Yeast Free Classic Cherry Pie
Few desserts hit quite like a homemade cherry pie with a shatteringly flaky, golden crust and a filling that bubbles up deep ruby-red through the vents. The crust here is built entirely from flour, butter, sugar, salt, and ice water ā nothing more ā so there's no leavening agent or fermented ingredient anywhere in sight. That matters more than you might think, since plenty of packaged pie crusts and baked goods sneak in additives that don't work for people avoiding yeast. The filling is just tart cherries cooked down with sugar, cornstarch, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a hint of almond extract, which gives it that subtle, almost marzipan-like depth that makes cherry pie taste so distinctly itself. Chilling the butter and the dough are the two moves that guarantee those flaky, layered pockets in the finished crust, so don't skip the refrigerator time. An egg wash and a scatter of coarse sugar before baking push the top crust into genuinely beautiful territory ā crackly, glossy, and caramelized at the edges. Let it cool the full two hours and the filling slices cleanly, making every piece look as good as it tastes.
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Learn more āIngredients
8 servings
For the crust
- 2 Ā½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into Ā½-inch cubes and chilled
- 6ā8 tbsp ice water
For the filling
- 2 lbs (about 6 cups) fresh or frozen pitted tart cherries, thawed and drained if frozen
- Ā¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Ā½ tsp almond extract
- Ā¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For the egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Make the crust: Whisk together the flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled butter cubes and work them into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining.
- 2
Drizzle in 6 tbsp of ice water and stir with a fork until the dough just begins to come together, adding the remaining 1ā2 tbsp water a little at a time if needed. The dough should hold together when pressed but not feel wet or sticky. Divide the dough into two equal discs, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
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