Flaky All-Butter Apple Pie

No shortening, no lard, no shortcuts – just cold butter, a light hand, and a mix of tart and sweet apples piled high under a crust that shatters when you cut into it. This is the pie people ask for by name, and every bit of it comes together in one kitchen session.

Why You’ll Love It

• An all-butter crust gives the best flavor of any fat, and it’s just as flaky once you learn to keep everything cold
• A mix of tart and sweet apples keeps the filling from turning to mush or tasting one-note
• No yeast, no starter, no overnight plan – the whole pie comes together in one afternoon
• That deeply golden, glass-like lattice or full top crust look worth the compliments
• Freezes beautifully, baked or unbaked

Ingredients

Volume measurements are included for convenience, but weighing your flour on a kitchen scale will give you the most consistent crust.

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All-Butter Pie Crust

• All-purpose flour (300 g / 2½ cups)
• Granulated sugar (12 g / 1 Tbsp)
• Fine sea salt (6 g / 1 tsp)
• Cold unsalted butter, cubed (340 g / 3 sticks): keep it in the fridge until the moment you need it
• Ice water (120-180 g / ½-¾ cup)

Apple Filling

• Apples, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick (1.1 kg / about 3 lbs): a mix of tart (Granny Smith) and sweet (Honeycrisp) apples
• Granulated sugar (100 g / ½ cup)
• Light brown sugar (55 g / ¼ cup, packed)
• Fresh lemon juice (15 g / 1 Tbsp)
• Cornstarch (30 g / ¼ cup): to thicken the juices as the pie bakes
• Ground cinnamon (3 g / ½ tsp)
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
• Coarse sugar, for topping

Equipment

• Kitchen scale: for weighing ingredients – the most reliable way to get a consistent crust
• Food processor or pastry cutter: cuts the cold butter into the flour without warming it
• Rolling pin: for rolling out the top and bottom crusts
• 9-inch pie dish: the standard size for this crust and filling
• Pastry brush: for brushing on the egg wash
• Pie weights or dried beans: keeps a crust weighted flat during any pre-baking

Sample Schedule (Same Day)

Flaky All-Butter Apple Pie

A classic all-butter apple pie with a shatteringly flaky crust and a mix of tart and sweet apples — no starter, no overnight plan, just one afternoon in the kitchen.

Print Recipe

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Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Chill & Cool Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8 slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 420

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

All-Butter Pie Crust

• 300 g (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 12 g (1 Tbsp) granulated sugar
• 6 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt
• 340 g (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 120–180 g (½–¾ cup) ice water

Apple Filling

• 1.1 kg (about 3 lbs) apples, peeled and sliced mix of tart and sweet
• 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 55 g (¼ cup, packed) light brown sugar
• 15 g (1 Tbsp) fresh lemon juice
• 30 g (¼ cup) cornstarch
• 3 g (½ tsp) ground cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• pinch fine sea salt
• 1 large, beaten egg for egg wash
• coarse sugar, for topping

Heads up: Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Equipment

• Kitchen scale
• Food processor or pastry cutter
• Rolling Pin
• 9-inch pie dish
• Pastry brush
• Pie weights or dried beans

Method

 

1. Make the crust. Pulse the flour (300 g / 2½ cups), sugar (12 g / 1 Tbsp), and salt (6 g / 1 tsp) in a food processor. Add the cold cubed butter (340 g / 3 sticks) and pulse until the biggest pieces are pea-sized. Drizzle in the ice water and pulse just until the dough starts to clump together.
2. Chill. Divide the dough into two disks, wrap tightly, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to 2 days).
3. Make the filling. Toss the sliced apples with the granulated sugar (100 g / ½ cup), brown sugar (55 g / ¼ cup), lemon juice (15 g / 1 Tbsp), cornstarch (30 g / ¼ cup), cinnamon (3 g / ½ tsp), nutmeg, and salt. Let sit 15 minutes to release some juice.
4. Roll the bottom crust. Roll one disk into a 12-inch round and fit it into the pie dish, letting the excess hang over the edge.
5. Fill. Pour in the apple mixture, mounding it slightly in the center.
6. Add the top crust. Roll the second disk and lay it over the filling (whole, vented, or as a lattice). Trim, fold the edges under, and crimp. Cut a few vents if using a full top.
7. Chill again. Refrigerate the assembled pie 20 minutes while the oven preheats to 425°F.
8. Egg wash and bake. Brush the crust with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 20 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the oven to 375°F and bake 35–40 more minutes, until deeply golden and the filling is bubbling.
9. Cool completely. Cool at least 3 hours before slicing — this is what gives the filling time to set instead of running out when you cut it.

Notes

All butter, no shortening, no lard. I know some bakers swear by a mix, but butter alone gives the best flavor, and once you get comfortable keeping everything cold, the flake takes care of itself.

Don’t skip the second chill before baking. Twenty minutes in the fridge right before the oven keeps the crust from slumping and losing its shape as it bakes.

A mix of apple varieties matters more than the specific ones you choose – you want at least one tart, firm apple and one sweeter, softer one for the best texture.

How to Make It

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Butter getting too warm: if the dough feels greasy or soft at any point, put it back in the fridge for 15 minutes – warm butter is the number one reason crusts turn out tough instead of flaky.
• Soggy bottom crust: preheat a baking sheet in the oven and set the pie dish directly on it – the blast of heat from below helps crisp the bottom.
• Filling too runny after baking: very juicy apples may need an extra tablespoon of cornstarch – and don’t skip the full cooling time, most of the thickening happens as the pie cools.
• Edges browning too fast: shield the crust edges with foil or a pie shield after the first 20 minutes.

How to Store

To store: keep loosely covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or in the fridge up to 5.

To freeze: freeze the fully baked, cooled pie whole, wrapped tightly. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat at 350°F for 20 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Per slice, based on 8 slices. Estimated from the ingredients used – provided for convenience and not a substitute for a precise calculation.