The Ultimate Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Though technically a vegetable, rhubarb is traditionally paired with strawberries because of their symbiotic growing season and interdependence on each other for the proper soil pH. Gardening nerd facts aside, rhubarb is so tart that if one tries to eat it without something sweet, it will make the mouth pucker! This match made in heaven is trendy in the midwestern and southeastern parts of the United States. Pair the fruit combination with our perfectly crisp and flaky crust; it will be the pie everyone begs to have repeatedly.

Perfect Pie Crust Tips and Tricks

Use the right flour.

Panhandle Milling’s All-Purpose Flour has just the right protein content for the perfect pie crust! All-purpose flour is milled from non-GMO wheat. This particular flour is milled from the inside of the wheat Kernel, creating a beautiful white all-purpose flour. Our all-purpose flour is ideal for artisan bread, rolls, and everyday baking.

Use a combination of fats.

In this recipe, we use butter and shortening. The finished pastry’s mouthfeel is not waxy. You’ll love it.

Keep the fat chill. 

Put those butter pats in the fridge and keep them cool. That will keep the flaky texture of the crust that you want.

Vinegar?

It sounds weird, right? The small amount of vinegar in this recipe does a couple of things mainly the acid adds to the tenderness of the crust. It won’t make the crust taste sour but is one of our chef’s favorite magic pie crust ingredients. If you don’t use vinegar, you can use water.

Chill that Dough. 

Yup. Don’t skip the 30 minutes of chilling the dough in the fridge. This step is pivotal in letting the dough relax, roll thin, and get a flaky crust because the fat will solidify a bit between the layers of dough.

 Want to know a Random Dough Fact?

You can store pie dough in the fridge for up to a week and prepare pie shells unbaked in the freezer for up to four months.

Perfect Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Filling

3 cups (about 300g) sliced rhubarb (½-inch pieces)

2 ½ cups (about 380g) chopped strawberries

2/3 cup (134g) packed light brown sugar

¼ cup (32g) cornstarch

½ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) orange juice concentrate

1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)

2 Tbsp. (28g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Egg Wash

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp. (15ml) milk

coarse sugar for garnish

Panhandle’s Perfect Pie Crust

¾ cup very cold butter

3 ¼ cups Panhandle Milling All Purpose Flour

1 tsp. salt

¼ cup very cold vegetable shortening

1/3 cup ice water

2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Prepare the Crust

• Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Mix for 2-3 minutes until the butter is the size of peas.
• With the machine running, slowly pour the ice water and vinegar into the mixer until the dough begins to form a ball.
• Dump out on a floured board and roll into two equal balls.
• Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning, and flouring the dough to prevent it from sticking to the board. The circle should be about 12 inches.
• Fold one piece of the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan.

Make the filling and bake:

• Stir the rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, orange juice concentrate, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Set the filling aside.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
• Spoon the filling into the crust, leaving all the excess liquid in the bowl. Discard excess liquid. Dot the filling evenly with the butter pieces.
• Cover the filling with the second 12-inch pie dough circle. Cut slits in the top to form steam vents. Trim and crimp the edges. We did a lattice top, but feel free to make it simple.
• Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg/milk mixture. If desired, sprinkle the top with a little coarse sugar.
• Place the pie onto a large baking sheet. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake for 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of baking, we use a pie crust shield (or aluminum foil covering the edges) to ensure the edges don’t brown too quickly.
• Allow the pie to cool for three hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to five days.