Apple Pie

There’s something so comforting about a homemade apple pie, the buttery pastry mixed with the smell of cinnamon and baked apples. This recipe keeps things simple but classic, with a rich, flaky pastry that you can make by hand, in a food processor, or using ready-made shortcrust from the supermarket.

What You Need To Make Apple Pie

For exact measurements, check the recipe card at the bottom of the page. Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need and why.

For The Filling

Apples
Bramley apples are perfect for pie, or a mix of Bramley and firmer apples like Braeburn or Granny Smith

Sugar
A mix of caster and light brown sugar gives both sweetness and that lovely hint of caramel depth.

Cinnamon and Nutmeg
These warm spices are what make an apple pie taste like autumn. Just enough to complement the apples, not overpower them.

Butter
A few cubes of butter dotted over the apples before baking make the filling rich and glossy.

Cornflour or Plain Flour
A spoonful mixed through the apple filling thickens the juices as it bakes, stopping them from being too runny.

Egg + Milk (for glazing)
Brushing the pastry before baking gives the pie a beautiful golden shine.

For The Pastry

You can make the pastry from scratch or use shop-bought shortcrust pastry.

Shop-Bought Pastry
You’ll need about 500g shortcrust pastry (or two sheets of ready-rolled pastry) to line and top a 23cm (9-inch) pie dish. Let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before unrolling so it doesn’t crack.

Homemade Pastry – By Hand or in a Food Processor
This recipe makes enough for the base and top of your pie. You can make it by hand or let a food processor do the work, both methods give a lovely flaky pastry.

What You Need:

• 300g plain flour
• 150g cold unsalted butter, diced
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp caster sugar (optional for a touch of sweetness)
• 1 egg (egg is optional)
• 1–2 tbsp cold water

By Hand:
Add the flour, salt, and sugar to a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and a tablespoon of cold water, mixing gently until the dough just comes together. Add a little more water if needed. Shape into a ball, wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

In a Food Processor:
Add the flour, salt, sugar, and butter cubes to the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add the egg and 1 tbsp of water, pulsing briefly until the dough starts to form. If it seems too dry, add the rest of the water but be careful not to let it turn sticky. Wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out.

Making The Apple Pie

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F / Gas 6.

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Toss them in a large bowl with both sugars, cornflour (or flour), cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice if using. The cornflour will combine with the apple juices as the pie bakes, creating a thicker filling that holds together when sliced.

Roll out half the pastry and use it to line a 23cm (9-inch) pie dish, leaving a little hanging over the edge. For an extra crisp base, sprinkle a little cornflour or flour and sugar mixture over the bottom before adding the apples.

Spoon in the apple mixture, it might look a lot, but the apples shrink as they cook. Dot the top with butter.

Roll out the remaining pastry and lay it over the filling. Trim any excess and press the edges together to seal. Crimp the edge with your fingers or a fork. Cut a few small slits in the top to let steam escape.

Brush the top with beaten egg or milk. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until golden and bubbling.

Making This Apple Pie Egg-Free

If you’d like to make your pastry without egg, simply leave it out and increase the cold water slightly.

Preventing a Runny Apple Pie

Bramley apples are juicy, which is part of what makes them delicious, but it also means the filling can be quite saucy. Cornflour thickens the juices more effectively than plain flour, giving you that glossy, sliceable filling.
If you prefer your pie neat and set, let it cool completely before cutting, the longer it rests, the thicker the filling will become. But if you can’t resist digging in while it’s still warm (and who can?), just expect it to be a little runnier (and just as delicious). If you really don’t like it too runny you can pre cook the apples to allow some of the water to escape – but I prefer to cook them in the pie from raw.

Too Much or Too Little Pastry

If you find yourself with too much or too little pastry for your apple pie you can;

• Too Little – instead of a full lid on top of the pie you can slice up into strips and create a lattice lid instead.
• Too Much – roll out and shape any extras (leaves, hearts, stars etc) and place them on top for decoration. Or, if you also have leftover apple (or other fruits) you could make an apple turnover with shortcrust pastry instead of puff pastry.

Serving Suggestions

Serve warm with custard, vanilla ice cream, or a generous spoonful of clotted cream.

Storage

Leftover apple pie will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat slices in a warm oven for about 10 minutes before serving.

You can also freeze the pie, either baked or unbaked, for up to 3 months. Wrap it tightly in foil (and ideally place in a freezer bag or airtight container for extra protection).

Top Tips for the Best Apple Pie

Keep the butter cold
Cold butter is the secret to a light and flaky pastry. If it starts to soften while you’re making the dough, pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes before rolling.

Chill the pastry before baking
Resting the dough for at least 30 minutes stops it from shrinking in the oven and helps the layers stay beautifully crisp.

Don’t overwork the dough
Handle the pastry as little as possible once the liquid is added. Overmixing develops the gluten, making the crust tough instead of crumbly.

Pile the apples high
The apples will shrink as they bake, so don’t be tempted to underfill your pie dish. A generous mound of apples gives you that classic, full filling once cooked.

Avoid a soggy bottom
To keep the base pastry crisp, make sure your oven is fully preheated, and bake your pie on the lower shelf.

Let it rest before slicing
It’s tempting to dive straight in, but letting the pie cool for as long as possible helps the filling set and makes slicing much easier.

More Baking Recipes

If you liked this apple pie recipe check out some of these popular baking recipes for inspiration:

• Apple Crumble
• Apple and Cinnamon Cake
• Apple and Blackberry Crumble
• German Apple Cake
• Rhubarb Crumble
• Banana Bread
• Spotted Dick
• Treacle Tart
• Lemon Drizzle Cake
• Ginger Cake Recipe