Chef Maman Marie's Homemade Apple Pie with an Easy Oil Crust
To make a homemade apple pie that holds together, first cook your apples with golden sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon, then thicken the filling with tapioca. Pour it into an oil pie crust, top with a lattice and bake for about 40 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
This recipe from Chef Maman Marie serves 8 to 10 and needs no butter. It is built on two Moulin Abénakis essentials: Organic Unbleached All Purpose Flour and Organic Golden Sugar. Seasonal apples, a few pantry basics, and your kitchen smells like fall in under an hour.
What is an oil pie crust?
An oil pie crust is a pastry made with vegetable oil instead of butter or lard. You mix it with a spoon, with no food processor and no cold fat to cut in. It bakes into a tender, golden crust that contains less saturated fat than an all butter crust.
That lines up with current advice. Canada's food guide recommends replacing shortening, lard or hard margarine with oils like canola, olive or soybean when you cook. Flour matters too. Moulin Abénakis unbleached flour has a fine grain, a soft texture and high absorption. It is ideal for pies, which need a supple dough that rolls out easily.
What ingredients do you need for an apple pie that serves 8 to 10?
For the filling, you need apples, golden sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and minute tapioca. The crust takes all purpose flour, golden sugar, one egg, cold water and vegetable oil. An egg yolk whisked with a little milk makes the glaze that turns the lattice golden.
Ingredients (8 to 10 servings)
Apple filling
10 medium apples or 12 small organic apples, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp Moulin Abénakis Organic Golden Sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup minute tapioca
Tapioca absorbs the apple juices for a thick filling that runs less.
Oil pie crust
4 cups Moulin Abénakis Organic Unbleached All Purpose Flour
¼ cup Moulin Abénakis Organic Golden Sugar
1 egg
½ cup cold water
1 cup vegetable oil
A lighter option than a butter crust, since it contains less saturated fat.
Glaze
1 egg yolk
¼ cup milk
How do you make homemade apple pie, step by step?
Cook the apples with the sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon until they soften. Stir in the tapioca and let cool. Make the dough, split it in two, line your pie plate, add the filling, top with a lattice, brush with glaze and bake for about 40 minutes at 400°F.
Preparation
-
Place the apples in a nonstick skillet. Add the sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon.
-
When the apples start to soften, add the tapioca. Stir, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
-
For the crust, combine the flour and sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg, cold water and vegetable oil. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is smooth. Divide into 2 balls.
-
Roll out one ball and place it in a pie plate.
-
Pour the apple filling into the crust. Roll out the second ball, cut it into strips and arrange them in a lattice.
-
Whisk the egg yolk and milk, then brush over the crust.
-
Bake at 400°F for about 40 min, until the crust is golden brown.
A simple, generous homemade pie, perfect for making the most of apple season!
Which apples are best for a pie that holds its shape?
Pick apples that keep their shape when baked, like Cortland or Lobo. Cortland browns slowly once cut and stays in chunks, which makes it a pie favourite. In Quebec, the apple harvest runs from mid August to November, the perfect window to bake with local fruit.
You can also combine two varieties: one firm for texture, one softer for juice. The Quebec apple growers' site helps you match each variety to its best use.
How long does homemade apple pie keep?
A fruit pie made with sugar keeps up to 2 days at room temperature, loosely covered. After that, move it to the fridge for about 2 more days. To keep it longer, freeze it: a baked fruit pie keeps up to 4 months in the freezer.
These timelines follow USDA guidance, summarized by Iowa State University Extension. To serve a frozen pie, thaw it on the counter for one hour, then warm it at 375°F (190°C) for about 30 minutes.
Extra-indulgent option: how do you make this pie even more comforting?
Serve each slice warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of maple syrup. For more crunch, swap the lattice for an oat crumble sprinkled over the filling before baking. The hot and cold contrast brings the cinnamon forward.
For the crumble, combine 1 cup organic oat flakes, ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup golden sugar and ¼ cup vegetable oil. You then only need one ball of dough for the bottom crust. Save the other for a second pie.
Why bake your homemade apple pie with Moulin Abénakis?
Because good ingredients make good pies. Moulin Abénakis products are made without preservatives or additives, and the brand has offered organic products for more than 15 years. Its all purpose flour and golden sugar give you a tender crust and a filling that is just sweet enough.
The name honours a water mill built around 1830 on the Abénaquis River in Bellechasse, which turned until the 1970s. Read our story, explore the full organic flour range and find a store near you. Looking for your next bake? Browse more recipes in Inspirations. "Nourrir la différence pour mieux nourrir le Québec": feeding Quebec better by doing things differently. That is the Moulin Abénakis promise, one slice at a time.