The Best Homemade Saskatoon Berry Pie

This Saskatoon Berry Pie tastes like summer. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious classic summer dessert.

Course Pie

Keyword saskatoon berry pie, saskatoon pie

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings pie

2 tsp butter (for adding to the pie before baking - refer to the instructions below)
2 tsp milk (for brushing the top of the pie crust before baking - refer to the instructions below)
cinnamon sugar mix (1 tsp sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp cinnamon) (for the top of the crust - refer to the instructions below)

In a saucepan mix together the Saskatoon berries, water and lemon juice, and simmer for 10 minutes over low-medium heat.
4 cups Saskatoon berries, 1/4 cup water, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
In a separate bowl mix together the sugar and flour.
3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3 tbsp all purpose flour
Then add the sugar/flour mix to the berries and combine.
Simmer until the mixture slightly thickens, about 5 minutes.
Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt
With a pastry cutter cut in shortening until the particles are pea sized (you can also use a food processor to make the pie dough).
2/3 cup shortening
Sprinkle in water, 1 tsp or so at a time, mixing lightly with a fork. Don't over mix or the crust will be tough.
1/4 cup cold water
Press into a ball. It is okay if it is crumbly. In fact crumbly makes for a tender, flaky crust!
Separate the ball into 2 balls: one for the bottom crust and one for the top.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out one ball of the pie crust for the bottom of your pie, then place it into your pie plate. Gently press down.
Add the cooled Saskatoon berry pie filling.
Dot the filling with small pieces of the butter (about 1 - 2 tsp total).
2 tsp butter
For the top crust, roll out the other ball of dough and place it over the top of your pie. Press together the edges of the crust (if they don't stick, use a bit of water to help 'glue' them together). Then trim off the excess pastry dough.
Using a knife make air vents by cutting slits in the crust.
If you want to make a fancy crust like I did here, use a small cookie cutter and create shapes for the crust topping. Randomly place them on the pie filling (refer to the pictures above).
Use a pastry brush to brush the crust lightly with milk, then generously sprinkle the crust with a cinnamon and sugar mix.
2 tsp milk, cinnamon sugar mix
In your preheated 425 degree oven F, bake your pie for 20 minutes. First, place a cookie sheet onto the oven rack below your pie.
Then after this time TURN DOWN THE OVEN to 350 degrees F and bake for 35-40 minutes more. Bake until you have a nice golden brown crust and the filling is bubbling in the vents.
If the edges of the pie crust start to get too dark, cover them with a little aluminum foil or a pie shield.
Serve with vanilla ice cream!