Cherry Pie

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4.91 from 10 votes

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

refrigerating time 1

Total Time 2 30

Servings slices

Calories 260

Delicious, homemade cherry pie, kissed with vanilla, is the ideal summer fruit pie. (Note: This recipe is for a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.)

Equipment

9-inch deep dish pie pan

Ingredients

Pie Dough:

25 grams sugar (2 Tablespoons)
½ vanilla bean (scraped)
300 grams all-purpose flour (2½ cups)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or table salt)
227 grams refrigerator cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces (if mixing in a food processor, place your cut up butter in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before using) (16 Tablespoons or 1 cup)
½ cup ice water

Cherry Filling:

150 grams sugar (¾ cup)
½ vanilla bean, scraped
43 grams cornstarch (¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
908 grams fresh cherries, pitted and halved (2 pounds)

Instructions

Dough by hand. In a mixing bowl, rub the vanilla seeds into the sugar. Whisk in the flour and salt. Add all the butter. Using your hands, coat each piece of butter with the flour mixture. Pinch the pieces of butter to flatten them a bit. Keep working the mixture for a couple of minutes until the mixture resembles coarse sand with most of the clumps of butter the size of peas. Make a well in the middle. Add ¼ cup of ice cold water. Using your hands, scoop the flour from the sides and the bottoms to hydrate the flour with the water. Repeat, making a well in the middle and adding 1 Tbsp. of ice cold water at a time. You know you are done when the dough is slightly clumpy and becomes smooth when flattened in the palm of your hand. Divide the mixture in half, pouring each half onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Push down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough together into a disc, making it as circular as you can. (If you plan on laminating the dough for a flakier crust, flatten to a rectangle.) Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Place the wrapped doughs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Continue with Step 4, below.
Dough by Food Processor. Combine all the vanilla seeds and the sugar in a food processor and pulse several times. Add the flour and salt and pulse several more times. Add all of the frozen butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with most of the clumps of butter the size of peas. Add ¼ cup of ice cold water and pulse a few times to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add more of the ice cold water 1 Tbsp. at a time. You know you are done when the dough is slightly clumpy and when flattened in your palm it is smooth. Divide the mixture in half, pouring each onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Push down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough together into a disc, making it as circular as you can. (If you plan on laminating the dough for a flakier crust, flatten to a rectangle.) Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Place the wrapped doughs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Continue with Step 4, below.
Dough by Mixer. In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, rub the vanilla seeds into the sugar. Add the flour and salt and mix on low with the paddle attachment until fully combined. Add the refrigerator cold butter and mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand with most of the clumps of butter the size of peas. With the mixer on low, slowly add ¼ cup of ice cold water. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 Tbsp. of ice cold water at a time. You know you are done when the dough is slightly clumpy and when flattened in your palm it is smooth. Divide the mixture in half, pouring each onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Push down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough together into a disc, making it as circular as you can. (If you plan on laminating the dough for a flakier crust, flatten to a rectangle.) Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Place the wrapped doughs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Continue with Step 4, below.
Remove the larger piece of dough from the refrigerator and lightly flour the countertop. Also lightly flour a rolling pin. Place the dough on the lightly floured countertop. Lightly flour the top of the dough.
Optional: To make a super flaky dough, roll the dough into a long rectangle. Fold the top ⅓ down from the top, then fold the bottom ⅓ up towards the middle, like folding a letter, brushing off any excess flour as you fold. Rotate the dough 90° and roll out into a rectangle again. Repeat the folds one more time. Wrap again in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Roll the dough out so that it is a circle (or circle-ish), approximately 12 inches in diameter. The dough should be rolled out enough to go up the sides of the pie plate with at least a couple inches overhanging. (If the dough cracks when you first start rolling, let it sit on the counter for a couple minutes. It just means the dough is too cold.)
To transport the pie dough into the pie plate, gently fold the dough in half, and again into quarters, being careful not to press down. Lift the dough up and place the pointed corner into the center of the pie plate. Unfold the dough. (Alternatively, roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie plate.) Press the dough into the pie plate to make sure there are no air pockets. If the dough overhangs by more than a couple of inches, use scissors to trim it. Use the trimmings to fill in any shorter spots. Place the pie plate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Cherry Filling. In a bowl, press the vanilla seeds into the sugar. Mix in the cornstarch and cinnamon. Toss the cherries in the mixture. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, tossing until combined.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place in oven. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Remove the remaining pie dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a 12 inch diamater cirlce. Remove the pie dish from the refrigerator and fill it with the cherry filling. Place the rolled out top dough over the pie, tucking the overhang between the bottom pie dough and the pie dish. There should be approximately ½ an inch of dough above the pie plate. Use a fork to press down a decorative pattern or crimp the dough using the index finger of your non-dominant hand to push into the dough between the index finger and thumb of your dominant hand. Place the pie in the freezer for 10-15 minutes or the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Prepare egg wash by mixing together an egg with 1 tsp. of water. Once the dough is cold, you can "clean up" any crimping. Use a paring knife to make decorative cuts into the top pie dough. Using a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of egg wash. Sprinkle coarse or granulated sugar on top. Remove baking sheet from oven and place pie plate on it. Return to oven and bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, reduce heat to 375° F and continue to bake for 40-50 minutes, checking the pie after 30 minutes. If the top is browning too much on top, cover that part loosely with foil. The pie is done when the top is nicely browned and the fruit is bubbling up. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Notes

For best results, make sure the dough is always cold prior to putting the pie into the oven. If the dough gets too warm at any point, stop and put it back into the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
It is best to put the pie in the oven when it is cold. Once fully shaped and before applying the egg wash, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes or the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Do not cut the pie until it has completely cooled to at least room temperature.
Store the pie in an airtight container or with plastic wrap. It should keep for several days at room temperature, but we enjoy this pie cold, so I keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it is good for up to one week.

Author: Rob Finkelstein

Calories: 260kcal

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pie, vanilla

Nutrition