It’s apple pie week here at Hope, Love, and Food, and I wanted to share an alternative version of my apple pie recipe featuring an all-butter crust. We loved the flavor of the butter in this crust! If you would prefer to skip the shortening, then this is the recipe for you. In our house we can’t celebrate the season without an apple pie—or two!
Recipe Notes
Much of this recipe is the same as the original, but there are a few slight changes to the ingredients for the all-butter crust. We thought this crust had a nice buttery flavor that paired well with the apple filling. Again, I used three Stayman-Winesap apples, two Granny Smith apples, and one Honeycrisp apple for the filling. Additionally, keep the cubed butter and the buttermilk refrigerated up until you combine it with the flour, salt, and sugar.
Apple Pie with All-Butter Crust
Prep time: 3 hours
Bake time: 1 hour
Total time: 8 hours
Servings: 8
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Pastry blender
- Glass measuring cup
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- 9.5-inch baking dish
- Silicone brush
- Cooking sheet
- Wire cooling rack
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (table salt)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter (small cubes)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until the dough comes together in small, pea-sized pieces.
- Using the pastry blender, slowly mix in cold buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour absorbs the buttermilk and starts to stick together in larger pieces.
- In the bowl, use your hands to form the dough together, into one ball, by kneading it a few times (sparingly). Divide in half and shape each half into a small, thick, round disc. Wrap both separately with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 1-24 hours to chill.
Filling
- 1 recipe for two-crust pie dough (homemade, see above, or store-bought dough)
- 6 large apples (cored, peeled, and sliced)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (approximately the juice squeezed from one lemon)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (table salt)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup boiled cider (optional)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (8 small cubes)
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 F. Remove one, previously prepared pie dough disc from the refrigerator and roll out (approximately 1/4 inch thickness) to 13 inches in diameter. Gently place the pie dough in your baking dish and use your fingers to delicately form the dough to the inside of the dish.
- Mix the apples and the lemon juice in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate, small mixing bowl, mix sugar, salt, spice, flour, and cornstarch. Stir your spice and sugar mixture into the apples. Add the boiled cider and vanilla to the apples and mix to combine.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop apple mixture into your dough-lined pie dish and stack apples as close together as possible to minimize any gaps in the filling. Discard the remaining juice from the apples. Add butter on top of the apples.
- Remove your second crust from the refrigerator. Roll out your second crust (approximately 1/4 inch thickness) to 13 inches in diameter for the top of your pie. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips and construct your lattice for the top crust. Seal and decorate the edge as desired.
- Whisk together 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon of milk and brush onto the top crust of your pie. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar onto the top crust.
- Using foil, form a tent to protect the edge of your pie while baking. Set the foil aside for later.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 F and bake for 40 minutes or until the filling bubbles. Please note: Cover the pie crust with the foil tent after 20 minutes of baking to prevent the crust from burning.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 4-5 hours before serving.
(Recipe inspired by Betty Crocker Buttermilk Pastry and Apple Pie recipes.)
