Cherry Pie

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Find the pie plate you desire to use and set it nearby. You will want an 8-inch or 9-inch pie pan for this recipe.

First, you should get started on your cherry filling.

Add your pitted and stemmed cherries to a large pot.

Simmer on medium heat and add ⅓ cup of water, ⅓ cup of sugar, and your lemon juice. Mix well.

Allow it to simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning on the bottom.

While your pie filling is simmering, you can make your crust.

Cut your butter into small cubes.

Add your flour, salt, baking powder and butter to a large mixing bowl. You can also do this process in a food processor to speed things along.

With a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in your cold butter until the dough reaches the consistency of damp sand. If you are using a food processor, pulse everything together until you reach that consistency.

Add in your cold milk until the dough is just coming together.

Separate the dough into two lumps and press them firmly into a puck.

Make sure to check on your simmering pie filling. It will be ready when the pie filling is thick and sticks to the back of a spoon. There should be no large lumps of cherries left in it either. Once it reaches this stage, you can remove it from the heat and set it aside until you’re ready to fill your pie.

Roll out one of your pie crusts large enough to cover the bottom of your pie dish. Make sure it is of relatively even thickness before you put it in your dish. Cut off any excess, but make sure you leave a lip of dough around the rim of the pan. Use the extra dough to patch up any holes or thin spots. Set the rest of the extra dough aside.

Pour your cherry filling into your pie pan. Set aside.

Roll out the second dough ball in a similar manner as the first. Carefully drape the rolled-out crust over the top of your pie. Make sure you let the dough meet the dough at the rim of the pan, then cut away any extra dough.

Crimp the edges of the dough together with a fork to seal the edge of the pie.

You can roll out any extra dough to make shapes to put on top of your pie, if you’d like. These shapes can also be used to cover any imperfections or thin spots on the top crust.

This step is optional, but vital for a gorgeous golden and glossy crust. Beat one egg and brush the beaten egg over the pastry dough with a pastry brush. Make sure to cover every inch of visible dough with the egg wash.

Cut vent holes in the top crust. Six vent holes should do just fine.

Bake the pie for 1 hour and 25 minutes, until golden brown all over the top.

Allow it to cool and enjoy!