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Summer Fruit Pies



Although several great recipes for pies have been posted already, I will add some more pictures and ideas so that we have more to glean from. Below I have the general pie pastry recipe for 1 double crust pie. This will fit a regular or a deep dish pie plate.

BASIC PASTRY ( for double crust pie)
  • 1 2/3 cups flour
  • 3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 2/3 cup shortening (or 1/3 cup lard and 1/3 cup butter)
  • 4 tablespoons cold water
Method:
  1. Combine flour, salt and shortening or lard in medium sized mixing bowl. (For a double crust pie I prefer lard and butter mix because it makes a crisper top crust.)
  2.  Cut shortening into flour with pastry blender until pieces are the size of large peas. 
  3. Sprinkle with water and stir with fork, in circular motion, until there are no more lose crumbs.
  4. Press together with hands and shape into a ball. Divide in half. 
  5. Turn out on floured surface, pat and shape with hands into circular shape then roll out a little larger than your pie plate. Roll onto rolling pin and unroll into pie plate. Bottom crust should come up higher than edge of pan

FRUIT FILLING – (deep) double crust
  • Brush unbaked bottom crust with slightly beaten egg whites, to keep from getting soggy. Fill with fresh or frozen fruit. (approx 6 cups) Sprinkle with mixture of sugar and flour that is WELL MIXED. (Amounts will vary depending on tartness of fruit and taste preference) I just shake or tap the pan so sugar disperses a bit.
  • Cover with second crust. Fold top crust over and under bottom crust, so that you can pinch the two layers together as you flute them.
  • Brush with beaten egg white and cut small slits. Bake at 400 F for 15 min. Turn down to 350 F and bake for another 50 min. or until juice bubbles out through slits.


Filling Suggestions:
  • blueberries - sprinkle with some lemon rind, mix ½ cup sugar and 4 Tbsp flour
  •  peaches and nectarines – mix  ½ cup sugar, 3 Tbsp flour and 3 Tbsp tapioca
  • blackberries – sprinkle with lemon rind, mix ¾ cup sugar, 4 Tbsp flour and 4 Tbsp tapioca
  •  apples – mix ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp flour
FREEZING PIES:

If you want to make up some fruit pies in the summer while the fruit is handy and get the work over and done with, I would suggest multiplying the recipe:
  • 1 pound (1 pkg) of shortening or lard, 
  • 5 ½ cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt 
  • 1 egg, 3/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon vinegar 
Divide the pastry into three or four balls and divide each ball again, so that you can make 3 large double crust pies or 4 small double crust pies to fit 9-inch foil pie plates.

Don’t forget to brush the bottom crust with an egg wash and then again the top.
Because the foil pie plates are smaller, use a little less fruit (4 – 5 cups) and a little less sugar mix if you want them slightly on the tart side.

Freeze pies first to freeze the egg wash on top, then transfer into plastic bags, or do the top egg wash just before baking. Note: a frozen foil plated pie will easily transfer into a glass pie plate later.

Extra Tips:
* Don’t knead pastry, rather handle as little as possible.
* If the pastry tears as you transfer it, don’t re-roll, rather patch and seal with egg wash later.
* Don’t add more liquids because it will give a tougher crust.
* Baked pie keeps up to 5 days in the fridge and can be re-heated. Pie can also be frozen raw and baked later.

17 comments:

  1. Oh I love to sit and read your posts.... You are such an expert and I get all these wonderful 'tips' on what you probably consider ordinary...but remember I am still a novice. Looks delish...dare I try more pies?

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  2. Anneliese, I love that you posted the different amounts of fruit and sugar and thickener. . in one post. Also your tips on freezing pies are so wonderful. Yes we can all buy frozen specialty pies now but woah they are pretty pricey when compared to freezing pies ourselves to enjoy in fall and winter. Good post.

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  3. Wonderful post on fruit pies, Anneliese. I was just going to post a blackberry pie recipe and see you've covered all the bases.

    I used only 4 Tablespoons of tapioca as my thickener (no flour)...it was fine once cooled but a little runmny while still warm.

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  4. I'm glad you mentioned about the thickening, Judy. I forgot how much I used last year when I froze pies and this years "test" pie is still in the freezer. It is, however, a deep dish pie, so I wanted to be sure. Runny isn't a bad thing either. I'd love to have your picture added, especially if you went to the effort of taking just the right picture.

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  5. Anneliese, your pies look amazing. I love pies but have never found a recipe that I liked,,,Jen makes great pies,,,my apples are ready and I think I will freeze some this year.
    Thank for the great post.
    alvina

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  6. Hey...what I want to know is...who is your photographer? I have to juggle a camera beneath my chin if I want to take shots of my hands....so I can't do those. Hope you reward that camera person with slice of pie!

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  7. mmmmmmmmmm I still have some peaches left. I think I need a pie.

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  8. oh my goodness, had to add you to my list of fav blogs.. Lovin it, your blog is beautiful :D Carm

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  9. Oh, I just learned a great trick I think! I always have trouble with the bottom crust not being as flaky as I would like. I will have to try brushing with slightly beaten egg whites! Thanks! :)
    -de

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  10. Your pie looks wonderful..I have some apples sitting on the counter waiting to be turned into a pie...just may have to bake one..your pictures are great..

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  11. I was going to post peach pie too. I use Tenderflake as well and I have success. Thanks for all the extra tips. Our freezers should all be getting alittle extra use this season, and those that sit at our tables will enjoy our efforts. Kathy

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  12. Great pics and well explained Anneliese..no excuses anyone for not trying to bake a pie! In fall sometime my daughters and I get together to bake up apple pies for our freezers.

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  13. Hi Anneliese -
    I'm thinking of getting some fresh strawberries this week and making a strawberry pie for a potluck this weekend. Would I just follow the "recipe" for blackberries?

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  14. Hi Jen,
    I have never done a cooked strawberry pie because our family likes the fresh pie when you bake a shell and fill it with fresh strawberreis that are mixed with a glaze, topped with whipped cream.
    I think I have seen strawberry pie filling, so I'd guess you could follow the blackberry pie idea. If you can still get rhubard, it would be a good idea to mix strawberries and rhubarb... you may not need quite as much thickener as blackberries. Email me if you have more questions.

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  15. Annelise, I notice that Tenderflake box no longer says "non-hydrongenated". Do you think they changed their recipe back? Like you, I always use Tenderflake.

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  16. Can you bake a peach pie and then freeze it?

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  17. Yes, you can freeze a baked pie, no problem. I prefer freezing raw and baking it fresh, but if you happen to have
    a baked pie and want to keep it for later, freeze it. You can just thaw it and warm it up to how you like it.

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