Very Merry Berry Pie
What happens when you get a bunch of friendly bakers together in a kitchen with a few bottles of bubbly? Very Merry Berry Pie! (Try to say that five times fast after a glass of prosecco or two.)
One of our fabulous DAYBAKE club members, Merilee, invited a few of us over for our very first BAKING DATE. Not only is Merilee one of the best neighbors in Daybreak, she’s also a successful business owner, a brilliant book club member, a loving mom and wife, an incredible friend, and a wonderful baker who has lots of pro-tips about baking pie. For our DAYBAKE BAKING DATE, Merliee showed club members Christy, Karyn, Spencer, and me how to make a delicious berry pie.
Here’s What You’ll Need:
For the Pie Crust:
2 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
1 Cup (Two Sticks) Of Cold, Unsalted Butter
1 Egg (for an egg wash)
A Few Pinches of Turbinado Sugar (optional)
For the Berry Filling:
24 Ounces of Fresh Raspberries
12 Ounces of Fresh Blackberries
½ Cup Cornstarch
1 Cup Sugar
Zest from One Lemon
For Your Baking Friends:
1 Yummy Cheese Board
At Least Three Bottle of Bubbles or Non-Alcoholic Beverage You All Love
Lots of Laughter
Funny Dance Moves
Here’s How to Make It:
Step 1: Start your Baking Date off with a toast. If you’re baking in your kitchen alone, just pour yourself a glass of something nice and enjoy it.
Step 2: Make your dough! Merilee used a food processor, but if you don’t have one, you could use a mixing bowl and a pastry blender; it’ll take a little longer, but you’ll get the same yummy result.
In your food processor or bowl, pulse together all purpose flour, salt, and sugar. Cut 1 cup of cold, unsalted butter into cubes, add it to the food processor, and pulse ten times. Add ½ Cup + 2 Tablespoons of ice water to the dough and pulse it ten times, as well. It should look crumbly after pulsing it, like nice little buttery pebbles.
Step 3: Pour half of the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and repeat with the other half of dough–one will make the bottom of your crust and the other will make the top.
Instead of using your hands to bring the crumbles together, use the plastic wrap. This was a pro-tip Merliee shared, because it’s best to avoid touching the dough as much as possible as the heat from your hand can melt the butter, which makes your crust tough and less flaky.
Once you’ve brought the crumbles together, push your dough out into a rectangle shape using the plastic wrap. Fold the dough over itself in thirds to laminate it a bit, then gently push the dough into a round shape. Wrap it tightly in the plastic wrap and let it chill for at least 30 minutes. You can chill it for up to three days.
Step 4: Once your dough has chilled, roll it out! Flour a surface on your counter, unwrap your chilled dough, and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large enough shape to cover the bottom of your pie dish. Merilee has another pro-tip at this point to start rolling out your crust from the middle moving outwards, then turning the crust a fourth before repeating the same action. This helps your dough not stick to the counter as well as making sure you get an even thickness.
As soon as you have a large enough crust, carefully lift your dough and press it into your pie dish. It’s important to make sure the crust is pushed right against the dish, because as it bakes, it will shrink. Trim the edges with a knife of kitchen scissors.
After it’s rolled out. Let it chill again for another 30 minutes and have another drink.
Step 5: While you’re crust is chilling again, make your berry filling. Be sure to inspect each of your berries for damage or left over stems, because nobody wants a mouthful of stems. Add all the berries to a bowl, along with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon zest. If you like a more jam-like texture to your pie filling, you can put it into the food processor and give it a whirl. If you prefer larger pieces of fruit, just smash it up a bit and let it be.
Step 6: After making your berry filling, having another drink with your baking date mates, and chilling the bottom crust of your pie,
Step 7: Pour the filling into your pie dish.
Step 8: Now it’s time to roll out your top pie crust using the same method as you did in Step 4. Now, there are all kinds of ways to add the top crust to your pie. Christy chose a super lovey heart design, Spencer chose leaves, Karyn chose a fun mosaic pattern.
I chose a classic lattice. Once your top is on, seal the sides by fluting them or pushing them down with a fork.
Step 9: Crack and scramble an egg, then brush the egg wash over the top of your pie. Once it’s covered in wash, sprinkle Turbinado sugar over it. This step is optional, but it will make your pie look more fancy and taste just a tiny bit sweeter.
Step 10: Preheat your oven to 425, then bake your pie on top of a baking sheet (because the berries may bubble over–another pro-tip from Merilee) for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking your pie for another 30 to 40 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the crust while it finishes baking. You may want to cover the outer ring of your pie with aluminum foil after it’s been in the oven for around 30 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Step 11: Let your pie cool for at least three hours before cutting into it, but once that time is up, enjoy!
DAYBAKE BAKING DATES are a ton of fun, as you can see. If you’re interested in doing one of your own, reach out via our DAYBAKE Facebook group or send an email to daybakebakingclub @ gmail.com.