I use Tenderflake for the pastry, using 25% wholewheat or Einkorn flour and 75% all-purpose flour. I find this adds a bit of goodness (whole wheat) to the pie while not impacting the flakiness of the crust.

The Tenderflake recipe gives me 3 double (top and bottom) pie shells and one bottom shell. I freeze them so they’re easily available when I’m ready to make a pie.

The only downside of this is you may end up having pie more often 🙂

Filling Ingredients for Homemade Apple Pie

(when not using Granny Smith Apples)

8 to 10 peeled, thinly sliced Apples (Gala, Macs or whatever you can find – the number depends on the size of the apples and your pie plate)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (I use the pulp too)

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar (for sprinkling over top of pie shell) – optional

Preparation Steps for Homemade Apple Pie

  1. Prepare pastry according to Tenderflake instructions. Set aside in a cool place (like your fridge – pull out top pastry 10 minutes or so before you’re ready to roll and use on top.)
  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  3. Peel and slice apples.
  4. Stir together apple slices, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.
  5. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir everything together.
  6. Spoon/scrape mixture into bottom of pie shell.
  7. Roll out top of pie shell and lay over top of apples.
  8. Use sharp knife to cut vents (see photo) in top of pie shell (allows steam to escape while baking).
  9. Sprinkle sugar over top of pie shell.
  10. Place pie on cookie sheet covered with foil or parchment paper. (Some juices from pie are likely to bubble over. The covered cookie sheet prevents a mess in your oven and makes clean up easier.)
  11. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.
  12. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft when pricked.
  13. Remove from oven and cool for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. (To allow juices to thicken.)