure it doesn't stick to the counter and is of even thickness. Add additional flour to the dough, the counter, and your rolling pin as needed.

What is a pie without a top crust called? ›

A pie with no top crust can be a tart or flan. Either can be sweet or savoury. One of my favourites is Bakewell tart, which is made with raspberry jam and an almond based filling.

What happens if you don't chill pie crust before baking? ›

Non-chilled crust is fairly crumbly and less smooth, which makes it harder to roll out and means it may not look as polished. It will brown more quickly and the final product will likely be tougher, heavier, and more doughy – none of those in a bad way. It will likely have a more intense, butter flavor.

How long to prebake pie crust at 350? ›

If your recipe doesn't have instructions and you're wondering how long to pre bake the pie, here's what I do: I pre bake the prepped pie crust at 350°F. If the crust is homemade from scratch, I pre bake for 35 minutes. If the crust is store-bought, I pre bake for 30 minutes.

What not to do when making pie crust? ›

Below are six common mistakes when making a homemade pie crust and some helpful solutions to avoid them.
  1. The ingredients are too warm. ...
  2. The pie dough is overworked from excessive mixing or rolling. ...
  3. The pie dough isn't given enough time to relax and chill. ...
  4. The pie dough is shrinking down the sides of the pan.
Oct 18, 2022

How long should I Prebake my pie crust? ›

Bake: For a pie that you will cook further, like a quiche, bake the crust until it's dry and just beginning to brown, but still pale in color, 45-50 minutes. For a pie that will need no further baking, like a chocolate cream pie, bake the crust until it's evenly browned and crisp-looking, 60 to 75 minutes.

How long should pie crust rest before baking? ›

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Tip: Chilling hardens the fat in the dough, which will help the crust maintain its structure as it bakes. And the short rest before rolling relaxes the dough's gluten, helping prevent a tough crust.

Why is my apple pie crust soggy on the bottom? ›

It's an easy pitfall because fruit releases a lot of liquid when it bakes. Thickeners you mix into the filling, like cornstarch, soak up a lot of the liquid, but sometimes not all of it. Plus, as it bakes, the crust itself releases moisture in the form of steam. Often, blind-baking solves this problem.

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