It’s rhubarb season, and you know what that means! We’re making Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, of course. I perfected this classic and have the tips to guarantee your success.
I have been wanting to make strawberry rhubarb pie for years! Years I tell you.
I’m so happy that the day has finally come and I’m able to share this awesome recipe with you.聽A good pie starts with a good crust.
I’m calling this the best strawberry rhubarb pie for a reason. The crust is a big part of it. There are a few tricks to get the crust tender and flaky.
Tips For Great Pie Crust
- Cold butter sliced in big chunks.
- Work with your hands to create some thin, flat pieces and some larger chunks of butter.
- Vodka! Crazy right? It moistens the dough without encouraging gluten formation, hence keeping the dough more tender.
- Apple cider vinegar. Same as above. It helps make it tender! Also provides a subtle tang.
- Work quickly! Don’t let that butter melt. Stick the dough in the fridge when needed.
- Ice water, always.
- “Laminate the dough.” Cut in quarters, stack and press back together to form great layers of butter. See recipe for more details.
- Sprinkle some of the cornstarch directly on the crust for an extra moisture barrier.
How to Make A Tasty Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling
After you get that crust just right, it’s time to focus on the filling. My recipe is pretty traditional with a couple of small twists.
I sweetened the strawberries and rhubarb with a combination of white and light brown sugar, for that slightly caramely flavor. Then, we add vanilla bean paste and lemon zest for a nice accent to the fruit.
If you’re not familiar with vanilla bean paste, it’s a thick, gooey聽 paste, speckled with tons of vanilla beans. It stays good forever in your pantry so it’s a nice option that’s in between vanilla extract and a fresh vanilla bean. Feel free to substitute vanilla extract if you can’t find it.
Making Lattice-Work Work
To decorate the pie, I chose to do a lattice. I explained the method in my recipe, but there are obviously a ton of great videos out there if you want to study up on lattice making.
Just keep in mind, to keep the dough chilled and re-refrigerate as needed while you’re cutting and braiding the lattice.
The lattice isn’t exactly essential to a good strawberry rhubarb pie, but in my opinion, the crunchy topping is. I first brushed the top crust with an egg wash and then generously sprinkled over demerara sugar for a nice crunch.
I suggest serving this pie with a nice dollop of whipped cream or even some vanilla ice cream, if you’re feeling a bit naughty.
More Pie Recipes
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The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Description
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is one of my favorite spring and summer desserts. I perfected this classic and have the tips to guarantee your success.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 陆 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 18 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into 陆 inch slices
- 3 tbsp vodka, chilled
- 1 陆 tbsp apple cider vinegar, chilled
- 3 tbsp + 2 tsp ice water
Filling + assembly:
- 1lb (~4 cups) rhubarb, cut into 陆 inch slices
- 1lb (~2 陆 cups) strawberries, hulled & quartered
- 陆 cup granulated sugar
- 录 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 5 tbsp cornstarch, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 录 tsp kosher salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into 陆 inch cubes
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water, for egg wash
- Turbinado or demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: Combine flour, sugar and salt for the dough in a large bowl.
- Add butter: Toss in butter to coat. Rub butter into flour using fingertips to create some large, irregular pieces and some thin, flat pieces. Work quickly to avoid overheating butter. Place in fridge for several minutes if butter gets too warm.
- Add liquids: Mix together vodka, vinegar and 3 tablespoons of ice water in a measuring cup. Drizzle over flour/butter mixture. Mix with fork to create a shaggy mixture. Knead to form a dough. It should look dry and rough. Drizzle over remaining 2 teaspoons of ice water and knead together. Do not overwork.
- Laminate dough: Divide the dough in half. Shape one half into a 戮 inch block. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Stack pieces on top of each other and press down to shape into a 戮 inch disc. This will create layers of butter that become flakey when baking. Repeat with remaining half of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 5 days.
- Roll out dough: Remove dough from fridge and sit on counter for 5-15 minutes or until warm enough to work with. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough 1/8 of an inch thick into a 13-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and chill in fridge. Repeat with second half of dough, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in fridge.
- Cut lattice: When dough on baking sheet is chilled, transfer to a lightly floured surface. Use a ruler or long thin spatula to cut out 戮 inch long strips of dough. You should have about 12 good strips. Return to baking sheet and chill.
- Mix filling & heat oven: Combine strawberries and rhubarb in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together sugars, 4 陆 tablespoons cornstarch, zest and salt. Combine sugar mixture with fruit mixture. Stir in vanilla bean paste. Preheat oven to 375掳F.
- Fill pie: Remove pie dough from fridge. Allow strips for top crust to soften slightly so they鈥檙e pliable enough to work with, but still chilled. Trim bottom crust. They are two options: trim edge flush with pie plate (as I did) or leave a 戮 inch overhang for crimping. Sprinkle over 陆 tablespoon of cornstarch directly over the bottom crust and brush to spread over bottom and sides. Add fruit filling over crust. Dot with butter. Brush top, inner edges of bottom crust with egg wash.
- Make lattice: Place 6 strips of dough spaced out evenly across the top of the pie. Start in the center, using the longest pieces in the middle and the shortest towards the end. Fold back alternating pieces of dough half way up the pie. Place one long strip across the center, in the opposite direction of the other pieces of dough. Unfold the strips so they lay over the strip just placed down. Fold back the opposite pieces of dough and place another strip spaced evenly apart from the last strip set down. Unfold strips. Repeat with remaining strips of dough to create a basket weave pattern. If bottom crust is cut flush to pie plate, press strips into bottom crust and trim off all extra dough. If you left an overhang, trim excess dough from top strips and press into bottom crust. Then fold over bottom crust and crimp as desired.
- Chill & bake: Place pie plate in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and place on a baking sheet. Brush top with egg wash and sprinkle over a generous amount of turbinado sugar. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 60-70 minutes or until well-browned and filling is bubbling. Place pie plate over wire rack and cool completely, for several hours, before serving. Store in fridge. Enjoy.
Notes
This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit.
The pie dough from this recipe can be used for various sweet pies, just make sure you use a standard 9-inch pie plate for this amount of dough.
You can leave this pie out at room temperature for up to 2 days. Then transfer to the fridge for up to 3-4 more days.聽
You can freeze baked pie for up to 3 months. I would cut it into individual pieces and wrap them in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer bag.聽
You can also freeze raw pie dough for up to 3 months. I would probably roll it out before freezing, as it will take a much longer time to defrost if frozen in a ball.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10 of pie)
- Calories: 443
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 299mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
I’m not a big dessert person but curiously I do love the combination of strawberry and rhubarb. Maybe it’s the tart/sweet thing. That crust looks incredible though. Absolutely mouth-watering.
Yes, tart-sweet is the best! Thank you 馃檪
Yummy! I always wondered how they make the pies with those little criss-cross dough pieces. This is going in my recipe notebook for sure!
Thanks so much, Aida!
What a beauty. It looks delicious.
Thank you, Pam!