Old-Fashioned Apple Pie with Freshly Milled Flour
Apple pie is a classic that everyone should have a recipe for on hand. I love apple pie with a flakey crust enriched with freshly milled flour, doesn’t get any better than that. With a couple classic ingredients and the special addition of freshly milled flour, you’ll have a warm apple pie that will be a crowd-pleaser.
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I love a good old-fashioned apple pie—but not the syrupy, overly sweet, jelly-like versions you often find in stores or overly processed recipes. That’s why I created this lower sugar, non-mushy, non-gelatinous, deeply flavoured apple pie, made with a fresh milled flour crust for a rich, wholesome bite in every slice.
Apple pie may be a classic for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I firmly believe it’s too good to save for just the holidays. I recently baked one for a birthday dessert, and it was just as satisfying as a birthday cake. This version lets the natural sweetness of the apples shine, with a flaky, nutty crust that takes it to the next level.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Pie
- Not too sweet, not too tart—just right
- Flaky, flavourful crust with freshly milled flour
- Real apple flavour, not mush or goop
- Great for holidays or any day
- It’s easy to make
- Who doesn’t like apple pie?
The Best Apples for Apple Pie
Granny Smith is a classic choice for a reason—it’s tart, firm, and holds its shape beautifully when baked. But it’s not the only great option. Other favourites include Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Fuji—all of which offer a nice balance of sweetness, crispness, and structure.
That said, I don’t get too caught up in finding the “perfect” apple for apple pie. For me, the best apple is the one on sale, grown in the backyard, or local, sold in bulk in season at a great price. As long as it’s crisp and not overly soft, it’ll do the job just fine.
The only apples I avoid are McIntosh and Red Delicious. They’re too soft and break down quickly when baked, which leads to a mushy filling—something I try to avoid in this pie.
Freshly Milled Flour Pie Crust
Freshly milled flour adds a flavour like nothing else. However, it can result in a dry or dense end product which is why I like to do a blend or sift the bran out of the flour a little bit. No use is sacrificing texture for flavour when you can have the best of bold worlds with some tweaks.
Where can I source freshly milled, whole-grain flour?
If you’re living in a city, you can mostly likely find a bakery or fancy grocery store that sells fresh-milled whole-grain flour. Conventional whole wheat flour from the store is fine too.
If you’re living in the country and you can source whole-grains, you may want to consider milling your own flour. You can start without making a large investment by using a powerful coffee grinder or blender that you already own. A step up would be purchasing a KitchenAid grain mill attachment.
If you’re really enjoying working with fresh-milled whole-grains and you have a reliable source of grain, you can also consider a Harvest NutriMill which is the one I use almost everyday and love both for its beauty and practicality.
Get your Harvest NutriMill when you’re ready to invest using this link and my discount code BRONSBREAD20 at checkout to get $20 off your order!
Do I need freshly milled flour to make this pie?
No, whole wheat flour from the store is fine too!
What You’ll Need To Make Easy Apple Pie with a Freshly Milled Flour Crust
Mixing Bowl – For mixing ingredients.
9″ Pie Dish – To hold your pie.
Measuring Cups & Spoons or Kitchen Scale – For measuring ingredients.
Rolling Pin – For rolling out your pie dough.
Pastry Brush – For egg washing the surface of your pie before baking.
Ingredients
2 x 9″ Pie Crusts – This is my tried and true recipe. I always make 6 and keep them in the freezer. This recipe will use 2 portions of pie dough. Simply pull the crust a couple hours before you want to assemble your pie and it’ll be good to go. If you make the crusts fresh, let them chill in their portions for at least an hour before assembling your pie. You do not need to blind bake for apple pie.
Apples – A good, crisp apple is perfect.
Brown Sugar – I prefer brown sugar as it has a deeper flavour but you can use cane sugar as well.
Flour – I mix the apples with some whole wheat flour to soak up some of the apple juices.
Vanilla Extract – To balance all the warm flavours.
Cinnamon – Obviously.
Nutmeg – Always.
Allspice – To keep things spicy.
Ginger – To prevent nausea after eating so much apple pie.
Salt – To bring everything together.
Lemon – To keep things fresh.
Egg – To make the top shiny and golden.
How To Make Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Prepare the Crust: Use your favourite pie crust recipe (mine works great!). If making fresh, chill for at least 1 hour before rolling.
Make the Filling: In a large bowl, toss together apple wedges (peeled or unpeeled), flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, salt, vanilla, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Set aside.
Assemble the Pie: Roll one crust to 10–11” and press into a 9” pie dish. Add the apple filling in an even layer. Roll the second crust to 9–10” and place on top. Seal the edges however you like—I fold mine together for a rustic look.
Chill Before Baking: Refrigerate the assembled pie for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours covered).
Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with cane sugar, and cut 4 slits in the centre. Bake for 1 hour, until golden and bubbly.
Cool & Serve: Let cool for 1–3 hours before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Notes
Apples: Peel if you like, but unpeeled adds texture and saves time. Use tart, crisp apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp.
Flour in the filling: Helps thicken the juices without needing cornstarch.
Egg wash: Whisk one egg and brush lightly over the crust before baking.
Sugar topping: A sprinkle of cane sugar adds a light crunch and extra sweetness.
Steam slits: Decorative but also allows steam to escape so the top crust doesn’t puff and burst.
Resting time: Cooling helps the filling set properly and makes for cleaner slices.
Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 100g butter cold + cubed
- 90g lard cold and cubed
- 150g all-purpose flour
- 75g freshly milled wheat flour or whole wheat from the store
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 cup cold water you may not need all of it—add gradually
Apple Pie Filling
- 6-8 apples
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or the juice of half a lemon
Egg Wash Topping
- 1 egg whisked
- 1 tbsp cane sugar sprinkled
Instructions
- Prepare the Crust: Use your favourite pie crust recipe (mine works great!). Throw all pie crust ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it comes together. Divide into two equal parts, wrap with plastic, and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Make the Filling: In a large bowl, toss together apple wedges (peeled or unpeeled), flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, salt, vanilla, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Set aside.
- Assemble the Pie: Remove the pie doughs from the fridge and roll one out to 10–11” and press into a 9” pie dish. Add the apple filling in an even layer. Roll the second crust to 9–10” and place on top. Seal the edges however you like—I fold mine together for a rustic look.
- Chill Before Baking: Refrigerate the assembled pie for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours covered).
- Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with cane sugar, and cut 4 slits in the centre. Bake for 1 hour, until golden and bubbly.
- Cool & Serve: Let cool for 1–3 hours before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Notes
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