This is apple pie like you had on grandma’s table. The real deal. Piled high in a deep dish, wrapped up in your own homemade pie crust. Old-fashioned. No weird stuff. Just wildly delicious, perfectly simple apple pie.
There’s a lot of debate about the best apples for apple pie–Golden Delicious or Granny Smith or whatever else is your favorite will do here, but my favorite kind of apples for apple pie is whatever kind of apples I can get for free. I made two pies in the past week from our “pig apples” that we got for free from the grocery store that is giving us their “old” produce. We got a big box of apples. Some of them weren’t even bruised, so they turned into pies. (You wouldn’t believe the stuff they throw away! The photo of apples at the top of this post? Those are some of my “pig” apples!)
I don’t like skimpy pies (or skimpy anything), so I tend to gravitate to a lot of deep dish recipes. I found this one a few years back that came from an old, old Woman’s Day magazine. It was almost perfect, but not quite. I had to make a few changes. I think I’ve finished “perfecting” it. (If you don’t have a favorite apple pie recipe yet, give this one a try.)
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How to make Deep Dish Apple Pie:
Pastry for double-crust pie
9 cups (3 pounds) sliced apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Peel, core, and slice apples.
Place in a large bowl. After the first several cups of sliced apples are in the bowl, add the tablespoon of lemon juice and stir it up. This will keep the apples from browning while you’re slicing the rest. Once all the apples are in the bowl, add the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Stir well to blend. Line a deep dish pie plate with the pastry. Fill it up. Pile it on. Lay it on thick.
Put the top crust on, crimping edges. Cut slits to vent.
Brush the top with a little bit of egg white if you like and sprinkle with sugar.
I like to sprinkle it with turbinado sugar for that bit of extra old-fashioned flavor.
This looks amazing already and I haven’t even baked it yet.
Bake on the lowest oven rack–20 minutes at 425-degrees, then another 20-25 minutes at 375-degrees.
Thank God for apples. Especially the free ones.
P.S. This pie also works well if you want to make variations like apple-blueberry, apple-walnut, apple-raisin, etc, whatever strikes your fancy. You can add up to one cup of blueberries, nuts, raisins, etc and still fit it in a deep dish. (Any more than that and you have to decrease the apples.)
And–don’t forget the ice cream!
See this recipe at Farm Bell Recipes and save it to your recipe box.
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Box Call says:
No fair, I dun’t got no free apples! Wow no wonder advertising works so well, if I didn’t have to go to work this morning I would be heading to the Farmers Market to get some apples. The one I’ve got in my lunch wouldn’t do.
My Granny Nichols use to make her pie crust from lard. Oh it would just flake off and was so good. The smell of the cinnamon in the kitchen and those pies, still brings back memories. Home-made vanilla ice cream anyone?
On June 11, 2009 at 4:00 am
Cheryl Terry says:
Wow! Looks like heaven. Do you deliver?
Makes me want to bake a pie today….but it will have to wait until Saturday. Sure looks good, though!
On June 11, 2009 at 4:16 am
Angie says:
Yum Yum – Not sure I even have a deep dish anymore – hubby keeps taking them outside to the dog – LOL
On June 11, 2009 at 4:29 am
Angie says:
Also wanted to say, those are some yummy-looking free pig apples!
On June 11, 2009 at 4:31 am
Leah says:
Um! Looks sooo good,I’ll have to get the fixin’s to make me one!
On June 11, 2009 at 5:54 am
Kathryn says:
Breakfast!
On June 11, 2009 at 6:06 am
heidiannie says:
Apple pie! Early American setttlers would make apple pie most every day and eat it for breakfast! My husband thinks that I am decadent to suggest it- but I like it best for breakfast with a slice of cheddar cheese melted on top!
On June 11, 2009 at 6:11 am
CindyP says:
Those are pig apples?? Those look better than some I’ve paid $$$ for!! And your pie crust recipe is the best I’ve ever made by far!!
My brother makes an awesome apple pie….his trick is to put the pie in the microwave — yes microwave — until it starts bubbling, then put into 350 oven to brown it up perfectly. Truly amazing!! This will make the most nonflaky crust flaky (and takes some time off before you can dollop some ice cream on and enjoy!).
On June 11, 2009 at 6:14 am
Bev says:
….drooling…..
On June 11, 2009 at 7:05 am
iowacowgirl says:
The turbinado sugar looks so cool. I’m buying some today. We have SO MANY apple trees….last year I froze LOTS of apples and we had pie all winter. I have never used brown sugar and will try this next! Thanks!!
On a farm note: we turned our beef bulls out with The Girls yesterday. Now all are happy (hormones rule). Bulls are large beasts.
On June 11, 2009 at 7:48 am
maryann says:
This reminds me that I need to make a mincemeat pie for hubby. I hate doing pie crust so that is why I put it off. I need to try your recipe.
On June 11, 2009 at 8:45 am
Nancy in Atlanta says:
Oh, dear, Suzanne – I’m just so very glad you weren’t around for the first apple pie I ever made on my own without Mom’s supervision! I was a new bride in CT, we did have free apples, but I forgot that apples shrink. It was the opposite of deep dish. It was sunken dish. Then the next time I forgot to add flour, and it was runny dish. Oh, my. 😆
On June 11, 2009 at 9:19 am
Joanna Wilcox says:
oh my, that wouldn’t last long at my house
On June 11, 2009 at 9:27 am
Princess THAT'S RIGHT THE PRINCESS THE 1 AND ONLY says:
Ewwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!! I hate pie!!! :no: :hissyfit:
On June 11, 2009 at 10:05 am
Bev says:
OMG girl! How can anyone hate pie!!!!??????
On June 11, 2009 at 11:10 am
trish says:
My husband would think he had died and gone to heaven if he could come home to a pie that looks that incredible. He also makes a fabulous apple pie. Not pretty, but fabulous.
On June 11, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Julie says:
Wow looks amazing… The only way anyone could hate pie is to have never had a GOOD Homemade one!!! :sun:
On June 11, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Melissa Marsh says:
Great. Now my mouth is watering!
On June 11, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Estella says:
YUM!!
On June 11, 2009 at 1:22 pm
BlessedwithFour says:
Yummy – I want some :eating:
On June 11, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Mary Kellogg says:
I just made your pie. It looks perfect! Husband will be home later to try it. Thanks for all the pretty photos.
We used to get produce from the grocery store my DIL worked. Our piggies loved their treats.
Many times I would pick over the produce/fruit and keep some for use to use. Whole trays of strawberries, apples, onions, you name it.
You might try making some applesauce with some of those apples. Freeze until fall. Yummy!
On June 11, 2009 at 8:48 pm
leslie says:
I want to start of by saying I adore your blog–that being said I want to say that I don’t feel you post nearly enough recipes! I enjoy the ones you have very much but don’t you eat much else besides bread and pastries? I want to see what you have on your menu for every night meals–the meat and potatoes of your diet if you so please. I understand that this is not a foodie blog but would like it to contain more recipes—for my on selfish interest. Please, what did you have for dinner last night, or going to have tonight? Thanks, Your hungry fan
On June 12, 2009 at 9:56 am
Carol Langille says:
Beautiful, luscious,fragrant, apple pie!! I need that NOW. For breakfast with cinnamon ice cream and a big ol’ cup of “No Guilt” to wash it down.
When I was a kid in Missouri, my Granny made cobblers out of every kind of fruit you could find….but her cobblers had three layers of delicious crust…one on the bottom, one in between the fruit and the one on the top. That’s how I make peach, apple, blackberry and cherry cobblers. Too wonderful for words!
On June 13, 2009 at 6:53 am
Amber says:
This is just what I was looking for! Thanks!
On June 17, 2009 at 11:07 am
Kristen A says:
I love apple pie. I have been elusively trying to emulate my great grandmothers pie for years and, although, this one isn’t exactly like hers, it is definitely as good. Dare I say better. My dad, her grandson, even agrees. And the foolproof crust is amazing! Thank you for sharing. I have a new favorite pie. And just in time for apple season!
On September 16, 2010 at 9:21 am
gailc says:
I’ve now made this pie 3 or 4 times and it’s awesome every time. And I am not a huge fan of apple pie! I was looking for a recipe for a deep dish apple pie for my daughter who LOVES it. Each time, I’ve used different apple types and it doesn’t matter: it’s a wonderful pie! Thanks!!!!
On November 29, 2013 at 11:41 pm