Ingredients
Dough:
• 300g flour
• 150ml milk
• 85g sugar
• 18g fresh yeast
• 50g butter, soft
• 2½g salt
• 1 egg yolk
Filling:
• 700g cherries, drained weight
• 350ml cherry juice
• 70g sugar
• 2tbsp caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla paste
• 2½tbsp maizena
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 orange, juice and zest
• 1tsp all spice
• 1 cinnamon quill
Assembly:
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• 50g coarse sugar
Preparation method
Dough:
- Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk – not too hot, or it will kill the yeast.
- Add the salt and sugar to the flour, and combine.
- Add the milk and egg and bring it together.
- When it starts forming a ball, add the soft butter.
- Knead for 5 minutes.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes in a warm place (do not over proof or the dough will be yeasty).
Filling:
- Combine the maizena with the sugar.
- Pour the cherry juice in a pan and add the vanilla, spices and orange and lemon zest and juice.
- Add the thickening agent/sugar mixture.
- Slowly bring to a boil, while stirring and watching as the liquid becomes clear.
- When you reach this boiling stage, gently boil it for 1 minute further.
- Add the drained cherries and bring to a simmer.
- Allow to cool.
Assembly:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Divide the pastry into two – one ⅔ and one ⅓.
- Roll larger dough out to 3mm thickness (any thicker and the dough will rise too much when baking).
- Line a pie dish with the pastry, and dock the base with a fork to retard the rise.
- Chill for 10 minutes in fridge (it must chill to retard the yeast activation).
- Add the cherry filling, evenly.
- Roll the remaining dough to 3mm thick. Cut into 7mm strips.
- Make a woven lattice over the top of the pie.
- Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, temper your oven down to 180°C after 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool on a tray and then transfer to a platter.