Ok guys, the time of year has begun where we make ALL THE PIES. For the next 6 months, let’s put everything into flaky, buttery crusts. Deal? If you’re not convinced, let me try to entice you with this Plum Slab Pie.
Yep, you read that right – Plum SLAB Pie. It’s pie in slab form. Because why would we want a measly little 9″ round pie when we can have a slab of it instead??
Slab pie is made exactly the same way as regular pie, except you use a half sheet pan instead of a pie pan. It’s great for feeding a crowd. (I bet you have a few BBQs, family reunions, or bake sales coming up!) Also, with that drizzle of lemon glaze on top, it is strongly reminiscent of those toaster pastries we all loved as kids. Or for the more sophisticated among us, it’s streudel-like.
We start with more than twice the regular amount of buttery pie dough, rolling each crust into a large rectangle instead of a round. Then we add the cinnamon-laced plum filling in a thin layer, dot with butter, top with more crust, bake until bubbly and drizzle with glaze. Then all we need to do is slice it up, top with ice cream, and amaze all of our friends and family with the deliciousness. Get ready for the “ooh”s, “aah”s, and “mmmm”s.
Let me know how your pies turn out! Leave a comment below, or tag me in your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Or send me an email here.
Happy Pie Baking!
Plum Slab Pie
Equipment
- Half Sheet Pan
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 3 c +2T flour
- 2 1/2 T sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 c cold butter (2 1/2 sticks), cut into small chunks
- 1/2 c cold water
Plum Filling
- 6 c unpeeled plums, cut into 1/4" thick slices
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 1/4 c sugar
- 1/4 c corn starch
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 T cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg white, beaten slightly
Lemon Glaze
- 1 c powdered sugar
- 2 T lemon juice
Instructions
Pie Crust
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
- Using your fingers, massage the butter chunks into the flour mixture until butter is in pea-to-oat-sized pieces. If the butter starts to feel melty while you're working, pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 min or so to firm it up.
- Drizzle the cold water over the flour-butter mixture, stirring gently with a fork or your hands until it starts to come together. It will be a shaggy mess and that's just what you want.
- Knead GENTLY in the bowl to form the dough into a ball (not too much – don't let that butter melt!), then flatten it into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
- Once chilled, cut dough in half. Roll out the first half on a floured surface into a large rectangle(ish) shape. It should be nice and thin, and about 1" larger on all sides than a half sheet pan. Don't worry about making it perfect – you can fix it later.
- Gently fold dough into fourths, then move it into your pan. Unfold it so it fills the pan. Dough should reach up the sides of the sheet pan. If you have extra dough in some spots, cut it and use it to patch up the areas that are lacking.
- Roll out other half of dough in the same manner.
Plum Filling
- In a small bowl, mix together sugar, corn starch, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.
- Slice plums and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with the 1T lemon juice.
- Add sugar mixture to plums and stir until all plums are covered.
Put it Together and Bake!
- Pour mixture into your bottom pie crust. Dot with the 3T of butter pieces.
- Top with the second crust. Fold edges of top crust over the edges of the bottom crust, and crimp as desired (I use my fingers or a fork).
- Cut slits into the top of the crust.
- Brush top and edges of crust with the beaten egg white.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pop the whole pie in the fridge until the oven is preheated.
- Bake on the bottom rack of your oven for 40 minutes or until crust is browned and insides are bubbling.
- Move to a cooling rack, drizzle with lemon glaze, and allow to cool completely.
Lemon Glaze
- Stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice with a fork or whisk until well combined. Add more powdered sugar/lemon juice as needed until it's a good drizzy texture.
- Drizzle all of the glaze evenly over the top of the pie while it's still warm (it might seem like a lot of glaze, but trust me you want it ALL).
