Classic Mulberry Pie Made With Sourdough Pie Crust

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Delicious classic mulberry pie made with sweet, juicy mulberries tossed in sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon baked in a sourdough pie crust makes the perfect summer treat.

It’s the mulberry season here in the Midwest. A few years ago a sweet friend offered me to come over and harvest some fresh mulberries. Other than the singing about a mulberry bush as a child, I didn’t know too much about them. What a pleasant surprise to taste the sweet, soft, dark purple fruit. I knew I needed to grow these on our homestead. The abundance of mulberries can be enjoyed fresh from the tree, frozen for a midwinter treat, or preserved into jams and syrups.  

The Perfect Sourdough Pie Crust

This classic mulberry pie, like all pies, begin with a great, flaky crust. My go-to pie crust is a sourdough pie crust which makes enough for one 9-inch pie pan.

But why add sourdough starter into a pie crust?  

• Using sourdough discard in pie crust is the perfect way to use sourdough discard that would otherwise be thrown out.
• It imparts a complex, slightly tangy flavor.
• The acid in sourdough discard help prevent gluten strands from forming, resulting in a tender, flaky pie crust.

What Are Mulberries and Why Can’t I find Them In Stores?

Despite the old childhood song, mulberries grow on trees and not bushes. These deciduous trees grow tons of mulberries each season, plenty to gather for syrups, jams, pies, and cobblers. Similar to blackberries in appearance, these thin-skinned berries can range from tart to sweet depending on the variety.

You may have come across mulberries without even realizing it. The darker fruit leaves their stained mark behind on sidewalks and fingers alike. Because they are highly perishable, they are extremely difficult to sell at a commercial level. You may find them for sale at your local farmer’s market, but be prepared to pay a high price as this fruit is labor intensive to harvest.

In spite of their mess and the labor involved at harvest time, these fast growing fruit trees are worthy of adding to your property to diversify the fruit to grow and enjoy.

Classic Mulberry Pie Made With Sourdough Crust Ingredients

• This sourdough pie crust makes enough for one crust, so be sure to double the recipe for this mulberry pie. Alternatively, use your favorite pie crust.
• Mulberries – Sweet elongated berries that resemble blackberries. Don’t worry about the tiny stems, you don’t even notice them in the baked pie. 
• Lemon juice and zest – Enhances the berries as well as brings a light, brightness to the pie filling.
• ​Brown sugar – Adds caramel notes from the molasses.
• Sugar – Helps to draw out the juices and adds sweetness to the pie filling.
• ​Vanilla Extract – Another flavor profile added to the fruit filling, adding depth and complexity.
• Cinnamon – Adds a hint of spice
• Arrowroot powder (or use corn starch) – Helps to thicken the juices released from the berries as they bake.

Egg Wash Ingredients

• A beaten egg – Creates a glossy, golden brown finish.
• Water – Thins out the egg making it easy to brush on to the crust.
• Turbinado sugar – A coarse sugar that is minimally processed. Its large, brown crystals come from the natural molasses found in the sugar cane that leaves a caramel crunch on top.

How to Make a Classic Mulberry Pie Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crust 

​Prepare your favorite pie crust or this sourdough pie crust and chill for 30 minutes. 

Remove the crust from the fridge and allow to warm up for 10 minutes to make it easier to roll out and prevent cracking. 

Roll the dough for the bottom crust by placing the pie dough disc on a lightly floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle with a 1/8″ thickness. Start rolling the dough from the center, outward, turning the pie crust 90 degrees on the work surface after each roll. 

Use as little flour as you can to prevent sticking. Too much flour and you run the risk of the pastry dough becoming tough. Continue rolling out the dough until it’s 2-3 inches larger than the pie dish.  

Roll out the top crust 2-3 inches larger than pie plate.

Pie Filling

Mix mulberries, vanilla extract, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest, and arrowroot powder in a large bowl. 

Assembling The Pie

Use the rolling pin to help lift the dough onto the pie tin.

Gently lift the edge of the pie crust upward as you press the dough into the fold of the pan, continuing all the way around.

Use a sharp knife to cut along the edge of the pie plate to trim off the excess pie dough. 

Pour and spread the mulberry pie filling into the pie crust. Do not add any juice at the bottom of the bowl.

You can either lift the pie dough onto the top of the pie ​and add slits to allow steam to vent or use a pizza cutter to cut into 1/2″ strips to create a lattice top. While the lattice pattern takes a few extra steps, I always feel like it’s worth it for how beautiful it looks.

 Lay 6 to 7 parallel strips of the pie dough, depending on how thick your strips are, on top of the filling, with about 1/2 inch space between them.

Fold back every other strip. Place one long strip of dough perpendicular to the parallel strips as shown. Unfold the folded strips. Now fold back the alternating strips of dough. Lay another perpendicular strip of dough and unfold the folded dough.

Trim the edges of the strips flush with the dough of the underlying pie dish.

​Press the ends of the strips onto the bottom crust and then crimp to secure.

Combine a beaten egg and water in a small bowl and brush the surface of the pie crust using a pastry brush. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on the egg wash. Cover the edges with a pie shield or a strip of aluminum foil to keep them from over browning during the first 25 minutes.

Bake

Place pie in a preheated oven and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the pie shield or foil, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbly.

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to let the pie cool for at least 3 hours. 

Pies are a lesson in patience. You don’t want to cut into a warm pie or else the filling will spill out all over. The filling will thicken as the pie cools. 

Serve and Store

Serve a slice of mulberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.

The pie will last in the refrigerator for 5 days or can be stored at room temperature loosely wrapped with plastic wrap for 2-3 days.  

I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and rate the recipe. Tag photos #Lockremhomestead over on Instagram when you share pictures of your Classic Mulberry Pie!