IMPORTANT: Keep everything as cold as possible! Chill pie dough, chill apple pie filling, and chill pie before baking.
PIECRUSTS: If making homemade pie crusts, start here. Follow Note 1 and chill pie crusts (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap) for at least 30 minutes before rolling them out.
APPLES: Peel and core apples. Dice into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside.
FILLING: In a large pot over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add diced apples, lemon juice, and zest. Stir in dark brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until juices thicken and apples begin to soften.
FILLING CONT.: In a small bowl, mix white sugar and flour. Sprinkle over the apple filling on the stovetop and stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often until the filling thickens. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla and Greek yogurt (or sour cream). Refrigerate the apple filling until chilled, about 45 minutes.
EGGWASH: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk with a fork until smooth. Set aside.
PIE: Place a bottom pie crust in a 9.5-inch pie pan. Lightly brush with egg wash. Spread cooled apple filling evenly with a spoon. Cover with the top pie crust. Note 2). Press all around edges to seal the two pie doughs together (trim excess dough if needed). Tuck excess dough under itself so it is flush with rim of the pan. If desired, crimp edges (Note 3). Place assembled pie in fridge and chill for 30 minutes up to an hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
BAKE: Take out the pie and brush the entire top crust with egg wash, except for the crimped edges (they already get plenty of browning!) Sprinkle optional sparkling sugar evenly over the pie. Set the pie on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown. If crust is browning too quickly, add a pie shield (or tent those sections with a piece of foil). (Note 4)
SERVE: Cool completely, at room temperature, before cutting into pie and serving. If the pie is cut straight out of the oven it'll be runny and wet; it needs time for the filling to become juicy and thick. I typically wait 3-5 hours before cutting into the pie. If desired, serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.
Notes
Note 1: Use 2 store-bought pie crusts, or make them homemade. Here is my recipe for a homemade pie crust (this makes 1 crust, so prepare it twice for this apple pie recipe (I like to make one crust at a time since it requires less handling and more precision):
1 and 1/3 cups (158g) all-purpose white flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
7 tablespoons (100g) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1 large egg yolk
2-3 tablespoons (28g) ice water
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and powdered sugar. Stir. Add in the butter and using a pastry cutter, cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and water until smooth. Pour egg yolk mixture into the center of the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined as much as possible. Gently knead with your hands to form a crust (add an extra tablespoon of water if needed). Handle the dough as little as possible and once it's formed into a dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and gently flatten into a small disc. Refrigerate for (at least) 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax before rolling. You can make the crust ahead of time and refrigerate for 1-5 days.