Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 tsp (5g) salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks, 226g) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
  • ½ cup (120ml) ice water
  • 6-7 medium apples (about 3 lbs, 1.36kg), such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or a mix, peeled, cored, and sliced ¼-inch thick
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) milk or cream (for brushing)
  • 1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) homemade apple pie spice
  • 2 tablespoons (12g) ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon (1g) ground allspice
  • ½ teaspoon (1g) ground ginger

Instructions:

  1. Make the Apple Pie Spice: Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Prepare the Crust: Combine flour and salt in a food processor or bowl. Cut in cold butter. Gradually add ice water until the dough just comes together.
  3. Chill the Dough: Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Prepare the Filling: In a large bowl, combine sliced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, apple pie spice, and lemon juice. Mix well.
  5. Roll Out the Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to the pie plate.
  6. Add the Filling: Pour the apple filling into the pie crust. Dot with butter pieces.
  7. Top Crust: Roll out the remaining dough (Option 1: Full Crust), cut vents, place over filling, crimp edges, and trim excess; OR (Option 2: Crumble Topping) combine flour, butter, and brown sugar, spread over filling.
  8. Bake the Pie: Brush the top crust with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Start with a hot oven (400°F/200°C) then reduce the heat (375°F/190°C) after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. Cover edges if needed.
  9. Cool Completely: Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving. This allows the filling to set.