Here’s another double-crust pie that works best with frozen fruit. The berries won’t turn to jam as the filling bakes. And let’s face it: frozen berries are more economical. That said, if you want to use fresh berries, you’ll need about 3½ pounds (hull and slice any strawberries) We’ve topped the pie with a lattice crust. It’s beautiful, yes; but more importantly, it allows for more evaporation during baking to help the filling set properly.
4 pounds mixed frozen berries, any strawberries sliced into ½-inch pieces (do not thaw)
1½ cups granulated white sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
¼ cup instant tapioca
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
Double-crust version of Sour Cream Crust or All-Butter Crust
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the berries, sugar, flour, tapioca, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a big bowl. Set aside while you roll out the crust.
3. Prepare the crust as directed and shape the bottom crust in a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan.
4. Pour and scrape every drop of the berry mixture into the prepared crust, creating a filling with an even depth across its surface.
5. Roll out the smaller portion of the dough as directed. However, do not move it to the sheet pan. Instead, loosen it from the work surface with an offset spatula, then use a fluted pastry roller or just a flatware knife to cut the dough sheet lengthwise into ½-inch-wide strips (be careful of your counter below). Lay these in alternating directions over the filling, trimming half to make them fit the short way over the filling and thereby creating a lattice top to the pie. Slice off some of the excess dough at the edges and seal the lattice strips to the crust sticking up at the edge.
6. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 50 minutes. If the crust begins to brown too deeply, tent the pie loosely with aluminum foil and continue to bake until bubbling. Remove the foil for the last couple of minutes so that the crust dries out a bit. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.