Strawberry Balsamic Slab Pie

• Produce

  • 7 8 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters, fresh
  • 1 Apple, small red

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg wash

• Condiments

  • 4 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

• Baking & Spices

  • 5 cups All-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Brown sugar, light
  • 6 tbsp Castor sugar, granulated
  • 1 Demerara
  • 1 grind Pepper
  • 2 1/4 tsp Sea salt

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar

• Dairy

  • 1/2 cut into inch 1 pound / 4 sticks / 450 g cold unsalted butter, unsalted

• Frozen

  • 2 cups Ice

• Beer, Wine & Liquor

  • 1 tsp Angostura bitters

• Liquids

  • 2 cups Water

Found on butterandbrioche.com

Ingredients

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 tbsp. granulated (caster) sugar
• 1 pound / 4 sticks / 450 g cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch / 1 ½ cm pieces
• 2 cups cold water
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups ice
• 7-8 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
• 1 small red apple
• 4 tbsp. granulated (caster) sugar
• 4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. angostura bitters
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• A grind of pepper
• Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 tsp. water)
• Demerara (raw) sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

• Make the crust recipe in two batches, dividing the recipe in half. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and sugar. Add in the cubed butter pieces and mix to coat with the flour using a spatula or bench scraper. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-sized pieces of butter remain.
• Combine the water, cider vinegar and ice in a large measuring cup. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.
• Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time then using the bench scraper and your hands mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry/flak-y bits remaining. Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling any dry bits with small drops of water if necessary.
• Shape and lightly flatten the dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight. You should have two dough rectangles - one for the bottom crust and one for the top. Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.
• Butter a rimmed baking slab sheet and line with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the first chilled dough rectangle into a 20 x 16 inch / 50 x 40 cm rectangle, or 3 to 4 inches / 7 ½ x 10 cm larger than your baking sheet. Fit the dough inside the sheet. Roll out the second chilled dough rectangle into a 17 x 13 inch / 43 x 33 cm rectangle. Lay in the pan on top of the bottom crust, folding in half if necessary, and place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling.
• Combine the strawberries in a large bowl.
• Peel the apple, shred on the large holes of a box grater, and add to the strawberries, along with the granulated (caster) sugar, balsamic vinegar and bitters. Mix thoroughly then gently stir in the light brown sugar followed by the sea salt and a small grind of pepper.
• Remove the crusts from the fridge and set the top crust rectangle aside.
• Fit the bottom crust into the lined baking slab sheet then pour in the filling.
• Working quickly on a lightly floured surface, cut out little heart-shaped sized vents with a cookie cutter over the top crust then very gently transfer it over the filled bottom crust.
• Press and roll the two crusts together then pinch all the way around to create a seam. Crimp the edges as desired. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set the pastry.
• Meanwhile, place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven, and pre-heat to 425 F / 220 C.
• Remove the pie from the refrigerator and brush the pastry with the egg wash. Sprinkle with the desired amount of demerara sugar.
• Place the pie on the baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is beginning to brown. Lower the oven temperature to 375 F / 190 C, move the pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the strawberry juices are bubbling, roughly 30 to 35 minutes longer.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. The pie will keep refrigerated for 3 days or at room temperature for 2 days.