Simple Classic Raspberry Pie Recipe
When the long, warm days of summer bring berries into season, it's time to add fresh blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries to your repertoire of recipes. From fresh berry cobbler to raspberry jam and strawberry salad, there are lots of ways to take advantage of nature's sweet and tangy "candies." And if you haven't tried whipping up a classic raspberry pie to complement your summer barbecue menu, then there's no time like the present to make the surprisingly simple dessert.
"I love how with just a few simple ingredients you can create a delicious, wholesome homemade dessert," says recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating. "Raspberry pie is such a crowd-pleaser, and this one is full of fresh berry flavor." If, however, for some reason, you can't source fresh raspberries where you are, Brookes is also quick to point out that this berry-friendly dessert also works with chopped strawberries. So in a pinch, you can easily turn this from a raspberry pie into a strawberry one.
Gather the ingredients for a classic raspberry pie
The ingredient list for this raspberry pie is refreshingly short. All you need to gather up is shortcrust pastry (or pastry for two, 9-inch pie crusts), fresh raspberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and a small egg. Go ahead and beat the egg so it's ready to be used.
Mix the raspberry filling
First things first, preheat your oven to 425 F. While it's heating, make your raspberry filling. Combine the raspberries, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl and mix them well before setting the mixture aside.
Roll out and drape the pie crust
Take your pastry dough or your pie crusts (Brookes assures as it makes no difference which option you choose) and roll half of the pastry until it's about ⅛-inch thick. Drape this over a 9-inch pie pan, allowing for an overhang of about an inch all the way around. Trim off the excess so you have a nice, crust-lined pie pan.
Add the raspberry filling to the crust
Spoon the raspberry filling into the crust-lined pan. You should have enough to fill the pan well without having much (or any) leftover.
Create the pie crust lattice
With the pie pan lined and filled, it's time to make your lattice topping. Roll out the second half of your pastry (or use the second pie crust) so it, too, is about ⅛-inch thick. When rolled, cut the pastry into 10 separate pieces, each about ¾-inch wide.
Take the beaten egg and use a pastry brush to "paint" the exposed edges around the top of the pie crust. Then, take five of the strips of pastry and drape them vertically across the top of the pie, spacing them out evenly.
To create the lattice, peel the second and fourth pastry strips back, "opening up" the raspberry filling underneath. Place another strip of pastry at the top of the pie crust, but perpendicular to the first five strips so that it crosses over the first, third, and fifth strips of pastry. Replace the second and fourth vertical strips, returning them to their original positions.
Next, peel back the first, third, and fifth vertical strips to the point where the first horizontal strip crosses them. Add another piece of pastry perpendicular to the vertical pieces, spaced evenly with the first piece, crossing over the second and fourth vertical strips. Return the peeled back vertical pieces of pastry to their original positions. Continue this process until all of the horizontal pieces of pastry have been placed, braided with the vertical pieces across the whole pie.
Brush the crust with egg wash
When the lattice work is complete, brush the remaining egg wash over the braided pastry. Use a fork to crimp the edges around the pie, securing the lattice in place, and cut away any excess crust.
Bake, cool, and serve the pie
Place the finished pie in the preheated oven and bake at 425 F for 15 minutes before reducing the heat to 375 F and baking for an additional 40-45 minutes. You'll know the pie is ready when the pastry is golden and the pie is bubbling. If at any point the pastry seems to be getting too brown, cover the top loosely with a piece of foil.
Remove the pie from the oven and leave it to cool completely before serving. "This is great served with some ice cream or custard on the side, or a little heavy cream poured over the top," suggests Brookes.
And while you're likely to want to eat it all as soon as it's baked, you can keep it in the fridge for up to three day. Just use the microwave to reheat it, as desired.
- 5 cups fresh raspberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 (9-inch) pre-made pie crusts
- 1 small egg, beaten
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Add the raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch to a bowl and mix well.
- Roll out one pie crust sheet to approximately ⅛-inch thickness and drape over a 9-inch pie dish. Trim the edges but leave about 1 inch of overhang.
- Add the raspberry mixture to fill the pastry.
- Roll out the second pastry sheet to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut it into 10 long strips that are about ¾-inch wide.
- Brush a little beaten egg around the overhanging sides of the pastry in the dish. Drape 5 of the strips across the top of the pie, equally spaced.
- Create the lattice effect. First, peel the second and fourth pastry strips back on themselves all the way to the other end of the dish. At that end, place another strip perpendicular to the ones you've peeled back, on top of the first, third and fifth strips you've already placed down. Then place the peeled back strips back in their original position. Next, peel back the first, third and fifth strips you first placed on the pie, until you hit the perpendicular strip you have just put down. Drape another strip in the perpendicular direction, then replace the three strips back over the top. Repeat this process with the remaining pastry strips, peeling back the second and forth and placing a piece down, followed by the first, third and fifth, until you have a lattice effect covering the whole top of the pie.
- Use the fork to crimp the edges of the pie, squashing the lattice top down in the pastry underneath. Cut away any excess pastry with scissors or a sharp knife to neaten up the edge.
- Brush the remaining beaten egg all over the pastry lattice.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake for a further 40-45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the pie is bubbling. If the pastry starts to brown a little too much while baking, place a piece of foil loosely over the top of the pie.
- Leave to cool completely before slicing and serving.
| Calories per Serving | 390 |
| Total Fat | 15.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5.7 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 17.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 61.0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6.1 g |
| Total Sugars | 22.2 g |
| Sodium | 242.2 mg |
| Protein | 3.2 g |
