Pie Recipes and Baking Techniques

If anything can convince us to turn on our ovens at the height of summer, it's pie. A perfect canvas for showing off ripe summer fruit, easily transported to picnics and barbecues, and ideal eaten with a scoop of ice cream, we can't think of a more perfect summer dessert—it's basically required that you make and eat as many as you can over the course of the season. In service of that noble cause, we've assembled all our best pie-making tips, from how to make the perfect all-butter pie crust to how to weave a lattice top, plus our favorite pie recipes and menus. Whether you're partial to key lime pie, coconut cream pie, individual hand pies filled with strawberry and rhubarb, or something else entirely, we have everything you need to celebrate summer the proper way: with pie.

Pie Tips

Save Time: To save time, make your pie crust up to four days before baking, and store, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge. Pies can be baked up to one day before serving.

Fat is Good: Use high fat—at least 83 percent—butter for the richest, flakiest crusts. European brands like Plugrà often fit the bill.

Build it Better: Construct apple and pear pies tightly, layering slices close together to avoid air pockets, and mound fruit slightly higher than the edge of the crust. The fruit shrinks as it cooks and releases its juices, so tight, full packing helps ensure a finished pie loaded with fruit.