Fresh Strawberry Pie with a Cinnamon Roll Crust

I’ve been wanting to make this cinnamon roll pie crust for some time now. It’s most often made for an apple pie, but I thought it would be equally as delicious combined with a fresh strawberry pie. What a way to welcome spring – or at least to wish for spring. I found the most delicious California strawberries right at my local grocery store – and so the inspiration began.

I decided to keep the bottom crust “plain”, since no one will see that anyway. This made the process a bit easier. I made the show-stopping top crust into a cinnamon roll crust. I used 4 store-bought pie crusts to make this pie.

The top crust was a bit of a challenge, since it was my first time. I worked out several of the problem points, so hopefully your crust will turn out as beautiful as mine did.

The filling is full of chunky fresh strawberries, just the right amount of sweetness, a touch of cinnamon, and thick enough not to run all over the pan when slicing. It blends perfectly with the cinnamon roll crust. In short, this pie filling is perfect!

FRESH STRAWBERRY PIE

Makes 1 – 9″ pie

Ingredients:

6 c fresh strawberries, chopped to about 1″ pieces
1/3 c corn starch
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

Crust ingredients:

4 store-bought pie crusts, at room temp
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

I started by preparing the bottom crust. Lightly flour your cutting board. Place 2 prepared pie crusts one on top of the other, WITHOUT using any more flour. Roll these 2 crusts together, to about a 12″ circle. (I find one prepared crust a bit thin for a fruit pie, once it is rolled out. So by stacking 2 together, you get a nice substantial crust that will hold up to the fruit filling).

Place crust into a 9″ pie pan, and press against all sides. Trim the top edge, and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the pie.

Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir to combine, then let cool a bit. Set aside.

Place the remaining 2 pie crusts on a cutting board. DO NOT flour the board, or roll out the dough. Simply unroll them til flat. (One of the problems I found was that using flour will keep the cinnamon roll circles from sticking together when the top crust is rolled out). Place 1/2 of the cinnamon mixture onto each crust circle, and spread thinly to the edges.

Then roll the dough tightly into a log shape. Cut 1/2″ discs from each log. Place each disc onto a piece of parchment paper, in the shape of a 8-9″ circle. You will want to press the pieces together, so they make a solid crust.

Place another piece of parchment over the dough, and roll out the crust to about a 10″ circle.

Remove the top parchment paper.

Set this top crust aside, no need to refrigerate as it may cause it to crack.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare the strawberry filling. Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Pour into the prepared bottom crust.

Flatten the strawberries as much as possible – this will allow the top crust to settle best. Dab some water around the edge of the bottom crust. This will help the top crust stick. Place the top crust onto the pie with the parchment still attached, starting on 1 side, and “rolling” the parchment paper and crust over the pie. Peel back the parchment. Trim and crimp the edges. Repairs are easy if any breakage happens, and will not be noticed once baked. Cut 2-3 slits in the top, to allow steam to escape.

Place pie on a parchment covered sheet pan – to collect any overflow.

Bake for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove pie from the oven, and cover the edges with aluminum foil, leaving the center exposed. This will keep the edges from burning. Return to the oven for another 20 min. It will be a nice golden brown, and the filling will be bubbling and sometimes overflowing a bit. That means it is done!