This is the pie that pays for the lattice cutter in one bake: deep-dish apple, a top crust cut in one pass, and the kind of open lattice that lets the kitchen smell like October. The technique leans on our step-by-step lattice guide; this post adds the full recipe around it.
The recipe
Makes one 9-inch pie · Prep 45 min (+ chilling) · Bake 65 min
Crust: your favorite double-crust dough, chilled (or two quality store-bought rounds — no judgment, better pie).
Filling: 2½ lb apples, half Granny Smith + half Honeycrisp · ⅔ cup sugar · ⅓ cup brown sugar · 3 tbsp cornstarch · 1½ tsp cinnamon · ¼ tsp nutmeg · ¼ tsp salt · 1 lemon, juiced · 2 tbsp butter · 1 egg (wash) · coarse sugar.
- Macerate the apples. Peel and slice ¼-inch thick, toss with both sugars and the lemon juice, and let them sit 30 minutes. Drain the juices into a small pan, reduce to a syrup (2–3 minutes), and toss back with the apples, cornstarch, spices, and salt. This is the anti-soggy-bottom insurance.
- Bottom crust in, freezer 10 minutes. Roll one round into a 9-inch pan with overhang; cold pastry holds its shape against the wet filling.
- Cut the lattice. Roll the top crust to a 12-inch round on parchment, chill 10 minutes, then one confident pass with the lattice cutter. Don’t saw — commit.
- Fill and stretch. Mound the apples in (they’ll settle), dot with butter, flip the cut crust over the pie, and gently stretch until the diamonds open. Trim, tuck, crimp.
- Wash and sugar. Beaten egg over every ridge, coarse sugar like weather.
- Bake hot, then patient. 425°F on the bottom rack for 20 minutes, then 375°F for 40–45 more — until the filling bubbles thickly through the lattice windows, not just at the edges. Tent with foil if the crust browns early.
- Cool three hours. Non-negotiable. The filling sets as it cools; cutting early turns structure into soup. Ice cream forgives everything else.
Why the two-apple mix
Granny Smith holds its shape and brings acid; Honeycrisp collapses slightly into juice and sugar. Half-and-half gives you distinct slices suspended in sauce — the texture bakeries charge for. Other good pairs: Braeburn + Golden Delicious, or Northern Spy + anything.
Troubleshooting
Filling ran out through the lattice
Diamonds stretched too wide, or the syrup wasn’t reduced. Keep windows under an inch and always reduce the drained juices.
Pale, soft bottom
Bottom rack, preheated sheet pan under the pie, and don’t skip the 425°F opening act.
Lattice shrank
The cut crust was warm going on. Ten minutes of chilling before and after cutting keeps the pattern honest.
Make-ahead
The assembled, unbaked pie freezes beautifully for up to 3 months — bake from frozen, adding ~20 minutes. Baked pie keeps 2 days at room temperature under a towel; the fridge dulls the crust.
Sources & further reading
- King Arthur Baking — Pie thickeners (cornstarch ratios) & blind-baking science
- USDA SNAP-Ed — Apple seasonality guide
- Otawe Test Kitchen — 9 pies, 4 apple combinations, one very patient tasting panel, 2026
