Grandma’s Old Fashioned Apple Pie
Nothing beats the taste of Grandma’s Old Fashioned Apple Pie! A homemade apple pie recipe with a super flaky crust and delicious apple cinnamon filling.
Autumn is such a beautiful season, full of vibrant colours and garden fresh produce. As a kid growing up in Saskatchewan this was a very busy time, as it was harvest time! We grew an enormous garden at my Grandparent’s farm as well as one in town. The best home-grown vegetables to keep a large family well-fed over the winter. After spending a hard day working, my Grandma would make a hearty dinner, usually her Sunday Dinner Chicken and an apple dessert. She made the best ever apple pie as well as Maple Apple Crisp and Apple Cobbler.
I don’t think I will ever be able to bake an apple pie quite as good as my Grandma’s, but this recipe comes pretty close. Made from scratch pie with farm-fresh butter, lard and fresh apples, baked in a wood-burning stove! It was incredible how she made amazing bread, cakes, cookies and pies, in a wood-burning oven. I have no idea how she regulated the baking temperature!
Tips for making the flakiest pie crust
- Use a combination of butter and lard. Make sure it is well chilled, NOT room temperature!
- The water should be ice-cold! Add only enough water until the pie dough comes together.
- Don’t overwork the dough, you want to have small chunks of butter and lard in the dough.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Try not to stretch the pie dough as you place it into the pie plate. This will cause it to shrink.
- Cut slits in the top crust, this vents the pie and prevents moisture from building up causing a soggy crust.
How to make the apple pie filling
Peel and slice the apples removing the core and seeds. There is nothing worse than taking a bite of apple pie with a bitter seed in it. An apple peeler works great for this job.
Toss the apple slices with brown sugar and white sugar, cinnamon and Minute tapioca. I prefer my apple pie with just cinnamon and no other spices.
Why use Minute tapioca in Pies?
Minute tapioca is an ingredient I always use to thicken fruit fillings. It helps prevent the pie filling from being too watery which will make your bottom crust soggy.
I prefer Minute Tapioca as a thickener, it adds no flavour and does not make your apple filling gummy.
Best apples to use for apple filling?
- I am lucky to have two apple trees growing in my yard. I have no idea what kind they are, but they are firm, with tart flavor that tastes similar to a Macintosh apple.
- My favorite baking apple is Macintosh.
- Granny Smith are also great to use. They are a bit more tart apples, so you may have to add a tad more sugar.
- Honeycrisp
- Pink Lady
More Apple Recipes to try
If you love baking with apples, be sure to try some of my other favourite apple recipes.
Grandma’s Old Fashioned Apple Pie
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 8-10 apples peeled, cored and sliced
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
Pie Crust
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup butter cubed, chilled
- 1/2 cup lard cubed, chilled
- 6-8 tablespoons ice cold water
- 2 teaspoons cream
Pie assembly Ingredients
- pat butter
- 2 teaspoons heavy cream
- 2-3 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Pie Crust Instructions
- Whisk together flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Add the chilled butter and lard cubes. Using a pastry blender cut the butter and lard into the flour mixture until crumbly (pea size chunks). There should be visible chunks of butter and lard.
- Mix in 4 tablespoons of ice-cold water and blend with flour mixture.
- Add more water, a tablespoon at a time and blend until the dough sticks together when pressed. Only add enough water to make the dough come together. This is the secret to flaky pie crust. Adding too much water will result in a tough crust. Do not make it too wet, just enough water to have the dough come together.
- Divide the dough in half, form into a round disk and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Apple Filling
- Peel, core and slice the apples.
- Using a large bowl toss together the apple slices, granulated sugar, brown sugar, tapioca and cinnamon.
Putting the pie together
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Using a rolling pin, roll each disk of dough to 1/4- 1/8th inch thick circle. Dough should cover the pie plate with 1/2 inch over the edge.
- Place 1 pie crust dough into a 9 inch pie plate.
- Fill with the apple filling, piling it high. Add a pat of butter in the middle.
- Top the other pie crust dough. Brush with heavy cream, sprinkle generously with granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Pinch together the crusts to seal the edges.
- Cut several slits into the top to allow the pie to vent while baking.
- Bake on the middle rack at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour. The top should be golden brown.
- Cover the edge with a pie shield or foil if the edge starts to brown too much while baking.
Notes
Nutrition
How do you keep the bottom pie crust from becoming soggy??
Hey Edie, I find that varies with type of apples used. I actually don’t mind bottom crust being a bit soggy, but if you don’t you can always toss a tablespoon of minute tapioca or flour with the apples before filling pie crust. I will add that to recipe instructions.
I was told to prebake the bottom crust at least halfway and the crust won’t be soggy. It was from the baking show on tv
Hi Nancy, I’ve been baking this pie for over 20 years and never prebaked the crust. Adding the minute tapioca helps thicken the juice from the apples, but who knows maybe its a trick I will try next time I make pie!
looks delicious gonna make on today, ty
BTW i live in McIntosh country in upstate New York Several apple orchards around me
You are so lucky, one of my favourite apples are McIntosh!
I WANT TO USE MAC APPLES, WILL THEY WORK FOR APIE?
McIntosh apples are perfect! one of my favourite apples for baked desserts.
Making this today just scared about making the crust. Never made one before
The crust is simple to make, just don’t overwork the dough. I’ve always had a problem with my pie dripping as I bake it, then burning to bottom of oven, so make sure you have tin foil (fold to make sure it has edges so drips don’t just run off) and replace with new foil if it starts to burn on and smoke.
What kind of apples did you use?
Hi J , the apples I used came off my very own apple tree that was a special graft of tree, so not sure variety but they are very similar to a macintosh apple.
I used Granny Smith Apple’s from Washington State! They are a little sharpness because of the tart apples, I prefer them. ~It cuts the sweetness and goes perfect with a little vanilla ice-cream!!!~
This looks absolutely delicious! I will attempt this recipe and make it for my family on Easter! 🙂
Apple pie will be an awesome Easter dessert for your family!
Looks wonderful. New Superbowl tradition.
That’s a great Sheri, we always need another reason to bake up an apple pie!
Thanks for the follow, checked out your blog and followed you back
Wow looks delish! I am so going to make this lol. BTW, I am your newest blog folower.
Thanks Michelle, I picked a lot of nice sized apples off my tree this year, so I need some more apple recipes, got any good ones?