INGREDIENTS

1 recipe for double crust

For the filling:

6 cups (2 1/2 pounds) sour cherries, pitted

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup sugar 

5 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced, to dot the to

For the egg wash:

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk, or water

Coarse sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Place a sheet of foil on the bottom rack to catch drips.

For the filling:

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

In a large bowl, add the cherries and stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Sprinkle on the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Stir together until evenly moist.

Assemble the pie:

Roll the first pie crust disk into a 12" circle and transfer to a 9" wide, deep pie pan, allowing for extra dough to hang over the edge of the pan. 

Pour the cherry mixture over the bottom crust along with any accumulated juices. Dot with Butter.

Roll the second crust into a 12" circle and use either a pizza cutter or fluted pastry cutter to slice into ten 1-inch strips. Using the 10 strips of dough, create a lattice crust over the top (see photo tutorial here). Tuck in the excess dough at edges, then pinch or crimp to seal. 

Refrigerate pie for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.

For the egg wash:

Beat together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk or water and brush the egg wash over the lattice crust and edges. Sprinkle the top with desired amount of coarse sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes, checking edges of crust at 15 minutes. If edges are starting to brown, cover with a pie crust shield or aluminum foil. 

After 25 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350˚F.

Bake an additional 35-40 minutes*, checking pie at 25-30 minutes. If crust is starting to brown, remove the pie guard and tent the pie with aluminum foil. Bake until crust is golden, and cherry juice has been bubbling through the lattice top for at least 5 minutes.

Let rest for four hours before serving. This allows the filling to set up and not become soupy. 

Enjoy!

*Additional baking times of up to 45-60 minutes may be needed in order to get the filling to bubble in the center.

Note:

I’ve rewritten this recipe for sour cherries but if you have sweet cherries, follow the original recipe at natashaskitchen.com. There, you will be able to view a photo tutorial of how to make a lattice crust.