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Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Sweet Tart Homemade Filling

Classic fruit pie · Spring and summer dessert · Flaky, juicy, and perfectly sweet-tart
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American-style fruit pie
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • For the pie crust
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour.
  • 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening.
  • 1 teaspoon salt.
  • 6 tablespoons ice-cold water.
  • For the strawberry rhubarb filling
  • 4 cups fresh rhubarb cut into bite-size pieces.
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries cut up.
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar.
  • 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
  • For finishing
  • A little milk for brushing the top crust.
  • White sugar for sprinkling over the top

Method
 

  1. Make the crust dough.
  2. Cut the shortening into the flour and salt until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add the ice-cold water and gently bring the dough together, handling it as little as possible. Divide it into two equal portions for the top and bottom crust.
  3. Prepare the fruit filling.
  4. Combine the chopped rhubarb and strawberries in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and flour together.
  5. Roll out the bottom crust.
  6. Fit one piece of dough into a deep 9-inch pie plate.
  7. Add the moisture-protecting layer.
  8. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the sugar-and-flour mixture into the bottom crust before adding the fruit. This helps reduce sogginess in the base.
  9. Fill the pie.
  10. Add the fruit to the crust, then sprinkle the remaining sugar-and-flour mixture over the top so it settles into the fruit.
  11. Top and finish the crust.
  12. Roll out the second piece of dough and lay it over the filling. Crimp the edges, cut steam vents in the top, brush with milk, and sprinkle with sugar. Set the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any bubbling juices.
  13. Bake in two stages.
  14. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F and continue baking for 1 hour. Check the pie around the 30-minute mark, and if the crust is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with foil.
  15. Cool before slicing.
  16. Let the pie cool for several hours so the filling can set. Serve once the center is no longer runny

Notes

  • Handle the pie dough as little as possible. The source specifically notes that overhandling makes crust tougher.
  • Use ice-cold water in the dough. That is part of the original crust method and helps the dough come together properly.
  • Sprinkle part of the sugar-and-flour mixture into the bottom crust before the fruit. The source calls this out as a great way to help prevent a soggy bottom.
  • Bake the pie on a foil-lined sheet pan. The filling is expected to bubble, and the lined pan makes cleanup much easier.
  • Do not rush the cooling time. The source warns that slicing too soon will leave you with a loose, lava-like filling.