Canadian recipe

Saskatoon Berry Pie

Name: Saskatoon Berry Pie
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h 35 min
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Canadian cuisine
Ingredients: 400 g all-purpose flour; 6 g fine salt; 200 g cold unsalted butter, cubed; 120 g cold vegetable shortening, cubed; 180 ml ice water, added gradually; 750 g Saskatoon berries, fresh or frozen; 150 g granulated sugar; 30 g cornstarch; 30 ml lemon juice; 5 g lemon zest; 30 g unsalted butter, small cubes for filling; 1 large egg, beaten with 15 ml water for glaze; 15 g coarse sugar for topping

A double-crust prairie pie filled with deep-purple Saskatoon berries, lightly thickened and brightened with lemon, baked until the centre bubbles.

Saskatchewan and the Canadian Prairies

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 1 hr 35 min
Total: 2 hr 20 min
Servings: 8

Saskatoon berry pie with deep purple filling in a golden lattice crust — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Alan Levine from Archydal, CanadaSource page · Original file · CC0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

400 g
all-purpose flour
6 g
fine salt
200 g
cold unsalted butter, cubed
120 g
cold vegetable shortening, cubed
180 ml
ice water, added gradually
750 g
Saskatoon berries, fresh or frozen
150 g
granulated sugar
30 g
cornstarch
30 ml
lemon juice
5 g
lemon zest
30 g
unsalted butter, small cubes for filling
1
large egg, beaten with 15 ml water for glaze
15 g
coarse sugar for topping

Method

01
Make the pastry dough
Whisk flour and salt. Cut in the cold butter and shortening until coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces remain. Add ice water gradually just until the dough holds together.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Chill and divide the dough
Divide the dough into 2 discs, wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Set the oven to 190°C and place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Mix the berry filling
Toss the berries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest. If using frozen berries, keep them frozen until mixed so they release less liquid.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Line the pie plate
Roll one disc to 3 mm and line a 23 cm pie plate, leaving an overhang. Pour in the berries and dot the surface with the small butter cubes.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Add the top crust
Roll the second disc and lay it over the fruit. Trim, fold and crimp the edges to seal. Cut 5 vents in the top, brush with egg wash and sprinkle coarse sugar.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Bake until the centre bubbles
Bake at 190°C for 80–95 minutes until the crust is deep golden and purple filling bubbles through the vents. Cover the edges loosely if they brown too quickly.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Cool before slicing
Cool on a rack for 90 minutes so the berry juices thicken, then slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Keep pastry ingredients cold and chill the dough before rolling so the crust stays flaky rather than tough.
Cool a cooked filling before it goes into the pastry shell; hot filling melts the butter and weakens the base.

Common mistakes

Overworking pastry develops gluten and makes a tough crust; stop as soon as it holds together.
Filling an unchilled shell too full makes the filling bubble over and the pastry stick to the pan.

Substitutions

Use a chilled all-butter pastry if lard is unavailable; texture will be a little less tender but still flaky.
For berries, frozen fruit can go straight into the filling; add a little more thickener if the fruit has thawed and released juice.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

Saskatoon berries are a prairie fruit with deep Indigenous food histories as well as settler-era baking traditions. This pie is one contemporary way the berries are used; the filling style varies by household.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

2020 366 130 A Saskatoon Berry Pie (49915105891).jpg — Photograph by Alan Levine from Archydal, Canada; CC0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Canadian recipes

Saskatoon Berry Pie

Ingredients

Method

Make the pastry dough

Chill and divide the dough

Mix the berry filling

Line the pie plate

Add the top crust

Bake until the centre bubbles

Cool before slicing

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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