I’m just out here finding more ways to get us all to eat as many strawberries as we can this season! In this edition, a juicy berry filling sits on a from-scratch pie crust, topped off with a crunchy brown sugar crumble. Vanilla ice cream? I can’t believe you had to ask.

Since there are three layers to this pie and some chilling and cooling, you’ll need about 3 hours in total for it to be done, but most of it is hands-off time. My favourite pie crust comes together quickly (Mumbai’s current ‘wintery’ weather is so great for working with buttery doughs!) and while it’s being blind-baked (the filling is juicy so this step prevents a soggy crust), you simply chop up the berries and get your crumble topping ready.

The crunchy topping, crisp flaky pie crust and sliced almonds are the perfect texture contrast to the soft and juicy filling. You can use more strawberries if you’d like a thicker layer of the filling, but since berries can be messy to slice into, I like it at this level.

The sweetness of the pie is just right, allowing the strawberry flavour to shine. And when combined with a scoop of melty ice cream, every crumbly, buttery bite is juuuuust perfect. It’s a fresh, fruity, summery dessert with winter berries and I hope you’ll try it today!

Strawberry Crumble Pie

Juicy strawberries on homemade pie crust with a crunchy crumble topping

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 30

Makes: 8 large slices

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Ingredients

For the pie crust

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 gms)
1/4 tsp salt, skip if using salted butter
2 tbsps caster sugar
115 gms unsalted butter, cold and cubed (1/2 cup)
2 tbsps ice cold water

For the filling

600 gms strawberries (see notes)
2 tbsps caster sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsps cornflour/cornstarch

For the crumble

1/2 cup + 2 tbsps all-purpose flour (80 gms)
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
3 tbsps brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
50 gms cold butter, cubed
Sliced or slivered almonds, optional

Instructions

First, make the pie crust. In a mixing bowl, stir the flour, salt and sugar together, then add the cubed butter. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs and there are pea-sized bits of butter scattered through it.
Slowly add the ice water and stir with a spatula to combine, then use your hands to bring it together in a dough. If the dough feels very dry, add an extra tablespoon of water. Place the dough on a large piece of clingfilm, flatten into a disc, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.
Remove the chilled dough from the fridge, unwrap and place on a silicone mat. (You can also do this on a floured kitchen counter, but I prefer the mat to prevent sticking. If the dough is very cold, let it sit out for a few minutes before rolling it.)
Lightly flour the top of the dough and roll out into a 12 inch circle. I like to do this with clingfilm on top because I find that in warmer temperatures, this prevents the butter from melting onto the rolling pin and making the dough messy.
If the dough has softened, transfer the rolled out dough back to the fridge for 10 minutes, keeping the top lightly covered with clingfilm. (This is also where the silicone mat comes in handy, you can easily slide it onto a tray with the dough and place it in the fridge.)
Lightly grease a 9" pie dish. To place the rolled out dough in the dish, fold it in half and then half again to make a quarter shape. Lift and place in the pie dish, then unfold and press it onto the sides and base. Trim the edges and use the scraps to patch up any bits that may have torn.
Transfer the pie dish to the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190 C.
Prick the base of the dough with a fork several times. You will 'blind bake' the crust now so pricking it helps prevent the base from puffing up too much. You can also blind bake it by placing a piece of baking paper on the dough and filling it up with dried beans to weigh the dough down, but I didn't find this necessary.
Bake for 20 minutes until the crust is lightly browned on the bottom and the edges.Set aside to cool while you make the filling.
Lower the oven temperature to 175 C.
Now make the filling. Thoroughly rinse the strawberries, then chop them into large pieces (tiny pieces create a mushy filling). I usually chop the larger berries into 6 pieces and smaller ones into 4. Add them to a bowl and toss with the sugar, lemon juice and cornflour. Mix well to coat the berries properly, then set aside.
Finally, make the topping. In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt (if using). Mix well, then add the cubed butter.
Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips till you have a crumbly mixture.
Now spread the strawberries (along with the juices they would have released), over the cooled pie crust. Top with the crumble, spreading it out evenly over the berries. Sprinkle with the almonds if you are using them.
Bake the pie for 40 to 45 minutes until the crust and crumble are browned and the berries, when poked with a toothpick, should feel feel soft and tender. If the pie is darkening a lot but the berries are still firm, cover the dish loosely with foil, lower the temperature to 175 and continue baking.
Set aside to cool for 2 to 3 hours before slicing and serving warm with vanilla ice cream! The pie can be stored in an airtight tin at room temperature for a day or two, but I prefer transferring it straight to the fridge where it will keep for about a week and longer in the freezer. Happy baking!

Notes

*For a thicker layer of filling, you can certainly use more strawberries but you may need to bake the pie for longer and be careful while slicing it so things don't get messy.

*Prep time does not include chilling and cooling time

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