Alton Brown's Favorite Apple Variety For A Sweet And Delicious Pie

Finding the perfect apple to bake with can be tricky. Too soft, and your bakes will be mushy. Too tart, and your taste buds will pucker. Not to mention the difficulty of finding one that texturally pairs with a buttery, flaky pie crust. But once you find that juicy, crisp, sweet-tart variety that can do it all, you'll want to shout it from the rooftops and share it with everyone you know. Which is exactly what Food Network host, chef, and culinary king Alton Brown did.

After 10 years of perfecting his recipe, Brown has affirmed that his favorite variety for a sweet and delicious apple pie is a pink lady. As one of the best types of apples for baking, the pink lady is a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Lady Williams, with a blush pink skin, a firm texture, and a naturally sweet-tart taste, it's no wonder this variety reigns supreme.

Refreshing, firm, crisp, and the perfect balance of sweet and tart, the pink lady is an optimal choice for baking apple pies. As a widely available and easily accessible variety, this pretty pie apple is in season from October through July. Its nearly year-round availability makes it a no-brainer choice for holiday gatherings ranging from Thanksgiving and Christmas all the way to the Fourth of July.

With pink lady apples having a high-sugar and high-acid content, the process of baking only intensifies its natural sweetness. And its high acidity, helps keep the creamy flesh from oxidizing and turning brown, which in turn keeps the apple looking bright and crisp for longer. When baked, its pale white flesh remains intact both in appearance and in texture, ultimately providing the ideal balance between flaky pie crust and tender apple slices. Choosing the right apple for baking really comes down to texture and taste. The perfect variety will have a firmness that holds up in the oven and a gentle tartness that complements the sweet pie crust and the inevitable vanilla ice cream topping. Armed with this knowledge, the pink lady is a faultless choice for baking an apple pie.