Mixed Berry Pie

Ingredients

• 525 g unsalted butter (preferably chilled)
• 212 g iced water
• 50 g chilled vodka
• 700 g all purpose flour (spoon and level when using cup measurements)
• 52 g sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 300 g unsalted butter (preferably chilled)
• 120 mL iced water
• 30 mL chilled vodka
• 400 g all purpose flour (spoon and level when using cup measurements)
• 30 g sugar
• 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1.6 kg mixed berries (a combination of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries)
• 150 g white sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 40 g cornstarch (4 packed tbsp)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg (beaten egg for the egg wash)
• raw sugar (to sprinkle on top)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Pie crust ---

2. 2

   Follow the recipe instructions given here to make the pie crust dough.

3. 3

   Make the recipe with 700 g of flour for a slab pie.

4. 4

   OR follow the recipe with 400 g of flour for a 9.5 inch pie plate.

5. 5

   Once the pie dough is formed, divide the dough into two portions and wrap each portion and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

6. 6

   --- The next day ---

7. 7

   Place one portion of the dough on a lightly floured work surface. For the slab pie, roll out the dough into a rectangle shape that is about 3 mm in thickness and will easily fit in the quarter sheet pan.

8. 8

   For the round pie, roll out the dough into a circle that is about 3 mm thick. Make sure to keep the dough moving and flip it over to prevent the dough from sticking to your work surface.

9. 9

   If the dough starts to shrink, and is harder to roll out, gently fold over the dough into quarters, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, to relax the gluten.

10. 10

    Now transfer the dough onto the pie dish (round dish or quarter sheet pan). You can do this by rolling up the dough onto a rolling pin and then carefully unrolling it over the pie dish.

11. 11

    DO NOT stretch the dough to fit it inside the pie dish. This is crucial and a common beginner's mistake. Instead, carefully lift the pie crust and let it gently fall onto the pie dish. Use the back of your fingers to gently press the dough into the bottom of the pie dish, so that it fits neatly in the dish.

12. 12

    There should be an overhang over the pie dish rim. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut the excess pie crust, leaving at least a 0.5 – 1 inch overhang.

13. 13

    Cover and refrigerate the pie dish until needed.

14. 14

    Roll out the second portion the same way as the first portion to a 3 mm thickness. Lightly dust the dough, and either roll it up or fold it into quarters. Then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until needed.

15. 15

    --- Making the mixed berry filling ---

16. 16

    Wash and dry the berries with a paper towel. Cut the strawberries into halves or quarters if they are too big.

17. 17

    In a large bowl, place about ⅔ of the mixed berries. Put the rest of the berries in another medium sized bowl.

18. 18

    Using a fork or masher, gently mash the ⅓ portion of the berries.

19. 19

    Divide the sugar in half (roughly), and add each portion to each of the two bowls. Gently fold in the sugar in both bowls and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

20. 20

    After 15 minutes, add the lemon zest, juice, salt, and cornstarch into the bowl with the mashed berries. Combine well. Make sure there are no cornstarch lumps.

21. 21

    Add this mix into the big bowl with the whole berries and gently fold to combine.

22. 22

    --- Assembling the pie ---

23. 23

    Preheat the oven to 425°F / 218°C. Place the oven rack in the lower third of your oven, along with a baking dish (like a half sheet pan). The oven should preheat for at least 30 minutes.

24. 24

    Scrape all the berry filling into the pie dough lined pie dish (either a 9 x 13 inch pie plate OR a 9 inch deep pie plate).

25. 25

    Cover the pie with the second dough that has been rolled out. You can choose to either cover the whole surface OR cut the dough into strips and create a lattice crust (as I have done in the pictures in this post).

26. 26

    Brush the edge of the bottom crust with some water and press the top crust down so that it sticks to the bottom crust dough well. Trim the excess dough along the edge so that you have a 0.5 - 1 inch overhang.

27. 27

    Roll the overhang UNDER the pie crust to create a thick pie crust edge. Crimp the edge with a fork or create a patterned edge with your fingers (my favorite is to create a fluted edge. Check my pie crust troubleshooting post to see how to do this).

28. 28

    If the crust gets soft at any stage, return the pie to the fridge to let the crust harden a little.

29. 29

    Once you have assembled the pie, let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking.

30. 30

    When the oven has preheated AND the pie has chilled, the pie is ready to be baked.

31. 31

    --- Baking the pie ---

32. 32

    Remove the pie from the fridge and brush an egg wash all over the surface of the pie.

33. 33

    Sprinkle some raw sugar over the egg wash brushed pie crust.

34. 34

    Place the pie plate on the preheated baking tray that is in the lower third of the oven (in my oven, this is the rack just above the bottom-most rack).

35. 35

    Lower the oven heat to 350°F / 180°C and bake the pie for 45 - 60 minutes, or until the crust is a lovely golden brown in color. The baking time should be a minimum of 45 minutes for a pie slab, and a minimum of 50 minutes for a 9 inch pie dish. If the crust is browning too fast, use a foil or silicone crust shield to cover the crust.

36. 36

    When the pie has baked through, remove it from the oven and let it rest at room temperature until it has completely cooled down, BEFORE cutting into it.

37. 37

    This pie can be left to cool at room temperature overnight as well.

38. 38

    Serve the pie at room temperature or slightly warm, with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream.