What could be better than a big load of delicious cherries packed between two layers of crispy pastry with some ice cream or vanilla sauce on top? Not much, right? ;) A Classic Cherry Pie is hard to beat. One of the best treats you can serve in summer. An absolute rock star when it comes to pies!
There are a lot of delicious pies out there in the world. Some come with a decorative lattice top like this one here, some with streusels, and others plain without any fancy decorations on top. Many recipes for those delicious pies are available here on the blog. Everything from a Classic Apple Pie to Pumpkin Pie and more refreshing pies like a Key Lime Pie. I got a lot. I love baking pies. Especially the ones with a cookie base are so easy to prepare (like a Key Lime Pie or Coconut Cream Pie)…
Unfortunately, a crumbly cookie base would not work for a cherry pie like this one here. The cherry filling has to be held together by a slightly more robust layer of pastry so you can cut and serve it at all. Even with a sturdy pastry shell, a cherry filling can fall apart sometimes – we’ve all been there ;P
Apples, blueberries, etc. can be packed relatively compactly in a pie. With the right thickening ingredient (e.g. cornstarch) and enough time to cool, a pie like that will be relatively firm and easy to cut into. Smaller berries or chopped fruit tend to stay where they should be. Cherries, on the other hand… well, they are a little more unpredictable. Depending on how much juice they release and how firm or mushy they are after being cooked/baked – there is plenty of room for problems with the texture ;P
Fortunately, there are ways to help a cherry pie with structural problems ;) As already mentioned – cornstarch is the helper number one to thicken a fruit filling – it binds liquid and gives structure when cooled down. While you are cooking the cherries for the filling, you can simply adjust with additional starch if the mixture seems too »soupy«. However, you can only really judge the texture once the filling has cooled down. If the mixture still seems too runny, you can fix things with more cornflour, but you will need to heat everything up again and that’s time-consuming ;)
Chia seeds are a simple fix and no less effective. You may know those seeds from breakfast as a slightly gooey type of porridge (aka. Chia Pudding). Chia seeds can bind around 12 times their own weight in liquid, and this property can be put to good use here. As mentioned in the recipe – in case your filling is still runny or too soft, just add chia seeds and let them do their work. After a few minutes, you should notice a difference in the texture.
If you’re thinking »Yes, but then you’ll see the seeds in the filling…?!« Yes, that is right. Tiny little dark dots that could also be vanilla seeds ;P Honestly, they are hardly noticeable, you can’t taste them anyway. They won’t bother anyone ;P
Wanna try more pie recipes? Well, I might have some for you. These here are two of my favorite pie recipes: my delicious Apple Crumble Pie and the infamous Blueberry Cheesecake Pie. The blueberry sauce drip on that is world-famous ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the filling:
about 42 oz. (1,2kg) fresh cherries, washed and pitted
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1.4 oz. (40g) cornstarch
1/4 cup (60ml) water
2 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. chia seeds (optional)
For the pie dough:
2 1/2 cups (320g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (230g) cold butter, in cubes
1/2 cup (120ml) ice water
1 tbsp. butter, cubed
1 medium egg, whisked
Für die Füllung:
etwa 1,2 kg frische Kirschen, gewaschen & entsteint
150g Zucker
40g Speisestärke
60ml Wasser
2 1/2 EL Zitronensaft
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
2 EL Chiasamen (optional)
Für den Teig:
320g Mehl (Type 405)
1 EL Zucker
1/2 TL Salz
230g kalte Butter, in kleinen Würfeln
120ml Eiswasser
1 EL Butter, gewürfelt
1 Ei (M), verquirlt
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Wash, dry, and pit the cherries. Set aside. In a large pot mix sugar, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until well combined. Place the pot on the stove and cook the mixture over medium-high heat until it starts to thicken. Add the pitted cherries, mix well, and let everything simmer for about 8-10 minutes while stirring constantly. The cherries should be soft but not mushy and the liquid (from the cherries) in the pot should have a nice, thick consistency. Remove from the stove and let cool down completely. Depending on the cherries and how much liquid they gave off, the consistency of the cherry pie filling might be a bit too soft/liquid. In that case, you can add some chia seeds to thicken the filling before adding it to your pie crust (optional).
2. For the pie crust mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in small pieces and mix with the flour. Use a pastry cutter* to cut the butter into pea-size pieces. Gradually add some of the ice water and mix to combine. Add more and mix/knead until the dough starts holding together. The dough should be soft but not too sticky. Shape it into a ball, cut it in half, and flatten each piece into a small disc. Wrap both discs into plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for at least 2 hours (up to 2 days).
3. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Roll out the first dough disc on a floured surface – keep the other one in the fridge. The dough circle should be a bit larger than a 9 inches pie dish. Transfer the rolled-out dough to the pie dish and press to the bottom and sides – the dough should overlap the edges of the pie dish about 1 inch all around. Pour the cherry filling onto the pie crust and press it slightly down to avoid air pockets in the filling. Distribute the cubed butter (1 tbsp.) on top of the cherries and set the pie dish to the side. Roll out the second dough disc on your floured surface. This time you want the dough circle to be only slightly larger than the pie dish. Cut it into strips (e.g. with a pizza cutter) – they can all be the same size or have different widths. Place them on top of the cherry filling and create a (weaved) lattice pattern. Press the strips and the overlapping dough around the edges together, cut off excess dough, and create a nice edge. You can do that by crimping the edge with your fingers or simply using a fork to press a pattern into the dough. Lightly brush the top of the pie with whisked egg.
4. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and place it in the middle of the preheated oven. Bake the pie for about 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake another 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown, and you can see the filling bubbling up around the edges. To avoid too much browning around the edges you can cover the edges of the pie with some aluminum foil towards the end of the baking time. Take the pie out of the oven and let cool down completely – you want the pie to rest for at least 4 hours before slicing, so the filling is set when you cut into the pie. The pie is great with some vanilla ice cream. Leftover pie can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
1. Kirschen waschen, trocknen und entsteinen, dann zur Seite stellen. Zucker, Stärke, Wasser, Zitronensaft und Vanille Extrakt in einem großen Topf verrühren. Die Mischung bei mittlerer Hitzezufuhr aufkochen und eindicken lassen, dann die entsteinten Kirschen dazugeben und unter ständigem Rühren etwa 8-10 Minuten köcheln lassen. Die Kirschen sollten weich, aber nicht matschig sein und die Flüssigkeit im Topf sollte eine schöne, dicke Konsistenz haben. Vom Herd nehmen und vollständig abkühlen lassen. Je nach Kirschen und der Menge an Flüssigkeit, die sie abgegeben haben, kann die Konsistenz der angedickten Flüssigkeit etwas zu dünn sein. In diesem Fall kann man einige Chiasamen dazugeben, um die Füllung zu weiter anzudicken, bevor man sie als Füllung im Pie verwendet (optional).
2. Für den Teig das Mehl mit Zucker und Salz in einer großen Schüssel vermischen. Die kalte Butter in kleinen Stücken dazugeben und einmal kurz im Mehl wälzen. Mit einem Teigmischer* o.ä. die Butter in etwa erbsengroße Stücke zerkleinern, dann nach und nach Eiswasser dazugeben und mit den restlichen Zutaten vermengen. Sobald die Mischung beginnt zusammenzuhalten, nicht noch mehr Wasser dazugeben. Der Teig sollte weich, aber nicht klebrig sein. Zu einer Kugel formen, halbieren und die beiden entstandenen Teigstücke dann zu Scheiben zusammenpressen und in Klarsichtfolie einschlagen. Für mindestens 2 Stunden (bis max. 2 Tage) in den Kühlschrank legen und durchkühlen lassen.
3. Den Backofen auf 200°C (390°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Eine 23 cm (9 inches) Pieform bereitstellen. Die erste Teigportion auf einer leicht bemehlten Fläche ausrollen – die zweite Portion im Kühlschrank lassen. Der ausgerollte Teigkreis sollte etwas größer als die Pieform sein. In die Form legen und am Boden und den Seiten festdrücken – an den Rändern sollte der Teig etwas überlappen. Die Kirschfüllung auf den Teig in der Form schütten und die Kirschen dabei leicht zusammendrücken, damit keine großen Hohlräume entstehen. Den Esslöffel Butter (in kleinen Würfeln) auf der Füllung verteilen. Die zweite Teigportion ähnlich groß ausrollen und dann in Streifen schneiden (z.B. mit einem Pizzaroller). Die Streifen können alle dieselbe Breite haben, oder unterschiedlich breit sein. Auf die Kirschfüllung legen und zu einem Gitter flechten. Die Teigstreifen am Rand mit dem überlappenden Teig des Bodens zusammendrücken und einen schönen Rand formen. Man kann den Teig hier einfach mit einer Gabel ein Muster in den Teig drücken, oder mit den Fingern einen Zickzackrand zusammendrücken. Teiggitter und Rand mit etwas verquirltem Ei bestreichen.
4. Den Pie auf ein Backblech stellen und das Blech in die Mitte des vorgeheizten Ofens schieben. Den Pie etwa 20 Minuten backen, dann die Ofentemperatur auf 190°C (375°F) reduzieren und weitere 35-45 Minuten backen. Die Oberseite des Pies sollte goldbraun sein und die Füllung darf hier und da hoch geblubbert sein. Sollten die Ränder arg dunkel erscheinen, kann man sie gegen Ende der Backzeit mit etwas Alufolie abdecken. Den Pie aus dem Ofen holen und komplett abkühlen lassen. Man sollte den Pie mindestens 4 Stunden ruhen lassen, bevor man ihn anschneidet. Wir servieren den Pie gerne mit Vanilleeis. Reste halten sich im Kühlschrank bis zu 4 Tage.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
PrintEasy Homemade Cherry Pie
- Prep Time: 00:50
- Cook Time: 01:00
- Total Time: 05:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Pies
- Cuisine: United States
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A classic bake for summer – homemade cherry pie. Super delicious and not too complicated to prepare. This pie should be baked at least once every summer ;)
Ingredients
For the filling:
about 42 oz. (1,2kg) fresh cherries, washed and pitted
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1.4 oz. (40g) cornstarch
1/4 cup (60ml) water
2 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. chia seeds (optional)
For the pie dough:
2 1/2 cups (320g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (230g) cold butter, in cubes
1/2 cup (120ml) ice water
1 tbsp. butter, cubed
1 medium egg, whisked
Instructions
1. Wash, dry, and pit the cherries. Set aside. In a large pot, mix sugar, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until well combined. Place the pot on the stove and cook the mixture over medium-high heat until it starts to thicken. Add the pitted cherries, mix well, and let everything simmer for about 8-10 minutes while stirring constantly. The cherries should be soft but not mushy, and the liquid (from the cherries) in the pot should have a nice, thick consistency. Remove from the stove and let cool down completely. Depending on the cherries and how much liquid they gave off, the consistency of the cherry pie filling might be a bit too soft/liquid. In that case, you can add some chia seeds to thicken the filling before adding it to your pie crust (optional).
2. For the pie crust, mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in small pieces and mix with the flour. Use a pastry cutter* to cut the butter into pea-size pieces. Gradually add some of the ice water and mix to combine. Add more and mix/knead until the dough starts holding together. The dough should be soft but not too sticky. Shape it into a ball, cut it in half, and flatten each piece into a small disc. Wrap both discs into plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for at least 2 hours (up to 2 days).
3. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Roll out the first dough disc on a floured surface – keep the other one in the fridge. The dough circle should be a bit larger than a 9-inch pie dish. Transfer the rolled-out dough to the pie dish and press to the bottom and sides – the dough should overlap the edges of the pie dish about 1 inch all around. Pour the cherry filling onto the pie crust and press it slightly down to avoid air pockets in the filling. Distribute the cubed butter (1 tbsp.) on top of the cherries and set the pie dish to the side. Roll out the second dough disc on your floured surface. This time, you want the dough circle to be only slightly larger than the pie dish. Cut it into strips (e.g. with a pizza cutter) – they can all be the same size or have different widths. Place them on top of the cherry filling and create a (weaved) lattice pattern. Press the strips and the overlapping dough around the edges together, cut off excess dough, and create a nice edge. You can do that by crimping the edge with your fingers or simply using a fork to press a pattern into the dough. Lightly brush the top of the pie with whisked egg.
4. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and place it in the middle of the preheated oven. Bake the pie for about 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake another 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown, and you can see the filling bubbling up around the edges. To avoid too much browning around the edges, you can cover the edges of the pie with some aluminum foil towards the end of the baking time. Take the pie out of the oven and let cool down completely – you want the pie to rest for at least 4 hours before slicing, so the filling is set when you cut into the pie. The pie is great with some vanilla ice cream. Leftover pie can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Let’s get baking!
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