Classic Homemade Apple Pie

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Tart shell

1. 1
   Mix the flour and salt in a bowl.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the cold butter in cubes and rub it in with your fingertips, until coarse crumbs form.

   💡The butter must stay cold: butter that melts in your hands gives a hard dough instead of a crumbly one. Work quickly, and if the dough warms up, put it back in the fridge.
3. 3
   Add the cold water and quickly bring together with your hands, without kneading, just until the dough comes together.

   💡Knead as little as possible: long kneading develops gluten, and the dough comes out tough and shrinks in the oven.
4. 4
   Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

   ⚙ Wrapping and Chilling the DoughPlastic wrapRefrigerator

   💡Chilling firms the butter and relaxes the gluten: the dough rolls out easily, doesn't stick to the counter and doesn't shrink in the oven.
5. 5
   Roll out half of the dough and line a 23 cm pie pan with it, sides included.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pinTart / pie pan

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.

To assemble

1. 6
   In a bowl, mix the apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

   Bowl
2. 7
   Fill the shell with the filling and level it.
3. 8
   Roll out the remaining dough into a round the size of the pan. Cover the filling, pinch the edges to seal and prick a few steam holes with a fork.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pin

   💡The holes in the lid let the steam escape: that way the lid doesn't puff up and the filling doesn't bubble out at the edges.
4. 9
   Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg.

   Pastry brush
5. 10
   Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (390°F) 15 minutes, until the crust starts to turn golden. Lower the heat to 180°C (355°F).

   ⚙ BakingOvenTart / pie pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
6. 11
   Bake for another 30–35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles.

   ⚙ BakingOvenTart / pie pan
7. 12
   Let the pie cool completely so the filling thickens before slicing.