Dutch Apple Pie

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Crust – all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, olive oil, milk. Press-in dough that stays tender, no rolling required and very beginner friendly.
• Apples – Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, or Pink Lady. Tart and crisp apples hold their shape and balance the sweet topping, avoid soft varieties like Red Delicious.
• Spices – cinnamon and nutmeg. Warm baking spices that highlight the apple flavor without overpowering it.
• Sweetener and binder – granulated sugar and a little flour. Sweetens the filling and lightly thickens the juices so the slices cut neatly.
• Secret flavor – almond extract. Adds a subtle bakery-style aroma that makes people ask what the magic is.
• Crumb topping – all-purpose flour, cold butter, granulated sugar. Buttery, sandy crumbs that bake up golden and slightly crisp.

Ingredient Additions and Substitutions

• Apples: mix two varieties for complex flavor, Braeburn and Gala also work well.
• Almond extract: swap with pure vanilla extract if needed, use half the amount.
• Spice twist: add a pinch of cardamom or cloves for a bolder aroma.
• Crunch: fold ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans into the crumb topping.
• Gluten free: use a trusted cup for cup gluten free all-purpose blend for both crust and topping.
• Dairy free: use a plant-based butter for the topping.
• Less refined sugar: swap part of the white sugar with light brown sugar for a caramel note.

How to Make Dutch Apple Pie

1. Make the crust: Stir flour, sugar, and salt. Add olive oil and milk, mix until it resembles damp sand, then press evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan.

2. Make the apple filling: Peel and slice apples evenly, toss with lemon juice if you like to slow browning. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract. Toss with the apples until coated. Pile into the unbaked crust, mounding slightly in the center.

3. Make the crumb topping: Cut cold butter into flour and sugar with a pastry cutter or fork until you have pea sized crumbs.

4. Top: Scatter topping evenly over the apples.

5. Bag the pie: Slide the pie into a plain brown paper bag. Fold the top closed and secure with staples or large paper clips. Place on the lowest oven rack.

6. Bake and cool: Bake at 350°F for 90 minutes. Do not open the bag while baking. Rest 5 minutes in the bag, then remove, cool to room temperature, and slice.

Recipe Tips

• Even slices help the apples bake at the same rate and keep the filling neat.
• Do not skip the bag. It prevents the topping from over-browning and cooks the filling gently.
• Filling mound is good. It settles as the apples soften, so a tall center is expected.
• Let it cool so the juices thicken. Warm is lovely, fully hot can be messy.
• Food processor option for crumbs works great, pulse just until sandy with small clumps.

Why Use a Brown Paper Bag

• Even heat circulation bakes the apples through without drying the topping.
• Golden crust, not burnt crumbs because the bag shields direct heat.
• Simple safety: place the bag on the lowest rack, keep it several inches from upper heating elements, and use a standard grocery style brown paper bag without ink or coatings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Make Ahead and Storage

• Room temperature: since the filling is fruit based, the baked pie can sit covered at room temp for 1 day.
• Refrigerator: cover with plastic wrap or foil up to 5 days, the crust stays crisper if you keep slices loosely tented.
• Freezer: wrap tightly in plastic, then foil, and freeze up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
• Reheating: warm slices in a 300°F oven until just heated through, or microwave briefly. Whole pie warms best in the oven.