The Ultimate From Scratch Sourdough Apple Pie Recipe
A mountain of gooey cinnamon apples get nestled under a perfectly buttery and flaky sourdough pie crust, making this is the ultimate sourdough apple pie recipe! I recommend baking and cooling the pie, and then topping it with homemade vanilla ice cream for the ultimate homestyle dessert you will love.
Last weekend I ventured out for what was the last farmer’s market of the season for our little town. I was excited to find a booth selling fresh and locally grown apples, because who doesn’t need an excuse to bake an apple pie?!
Apple pie might just be the ultimate fall dessert, am I right? It’s definitely up there on the list of favorites for our family! I’m not lying when I say that half of this pie got eaten within the same day of making it. It’s THAT good. And honestly very easy, too.
Let’s make it!
Quick Recipe Snapshot
TOTAL TIME: About an hour and a half. Not bad for homemade apple pie!
SERVES: 6-8 (or more!) depending on the size of your slices 🙂
STORAGE: Leftovers store best in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
BEST SERVED: Warm from the oven with a big ol’ dollop of vanilla ice cream. Yum.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Quick Tips for Success
- Pie Crust: Make the pie crust ahead of time (up to 3 days in advance) so it has a chance to get nice and cold in the fridge. Cold pie crust=lots of flaky layers!
- Apple Slices: Make sure your apple slices are as uniform in size as possible. Why? You don’t want some thick, crunchy apples and some thin mushy apples throughout the pie. You want them all to be tender, while still retaining some texture. Aim for about 1/4-inch-thick slices. For best texture, I definitely recommend peeling your apples, too. It is well worth the effort!
- Baking: If you find the edges of the pie are browning too quickly in the oven, you can use a pie shield to cover them. Make a homemade pie shield by folding a long strip of aluminum foil and gently wrapping it around the edges of the pie.
- Cleaning Tip: Make sure to place the pie on a baking sheet before placing in the oven. The apples will become bubbly and juicy, and will more than likely ooze out of the edges of the pie. It is much easier to clean a baking sheet than the bottom of your oven!
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below!
How to Make Sourdough Apple Pie
- Prepare the sourdough pie crust. If making the crust the same day, I recommend waiting at least 2 hours for it to chill in the fridge before using in this recipe.
- Prepare the apples by peeling and coring them (this apple peeler and corer combo really makes it easy). Slice them fairly thin, about 1/4 inch thick.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, and spices until combined. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Note: The sourdough pie crust recipe makes enough for two 9 inch pie crusts, or a double crust pie recipe. I recommend making the crust, splitting the dough in half, shaping into two separate discs, and then wrapping in plastic wrap to store in the fridge. This will make it much easier later on when preparing the top and bottom crust for this apple pie recipe.
Prepare the Crust, Fill, and Bake!
- Remove one disc of pie crust dough from the fridge and place onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, begin rolling out the dough, starting from the center and working your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go. Make sure to rotate the pie crust often to make sure it’s not sticking to your work surface. Don’t be afraid to sprinkle on a little more flour if it’s sticking! Roll the dough into a rough 12-inch circle, then use your rolling pin to help transfer the pie crust to the pie dish. Carefully roll one end of the circle of dough gently onto the rolling pin, rolling it back towards you, slowly peeling it off the work surface as you go. Pick it up, and carefully roll it back out over the top of the pie dish.
- Trim the excess dough around the edges of the pie dish using a butter knife or kitchen scissors. Crimp the edges by using your knuckle and two fingers to press around the edges of the crust, giving it that classic scalloped look.
- Spoon the apple filling into the crust. Don’t be afraid to pile the apples high!
- Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches in diameter and repeat the same process, laying the crust over top of the apple filling.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 4 small slits into the top of the pie crust. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush with egg wash before placing in the oven.
- Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Then, keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the oven temperature down to 375°F. Continue baking the pie until the filling is bubbly around the edges, 30-35 more minutes.
- Remove pie from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving.
Recipe FAQs & Storage Tips
No, not especially! I find that it only adds a slight tang (if that). Depending on how long your discard has been sitting, it could taste more tangy when added into recipes.
Yes. That’s what I use in this sourdough discard pie crust recipe. It works wonderfully!
I highly recommend a tart, crisp apple (like Granny Smith) for baking purposes. However, sweeter apples work well too! Try Honeycrisp or Fuji. It is important to use crisp apples that aren’t mushy for best results in baking.
Yes! You can make the crust dough up to 3 days in advance and keep it chilled, or freeze it for later. It freezes well for up to 3 months! Once baked, the pie keeps well for up to 1 day at room temperature. For longer storage, refrigerate or freeze slices and reheat them in the oven to crisp up the crust again.
Leftover apple pie stores well on the counter at room temperature for up to 1 day. Make sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Alternatively, apple pie can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes! I recommend baking the pie and letting it cool completely before storing in the freezer. Baked pie will freeze well for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat, thaw the pie overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
More Sourdough Fall Recipes
Check out these reader favorites, straight from my log cabin kitchen!
Pin it For Later!
Sourdough Apple Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
A mountain of gooey cinnamon apples get nestled under a perfectly buttery and flaky sourdough pie crust, making this is the ultimate apple pie recipe! I recommend baking and cooling the pie, and then topping it with homemade vanilla ice cream for the ultimate homestyle dessert you will love.
Ingredients
- Sourdough Pie Crust (Linked below and in post)
Apple Pie Filling
- 7 cups apples (peeled and sliced evenly)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Egg wash: 1 egg + 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare the sourdough pie crust. If making the crust the same day, I recommend waiting at least 2 hours for it to chill in the fridge before using in this recipe.
- Prepare the apples by peeling and coring them (this apple peeler and corer combo really makes it easy). Slice them fairly thin, about 1/4 inch thick.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, and spices until combined. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roll out the pie crust: Remove one disc of pie crust dough from the fridge and place onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, begin rolling out the dough, starting from the center and working your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go. Make sure to rotate the pie crust often to make sure it’s not sticking to your work surface. Don’t be afraid to sprinkle on a little more flour if it’s sticking! Roll the dough into a rough 12-inch circle, then use your rolling pin to help transfer the pie crust to the pie dish.
- Carefully roll one end of the circle of dough gently onto the rolling pin, rolling it back towards you, slowly peeling it off the work surface as you go. Pick it up, and carefully roll it back out over the top of the pie dish. Trim the excess dough around the edges of the pie dish using a butter knife or kitchen scissors.
- Crimp the edges by using your knuckle and two fingers to press around the edges of the crust, giving it that classic scalloped look.
- Spoon the apple filling into the crust. Don't be afraid to pile the apples high!
- Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches in diameter and repeat the same process, laying the crust over top of the apple filling.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 4 small slits into the top of the pie crust. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush with egg wash before placing in the oven.
- Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Then, keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the oven temperature down to 375°F. Continue baking the pie until the filling is bubbly around the edges, 30-35 more minutes.
- Remove pie from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Top Tip: The sourdough pie crust recipe makes enough for two 9 inch pie crusts, or a double crust pie recipe. I recommend making the crust, splitting the dough in half, shaping into two separate discs, and then wrapping in plastic wrap to store in the fridge. This will make it much easier later on when preparing the top and bottom crust for this apple pie recipe.
- Pie Crust: Make the pie crust ahead of time (up to 3 days in advance) so it has a chance to get nice and cold in the fridge. Cold pie crust=lots of flaky layers!
- Apple Slices: Make sure your apple slices are as uniform in size as possible. Why? You don’t want some thick, crunchy apples and some thin mushy apples throughout the pie. You want them all to be tender, while still retaining some texture. Aim for about 1/4-inch-thick slices. For best texture, I definitely recommend peeling your apples, too. It is well worth the effort!
- Baking: If you find the edges of the pie are browning too quickly in the oven, you can use a pie shield to cover them. Make a homemade pie shield by folding a long strip of aluminum foil and gently wrapping it around the edges of the pie.
- Cleaning Tip: Make sure to place the pie on a baking sheet before placing in the oven. The apples will become bubbly and juicy, and will more than likely ooze out of the edges of the pie. It is much easier to clean a baking sheet than the bottom of your oven!
- Storage: Leftover apple pie stores well on the counter at room temperature for up to 1 day. Make sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Alternatively, apple pie can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing Instructions: Wrap baked and cooled slices tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer to freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat, thaw the pie overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
If you loved this recipe for sourdough apple pie, make sure to come back and leave a comment and a 5 star rating! I would love to hear how this recipe turned out for you.
