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Apple Pie · Crumb-Topped

Crumb-Topped Apple Pie

A single flaky crust filled with cinnamon apples and covered in a thick, buttery brown sugar crumb. There is no top crust to roll or crimp, so it is easier than a classic double-crust pie.

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Prep
45 min
Cook
1 hr 10 min
Total
5 hr 55 min
Serves
8 · one 9-inch pie
Level
Medium

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (155 g), plus more for rolling
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (113 g)
  • 3–5 tbsp ice water

Apple filling

  • 3 lb apples, about 7 medium; a mix of tart and sweet
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 67 g
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed (53 g)
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Crumb topping

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 95 g
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed (106 g)
  • ⅓ cup rolled oats (optional)
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ⅜ cup unsalted butter, melted (85 g)

Steps

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt for the crust.
  2. Add the cold butter cubes and cut them in with a pastry blender until most pieces are pea-size, with some as big as almonds.
  3. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice water over the flour and toss with a fork. Squeeze a handful: if it holds together, it is ready. If it crumbles, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.
  4. Gather the dough into a ball, press it into a 1-inch-thick disk and wrap it in plastic.
  5. Refrigerate the dough so the butter firms up and the flour hydrates.
  6. On a floured counter, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle and fit it into a 9-inch pie dish. Fold the overhang under and crimp the edge.
  7. Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.
  8. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the lower third and a sheet pan on it to catch drips.
  9. Peel, core and slice the apples about 1/4 inch thick.
  10. In a large bowl, toss the apples with both sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice.
  11. For the crumb, stir the flour, brown sugar, oats (if using), cinnamon and salt. Add the melted butter and mix with your fingers into clumps of different sizes.
  12. Pile the apples into the crust, mounding them higher in the center, and pour in any juices.
  13. Scatter the crumb evenly over the apples, pressing it on lightly.
  14. Set the pie on the hot sheet pan and bake at 400°F to set the crust.
  15. Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake until the juices bubble thickly at the edges and a knife slides easily into the apples. Lay foil loosely over the top if the crumb browns too fast.
  16. Cool the pie on a rack so the filling thickens and sets before slicing.

Tip: Mix apples for the best pie: a tart one that holds its shape plus a sweeter one that softens.

Tip: Thick, slow bubbles at the edge mean the flour has thickened the juices. Thin, fast bubbles mean it needs more time.

Tip: Short on time? Use one disk from the all-butter pie crust recipe or a refrigerated crust.

Storage: Covered at room temperature up to 2 days, then refrigerate up to 4 more.

Make ahead: Bake up to 1 day ahead. Rewarm slices at 300°F for 10 minutes if you like.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 510 calories · protein 4 g · carbohydrates 80 g · fiber 5 g · sugars 47 g · fat 21 g (saturated 13 g) · sodium 160 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 18 of 18 ingredients.