Martha Stewart's Mile-High Apple Pie Is Apple-solutely Amazing

No dessert quite says “all-American” like a golden brown, perfectly flaky, double-crust apple pie. In fact, even though I enjoy all kinds of desserts, I think I prefer a slice of a delicious pie over anything else. I not only love eating pies, but I also love making the crusts, the fillings and the toppings and baking them to perfection.

And more than any other recipe, I love to prepare this one. It has almost twice as many apples as most pie recipes, and its sheer height makes it one of the most impressive things you can prepare in a home kitchen and bring to the table.

Related: Here's Where to Go Apple Picking in Every State

A combination of apples produces a pie with the best flavor; some of my favorite varieties are Empire, Granny Smith, Cortland and Macoun.

Related: From Martha Stewart to Megan Fox: Here Are the 'Sports Illustrated' Swimsuit Models of 2023

Discover the 80+ amazing pie recipes. Or try your hand at the Pioneer Woman's apple pie recipe or a tasty apple pie with cheese.

Martha Stewart's Mile-High Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 1 recipe basic pie dough (enough for top and bottom crust)

• 5½ lb firm tart apples (about 16), such as Empire or Granny Smith

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 3 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• 1 large egg yolk

• 2 Tbsp water

• Sanding or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

• Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pie dough (for the bottom crust) into a 12-inch round, about ⅛ inch thick, dusting surface with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Brush off excess flour. Fit dough into a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Trim to a ¼-inch overhang; reserve trimmings. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, roll out dough (for the top crust) into a 14-inch round. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. Peel and core apples and cut into ⅓-inch-thick slices. Place in a large bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. In a small bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon; add to apple slices and toss to coat.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator; place apple mixture in pie shell, mounding it into a tall pile. Dot filling with butter pieces. Whisk egg yolk with the water; using a pastry brush, lightly coat edge of dough with egg wash. Center and place other dough round over the apples; trim off edge of dough, if necessary. Tuck edge of top dough between bottom dough and rim of pan. Using your fingers, gently press both layers of dough along the edge to seal, and crimp as desired.

5. Using a paring knife, cut several steam vents in top of dough. Lightly brush surface with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake on a baking sheet 10 minutes (crust will begin to turn golden).

6. Reduce oven to 350°F, rotate pie, and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1¼ hours (tent with foil if crust is turning too dark). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving, with ice cream if desired.

Kitchen Counter

Makes one double-crust 9-inch pie.