During my senior year of college, I reconnected with one of my friends from high school who attended a different university. After realizing how much I love sports (I still watch more games on TV than shows on the Food Network!), he snagged us a pair of tickets for a professional hockey game between two of the biggest rivals in the league.
Throughout the afternoon, we laughed and caught up, trading stories about the past four years at college, and by the time the game’s final buzzer sounded, we had made plans to get together again a few weeks later after midterm season had ended.
As a big foodie, my friend enjoyed cooking big meals to share with his other friends that lived in the same apartment building, but he never baked desserts to go with the dinners. That’s where I came in—he wanted to learn how to bake an apple pie!
That Friday afternoon, I loaded my car with a few pounds of apples and all of the ingredients to make a pie crust from scratch, and when I parallel parked outside of his high-rise building, we walked everything upstairs and immediately got to work.
His roommate and a few other friends were already in the apartment, sitting on the couches while watching hockey highlights on TV from the previous night’s games, but his roommate quickly followed us into the kitchen as we unpacked ingredients. He wanted to learn how to bake an apple pie too!
My high school friend volunteered for the task of slicing apples for the filling, so I started supervising his roommate, who was in charge of mixing up the dough for the crust. Both looked like naturals and easily completed their jobs, but then we hit a little snag…
I had forgotten my rolling pin at home!
The two of them improvised by grabbing the tallest bottle of wine in their kitchen, and after double-checking that the cork was tightly nestled inside, they rolled out the pie crusts with the bottle. They assembled and baked the pie without any other hiccups, and after a quick trip to the grocery store for fresh vanilla bean ice cream, we slowly savored huge, warm slices à la mode.
And now, every time I bake an apple pie—or even just see one at the grocery store—I think of that one we made with a wine bottle and laugh. I remembered that story while making this Clean Eating Classic Apple Pie, too, and with its cozy cinnamon-spiced fruit filling my kitchen with tantalizing smells, it disappeared even faster than the pie my friend baked in college!
Let’s start with the pie crust. A flaky crust requires butter. There’s just nothing we can do about that. It’s possible to substitute Greek yogurt or applesauce for butter in muffins or cupcakes, but do NOT try to do that with a pie crust. The fat in butter is what gives a pie crust is crisp, flaky texture, and any other low-fat or fat-free ingredient will make the crust gummy and soggy instead.
However, there is a silver lining! Many traditional pie crusts require a full ½ cup of butter—or more!—but I managed to make this healthier one with merely 4 tablespoons of butter. You’ll add a tiny splash of milk and apple cider vinegar to the crust as well, plus a tiny bit of pure maple syrup for a hint of sweetness.
So to make the crust, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. It’s made from white wheat, as opposed to the “red” wheat that regular whole wheat flour comes from. This different type of wheat produces a lighter texture that’s closer to all-purpose flour, yet it still contains the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour would work as well, and both can be found on the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
Next comes the butter. I highly recommend mixing it into the flour with a pastry cutter! They’re relatively inexpensive—I found mine at Walmart for less than $4—and they’re great for making my scone recipes as well. Continue working the butter into the flour until it resembles fine crumbs, like in the picture above.
Then you’ll add the remaining crust ingredients a little at a time, mixing them into the flour mixture until it forms a dough. Shape that into a 4”-wide circle, cover with two large sheets of plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.
This next part is different than with traditional crust recipes…
You’ll leave the crust between the plastic wrap to roll it out! (And yes, I skipped the wine bottle and used my regular rolling pin for this!) This trick makes it easier to both transfer it into the pie plate as well as to roll into a thin circle because you don’t need extra flour for the crust or rolling pin.
For the filling, you’ll use my homemade slow cooker apple pie filling recipe. Many of you have asked whether it’s possible to bake into a pie, and here’s the answer—YES! It already contains plenty of cozy spices and cornstarch to thicken, and the apples’ texture stays soft with just a hint of firmness after baking.
The hardest part is waiting for the pie to cool and set for a few hours, but I promise it’s worth the wait. My family agreed that this apple pie is one of the best they’ve ever had!
| Clean Classic Apple Pie | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour (measured like this)
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp (56g) unsalted butter (very cold and cubed)
- 2 tsp nonfat milk (cold)
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup (cold)
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp (15-30mL) ice cold water
- 4 cups Slow Cooker Apple Pie Filling
- Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles crumbs. (See photo in the blog post above.)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon of water, and drizzle over the flour mixture. Mix until all of those liquid ingredients have been incorporated. Continue to add water ¼ teaspoon at a time and mixing until completely incorporated until the mixture forms a dough. (I often use a total of 1 tablespoon of water.)
- Transfer the dough to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap, and shape into a 4”-wide circle. Cover the top with another large sheet of plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and coat a 9”-round pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
- Leaving the dough between the sheets of plastic wrap, roll it out into a 11”-wide circle. Peel off the top layer of plastic wrap, and turn it out into the prepared pie plate. Peel off the other layer of plastic wrap. Gently press the dough into the pie plate, and trim the overhang. Spoon the apple pie filling into the center. Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil to prevent burning.
- Bake the pie at 425°F for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Carefully remove the foil covering the crust, and bake for another 15 minutes (45 minutes total) or until the crust is golden. Cool completely to room temperature; then let the pie set for an additional 3 hours before serving.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.
{clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
That pastry looks amazing and it only contains 4 tablespoons of butter! That slice of pie looks like perfection, I need to made this asap, pinned!x
Thanks for your sweet words and pin Eve! I hope you enjoy the pie if you try it!
Im a huge baker, but Ive never actually made my own crust! I love that this one is healthier! Plus you can never go wrong with classic apple pie!
I highly recommend making your own crust sometime Bethany — it’s so rewarding!
Nice recipe… do you have a glutenfree version per chance?
Thanks Evelyn! I haven’t made a gluten-free crust before, but my friend Jane who blogs at The Heritage Cook has lots of gluten-free pie crust recipes that you may like. 🙂
Question: if we don’t like “a hint of firmness” in our apples for apple pie, how do we alter this recipe for that preference? I really don’t love that crisp crunch you get in some apple pies. 🙁 I’m all for all-soft-apples, all the time! Thanks! Very exciting recipe!
I’m sorry for the confusion Kim! When I wrote, “A hint of firmness,” I meant that the apples wouldn’t disintegrate as soon as you bit into them; they’re soft instead of mushy. They aren’t crisp or crunchy at all! 🙂
My first pie crust turned out successfully! Blid-baked it and used for pumpkin pie. So excited to try with apples. The dough is very tasty and comfortable to work with. Thank you so much, Amy
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pie crust, and I hope you enjoy the apple version just as much as your pumpkin pie!
Can this pie crust recipe be used for a Chicken pot pie? I’m looking for a healthy pie crust recipe, specifically for
one using whole wheat flour, and so many of the whole wheat ones I see have shortening in them. With this recipe, would I just add less sugar, or do you think its good as it is for a chicken pot pie? Thanks! I love all your recipes! I look forward to trying this!!
I hadn’t thought to use this pie crust for a chicken pot pie, but I’m guessing it will work! You may want to blind bake the crust for 10 minutes at 375°F before adding the filling, just to be safe, but I think you shouldn’t need to adjust the amount of maple syrup because it’s so small. I’d love to hear how the crust works if you try it in your recipe Melissa!
I’m guessing that you put the apple pie filling in the crust without putting it in the slower cooker, correct?
First, make the apple pie filling according to the recipe’s instructions in the slow cooker. Once it has finished cooking and has cooled, use that homemade filling to make this pie. You can make the filling up to a week in advance and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container until you’re ready to bake the pie. I hope you enjoy the pie and have a wonderful Thanksgiving Melinda! 🙂
Good to know! Thank you! I wouldn’t have cook the filling first!
You’re welcome! I’m excited to hear what you think of the pie!
Do you have any recommendations for doubling the recipe to make a top crust? I’m not sure how to adjust baking times in order to produce an evenly baked crust on top and bottom. My hubby asked for apple pie for his birthday, so I’m giving this deliciousness a try!
Your husband is so lucky to have you to bake him a homemade birthday treat Sarah! To make the top crust, double all of the crust ingredients and follow the same instructions, making sure to separate the dough into two circles for chilling and rolling. When you place the second crust on top of the apples, cut around 6 slits in the center to allow steam to escape. Brush the second crust with milk, and bake as directed. If the top crust begins to brown too much, cover it with foil. I’d love to hear how that turns out for you! 🙂
Does the nutritional information for this recipe include the filling or is it solely for the crust? So excited to test this out for our Christmas meal.
It includes the crust as well Arianne! 🙂 That means a lot to me that you want to make this recipe for such a special occasion. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the pie!
Hi
What average size this pastry fit? I couldn’t see it mention anywhere.
The pan size is included in Step 4. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pie Sammy!
Oh yeah I see it now. I somehow miss that when read it!
I already been make this. I got 3 different size out and see which one it fits. Lol!!
Pastry turn out good and I use pan cook apple filling instead slow cooker. Recipe almost same yours. Just add some pears in it and bit of ground ginger. It only took about 30 minutes make it nice and soft apples. Defo one best apple pie I have for long time!
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the pie Sammy! That means a lot to me! 🙂