Apple Crumble Pie

Apple Crumble Pie with Rye Crust - a toasty rye pie crust is filled with apple filling and topped with an apple pie crumble with oats that is baked until perfectly golden. A combination of two of the best apple desserts - apple pie and apple crumble. A delicious twist on the classic apple pie.

Apple Crumble Pie with Rye Crust

Hi hi! It’s me again with another pie recipe. This Apple Crumble Pie is the love child of two of my favourite autumn / winter desserts - apple pie and apple crumble. It’s cemented itself a place in this year’s pie line up. I started with a rye crust, and filled it with thinly sliced apples, then topped it with an apple pie crumble with oats. The apples bake down, and the topping gets toasty - it’s perfect with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream. All the merits of an apple crumble, combined with the deliciousness of an apple pie.

I also love this as it is super easy to prepare ahead, making it a great dish for those who like to prep some of their Thanksgiving meal ahead of time. The crumble topping can be made up to a few days in advance, and I made the pie dough and then lined the tin and crimped the crust the day before too, and stored the crust in the freezer, which meant that when it came time to assemble, all I had to do was mix up the filling, place it into the prepared crust, and then add the crumble topping on top, making the day of prep incredibly simple. This was a huge hit at my house, and I think it will be at this year’s Thanksgiving too!

How to use wholemeal flour in your pie crust

I used freshly ground rye flour in this crust. I ground mine at home, but rye flour is super easy to find in the supermarket. If you wanted to amp up the flavour you could use it in the crumble topping too for an extra dose of the beautiful nutty flavour that rye gives. If you don’t want to make a rye dough, then you can just make a regular dough!

Tips for perfect pie dough

I use a little tip that my baking bestie Erin Mcdowell taught me - to laminate my pie dough after making it but before rolling it out for use. What this does it pops a few layers within the pie dough. This makes it homogenous and easy to work with but also still nice and flaky. So you get the best of both worlds - flaky AF pie dough which is super easy to work with. Here's how you do this:

• Make your pie dough - For this recipe I make the dough then form it into a rectangle. Then I wrap tightly in plastic and chill for only an hour. This gives the butter time to chill down enough that it won't melt everywhere when you roll it out.
• Roll out and perform turn 1 - Roll the dough into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Then brush off any excess flour and perform a letter fold - where you fold it like a business letter.
• Perform turns 2 and 3 - Repeat the process again two more times. Your dough should be super homogenous at this point!
• Divide and shape - At this point I split the dough in two and shape each into a disc rather than roll out and laminate each piece individually. It is much easier this way.

This recipe makes enough for two pie crusts - they freeze super well so you can just pop one into the freezer tightly wrapped and it will store for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight.

Why is this recipe not par baked?

You will notice that you just pop the sliced apple directly into the pie shell here. This recipe does not have a par bake. This means that it is super important to make sure that you get a solid bake on the pie.

I find that the best way to get this is to use a metal pie pan. Ceramic and glass don't conduct heat as well. You can also put a baking steel or a pizza stone in your oven to sit the sheet pan on to ensure that the bottom crust gets properly cooked.

Make sure to go by how the pie crust is looking rather than judging doneness by the crumble. The filling should be bubbling up a fair amount. You can add foil to the top of the pie if you are worried about the crumble being done too early.

How to make pie ahead of time

There are a few things you can do to prepare this apple crumble pie ahead of time.

• Make the pie dough ahead of time - I either make it the night before or make it in bulk and then keep it frozen.
• Roll out the pie crust and line the pan and then chill the crust overnight so that it is ready to go.
• Prepare the crumble ahead of time - it can be stored a few days in the fridge.

If you prepare things ahead it means on the day you bake you only need to quickly assemble things and you are good to go!

How to stop the crumble topping from burning

The crumble will bake faster than the rest of the pie - especially seeing as this apple crumble pie does not have a par bake. To avoid the crumble burning, you can tent the pie with foil when it is at your desired level of doneness.

I have tested both ways - covering with foil at the start, baking until the crumble is your desired level of done then adding the foil back on, or leaving it off for the first 20 to 30 minutes then covering for the rest of the bake.

Keep a close eye on the crumble pie topping and just see how it is going. If you are worried, pop the foil onto it to make sure that it doesn't get too toasty.

FAQ for Apple Crumble Pie

• Why is there a big mound in the middle of the pie?
  It is just from the quantity of the apples. It is important to mound an apple pie as it will cook down in the oven.
• How do you know when the pie is cooked?
  You need to check that the pie is cooked right through - watch for the juices to be bubbling.
• What can I use instead of Almond meal?
  You can sub 80g of all-purpose flour.
• Is there a substitute for the raw / turbinado sugar?
  You can use either brown or white sugar as a substitute for the raw sugar. If you can find some though, grab it - it adds an amazing crunch to the topping.

For more Apple recipes, check out:

• Basic Apple Pie
• Apple Cinnamon Rolls
• Butterscotch Apple Pie
• Laminated Apple Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe for Apple Crumble Pie

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