
With flaky crust and juicy-tart filling that sets just right, the classic cherry pie is the ultimate dessert for any summertime soiree, potluck, or BBQ. Best yet, the large slab format is big enough to feed a crowd of hungry party-goers; slice into bars and let folks have at it straight from the 13" x 9" pan. Follow my top tips below for everything you need to know.
Frozen cherries for the win:
Most cherry pie recipes call for sour cherries. Though very delicious, they’re notoriously difficult to source, and the window of seasonality is only a few weeks long in select parts of the states. For this reason alone, we’re skipping straight to dark sweet cherries found at any grocery store in the frozen aisle. While fresh fruit at the peak of ripeness is a beautiful thing, frozen cherries are plentiful year round and don’t require pitting or juice stains on your clothes. With a little zip from lots of fresh lemon zest and juice and a few flavor enhancers, you won’t miss the sour cherries.
Pie crust pointers:
Leave your pie crust anxiety at the door. All you need for a flaky-tender crust is a light hand and very cold ingredients. Step 1 is to leave the pieces of butter slightly bigger than you think—we’re going for flat-ish “leaves” of butter rather than the standard pea-sized chunks for maximum flakiness. After incorporating cold water, erring on the side of undermixing keeps things tender while folding the dough onto itself just once creates the irresistible layers we all know and love. Remember, the fridge is your friend! When in doubt, chill it.
You can’t rush perfection:
My final piece of advice: Plan ahead! The pie dough will last in the fridge for up to 3 days (or 1 month in the freezer), and an overnight chill is recommended to allow the dough to rest and hydrate. The filling will last for up to 1 week in the fridge. With both of these made ahead of time, assembly will come together in a snap. Don’t rush the baking to ensure the crust and filling cook thoroughly. Blonde pie crust is underbaked; we’re looking for a deep golden brown color with a filling that’s bubbling to ensure the starches have activated.
This brings us to the cooling period. Cooling the pie is so important for success! This deep dish-style needs a full 2 hours at minimum to allow the filling to set up and not run out once cut. If you’re in a hurry, let the pie cool at room temperature for an hour, and pop in the freezer for another hour.
Did you try your hand at slab pie? Let us know how it went in the comments!
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups
(510 g.) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 3/4 cup
(167 g.) plus 1 tbsp. sugar divided
- 2 3/4 tsp.
kosher salt, divided
- 1 1/2 cups
(3 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 9 cups
sweet dark cherries (about 3 lb.), pitted
- 6 Tbsp.
cornstarch
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp.
almond extract (optional)
- 7
drops Angostura bitters (optional)
- 1
large egg, beaten to blend
- 3 Tbsp.
demerara sugar
Directions
- Step 1In a large bowl, whisk flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 1/4 teaspoons salt until combined. Using your fingertips, rub butter into dry ingredients until butter is in large flattened pieces about the size of a quarter. Gradually stream in 3/4 cup very cold water while stirring with a fork until a shaggy mixture forms. Squeeze together with your hands into a rough dough.
- Step 2Turn out dough onto a work surface. Knead a few times until it just comes together. Flatten into a rectangle, wrap with plastic, and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
- Step 3Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, rub lemon zest into remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar until damp and fragrant. Add cherries, cornstarch, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbling, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla extract, almond extract (if using), and bitters (if using). Transfer to a heatproof container and let cool at room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Step 4Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a rough rectangle, then fold onto itself in thirds like a letter. Portion off one-third of dough; reserve in refrigerator. Roll out remaining dough to an 18" x 14" rectangle. Transfer to 13" x 9" baking pan. Press dough into bottom, sides, and corners of pan, leaving a slight overhang.
- Step 5Roll out reserved dough to a rough 13" x 9" rectangle. Cut out decorative shapes as desired.
- Step 6Spread cooled cherry filling into baking dish. Place top sheet of dough (or decorative shapes) over filling, folding any excess into overhang. Brush dough with egg wash; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place on a baking sheet.
- Step 7Bake slab pie 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to bake, tenting with foil if crust is getting too brown, until crust is dark brown and filling is bubbling throughout, 60 to 90 minutes more. Let cool to room temperature to allow filling to set, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.