Juneberries, also called serviceberries or Saskatoon berries, look a lot like blueberries, but are more closely related to the apple. As one of the first fruits to ripen each spring, juneberries have a sweet, nutty almond flavor. Native to North America, the berries can be found growing in the wild across the country. Like many recipes, this one for juneberry pie was likely created out of desperation and convenience when other fruit was unavailable or not yet ripe, and juneberries could be found growing plentifully. Juneberry pie also is known as Saskatoon pie, sugarplum pie, and serviceberry pie.
Recipe Servings: 8
Prep Time
15 minutes
+ 2 hours resting
+ 2 hours resting
Cook Time
55 minutes
Total Time
3 hours 10 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3 cups flour, plus a bit to dust pan
- 2 tsp salt, fine
- ⅞ cup butter (14 Tbsp), chilled
- ½ cup water, ice cold
Filling:
- 4 cups juneberries or serviceberries
- ¼ cup water
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp butter, chopped into small pieces
Directions
- Crust:
- Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the butter. Rub and pinch the butter into the flour using your fingers to coat the butter pieces and form small pea-sized balls.
- Create a well in the center of the mixture and add the water, mixing it together using your hands.
- Pull away walnut-size pieces of dough and smear them using the heel of your hand. This technique is called fraisage, and it helps produce flaky layers.
- Form the flattened pieces into a ball. Split the ball in half and form it into two disks. Wrap each disk separately in plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the the dough and place it on a floured surface. Roll a floured rolling pin from the center of one of the dough disks to the edge rotating the dough until the circle is an ⅛-inch thick and 12 inches in diameter. Repeat this process with the second disk of dough, but make it only 10 inches in diameter.
- Wrap the larger dough around the rolling pin and lift the pin over the edge of a 9-inch glass pie pan. Gently unroll the dough over the pan. Lightly press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Add filling.
- Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Combine the berries and water in a medium saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Mix together the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add it to the berries, stirring to blend together.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and sprinkle butter pieces over the pie.
- Brush the pie’s rim with water and unroll the second sheet of dough over the pie.
- Press down on the rim lightly to adhere the top crust to the bottom crust. Trim off any excess dough using a paring knife. Fold edges under to form a thick edge.
- Crimp the edge of crust by placing two fingers on the crust’s outside rim while placing one finger on the inside and pressing outward to form a V. Another option for the edge is to press the dough together using the tines of a fork.
- Brush the crust with water or egg wash (optional).
- Bake the pie for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake the pie for an additional 30–40 minutes or until it’s golden-brown. If the crust appears to be browning too quickly, cover it with strips of foil.
- Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool before slicing and serving.
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