Stunning 12-Serving Strawberry Slab Pie Secret

When you have to feed a whole crew—think church picnics, big family birthdays, or just when you happen to have an abundance of amazing seasonal strawberries—round pies just don’t cut it, do they? You end up frantic trying to slice everything perfectly. That’s why I absolutely swear by baking large-format desserts! This Strawberry Slab Pie recipe is my secret weapon; it uses a jelly roll pan, which means you get the dreamy texture of a flaky crust filled with sweet, slightly tart strawberries, but you can slice it into perfect little squares for everyone.

Honestly, baking giant pies is my love language when I’m hosting. Forget fiddly serving; you just cut 12 neat portions! This particular recipe is guaranteed to disappear fast. Trust me, you’ve never tasted a fruit pie this easy to transport and serve.

Why This Strawberry Slab Pie Recipe Works (E-E-A-T)

I get why people stick to their standard 9-inch pie dish, but honestly, once you go slab, you never go back! This baking method is truly the most practical way to handle big gatherings without stressing over uneven slices.

• The biggest win? It yields 12 generous servings! That’s double what a regular round pie gives you, making it way less work for major holidays or potlucks.
• It bakes up beautifully flat, which means faster, more even cooking time, and it slides right out of that big jelly roll pan. No more awkwardly trying to serve one wedge at a time!

Perfect for Feeding a Crowd

When I tell you this recipe is the hero of my summer potluck spread, I mean it. Because you’re using a 10×15 inch pan, you get perfectly uniform squares. People can just grab one neat rectangle without worrying about messing up the presentation for the next person. It’s chaos control in dessert form!

The Ideal Fresh Strawberry Slab Pie Filling

The flavor here is just stunning because we start with fresh fruit. The combination of sugar and that bright shot of lemon juice balances the sweetness perfectly—it keeps the strawberries tasting like sunshine, not just sugar bombs. And don’t worry about it being runny! The cornstarch we mix in acts like magic, thickening up that berry juice into a wonderfully set filling.

Gather Your Ingredients for Strawberry Slab Pie

Okay, let’s talk supplies. Even though this is a *simple* dessert, you need to make sure you have enough dough because this pan is huge! I always make sure I have enough made ahead of time—or I grab high-quality store-bought—but the quantity is key here. Don’t skimp on the fruit, either; we want this thing loaded!

Pie Crust Foundation

When I say you need dough for this, I mean business! You absolutely must have enough for a full bottom layer that covers the whole 10×15 inch pan *and* a complete top crust. That means you need two full pie crust recipes worth of dough. If your recipe usually makes one double crust, you might need to do a batch and a half, just to be safe. Make sure it’s chilled solid!

Strawberry Slab Pie Filling Components

This is where we get specific for that perfect set. You’ll need 6 cups of fresh strawberries, and please, hull them and slice them up before they hit the bowl. We also need 1 1/2 cups of sugar mixed with 1/2 cup of cornstarch—that’s the magic thickener. Don’t forget the bright kick from 1/4 cup of lemon juice. And for the topping little surprise, cut 1 tablespoon of butter into tiny little pieces to dot right before you put the top crust on.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Baking the Strawberry Slab Pie

Alright, this is the fun part—putting it all together! Because this pie is so large, timing is everything so that the crust sets up perfectly without getting soggy. Nothing is worse than a beautiful fruit pie you can’t lift out of the pan.

Prepping the Pan and Filling

First things first, get that oven cranked up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s 200 Celsius, for my friends who use the metric system!). While it’s heating up, take a little butter or spray and grease your 10×15 inch jelly roll pan—you want zero sticking issues later! Now, for the filling: toss those sliced strawberries with the sugar, the cornstarch, and the lemon juice. Just gently mix it all up. Here’s a crucial step: let that bowl sit on the counter for about 15 minutes. This lets the fruit release some juice so that cornstarch can start doing its heavy lifting.

Assembling Your Strawberry Slab Pie

Time to roll out that dough! Take half of your chilled dough and carefully drape it over the bottom of your greased pan, making sure you press it into the corners. Trim off the obvious excess. Now, pour that beautiful, slightly juicy strawberry mixture evenly over the bottom crust. Before you cover it, dot the top of the berries with those tiny pieces of butter we prepped—it adds richness! Then, roll out the second half of the dough, lay it over the top, trim the edges, and crimp them shut really well. You *must* cut several slits on top so that steam can escape, or you’ll get a crust explosion! Brush the whole top lightly with that beaten egg wash for a gorgeous shine.

Baking and Cooling the Strawberry Slab Pie

Slip it into that hot oven and bake it for 45 to 55 minutes. You’re looking for a crust that’s deeply golden brown and bubbling fiercely in the center. If you notice the edges getting too dark before the middle is done, just loosely wrap a ring of foil around the edges—I slide it right under the crust edge. Once it’s ready, you have to pull it out and let it cool completely on a wire rack. I know, I know, it’s torture waiting, but this cooling time is non-negotiable for helping the filling firm up, otherwise, your beautiful strawberry sauce will just run everywhere when you cut into it!

Expert Tips for the Perfect Strawberry Slab Pie Crust

You know, the filling gets all the glory, but if your crust turns out weird—either tough or soggy—the whole thing falls apart. Since this is such a huge surface area we’re dealing with, the pastry needs to be handled with extra attention, especially the bottom layer. I’ve learned a few tricks over the years to make sure the crust is flaky, buttery, and holds up to all those juicy berries.

Listen, nobody wants to serve a delicious fruit dessert only to have that bottom layer weep all over the serving platter, right? It’s all about temperature control, which is an absolute must for flaky pastry. For more baking wisdom, especially if you are looking for other ways to bake dough, check out some of my go-to quick bread recipes; the principles of handling fat and flour are similar!

Preventing a Soggy Bottom Crust

This is the biggest battle when making any large-format pie. Even with cornstarch in the filling, you can still have issues if the dough isn’t ready. Before you even think about pressing the dough into that large jelly roll pan, make sure it’s super cold—like, just taken out of the fridge cold. This initial chill helps the fat pieces keep their structure when you press them out.

When you fit the dough into the pan, work quickly! The warmer your hands get, the more you melt that fat, meaning you lose those tender layers. Press it in gently but firmly, making sure there are no thin spots where the strawberry juice could sneak through too soon. I try to press it right up the sides a little bit too, creating a tiny barrier just in case.

Achieving an Even Golden Top Crust

That egg wash is not just for looks, believe it or not! It’s what gives you that beautiful, rich, golden-brown color that just screams “perfectly baked.” Make sure you whisk that single egg really well with just a tiny splash of water or milk—you want a thin, smooth coating.

The second piece of advice here relates back to the heat. You want to start the baking process in a nice, hot environment—that 400°F we start with. Those first 15 minutes at high heat are crucial because they set the structure of the top crust *fast*. This traps the steam inside effectively, ensuring the pie puffs nicely and the crust doesn’t steam itself into being chewy or pale. You need that initial blast of heat to seal the deal!

Variations for Your Strawberry Slab Pie

While I absolutely love the classic, solid top crust on my main Strawberry Slab Pie recipe—it holds in all that glorious juice so well—it’s fun to switch things up when you get into baking comfort zones. Because we are working with such a large surface area, any variation you try really shows off! Think about what you’re serving it with:

If you want something visually stunning that lets the bright red filling peek through, you have to try a lattice top. It feels fancy but it’s actually super easy when you’re doing it on a flat jelly roll pan versus a tall, round one. Also, I often sneak other fruits in there when I want to stretch the expensive strawberries a bit further. For more fun flavor ideas that taste great year-round, you might like checking out my smoothie recipes, though they definitely don’t require a crust for those! Check out my 5 delicious smoothies here!

Lattice Top Strawberry Slab Pie

If you’re feeling artistic, skip rolling out that second sheet of dough for the solid top crust. Instead, cut that second dough portion into even strips. We’re talking maybe an inch wide. Lay half the strips parallel across the berry filling, leaving a little space between each one. Then, lay the other half of the strips perpendicular to create that classic woven look. It’s easier to weave them together when the pie is flat like this—just lift every other strip, lay a new one down, and then set the lifted strips back over the top.

The best part is that the lattice lets a ton of steam escape, so it bakes up super crisp! You still need to brush those strips with the egg wash, and you can still cover the edges with foil if they look like they are speeding ahead in the browning process.

Adding Other Fruits to Your Strawberry Slab Pie

Strawberries are the star, but they play well with certain costars! If you have some slightly tart rhubarb hanging around, dice it up and swap out about 1.5 cups of the strawberries for rhubarb—it adds a fantastic zing. If you want to go sweeter, blueberries are a perfect match, though you might want to bump up that cornstarch by just a tablespoon or two if you add a lot more liquidy fruit like blueberries or raspberries.

I generally stick to a fruit ratio of about 75% strawberry to 25% secondary fruit. Just remember, whatever you add, make sure it’s combined gently with that sugar and lemon mix before it goes into the crust!

Serving Suggestions for Strawberry Slab Pie

Since this is a huge sheet of pie, presentation matters just as much as flavor! When I pull this beauty out of the oven, smelling that sweet, baked strawberry aroma, I always get big compliments on how easy it is to serve everyone. It looks impressive sitting there on the counter!

Because it’s such a sturdy dessert, you have so many fun options for what to serve alongside it. You can go elegant or completely casual, depending on the occasion. For serving efficiency, I usually just cut the squares first, place them on individual plates, and then add the topping right before they hit the table so everything stays maximized for texture.

The Ideal Toppings

You absolutely cannot go wrong with cold vanilla ice cream. The contrast between the warm (or even room-temperature) slice of pie and that melty, creamy cold scoop is just divine. I always make sure I have a huge tub ready for when the pie comes out of the oven, even if we aren’t eating it until later!

If you want something lighter, fresh homemade whipped cream is also amazing. I whisk heavy cream with just a touch of powdered sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks. It’s dreamy spooned over the top. If you’re heading to a picnic or trying to keep things super simple, just a light dusting of powdered sugar right before you serve it is the fastest, prettiest way to finish this dessert. It catches the light beautifully. For extra waffle inspiration later in the week, you might want to check out my recipe for homemade chocolate waffles—though keeping them separate from the pie is probably best!

Storage and Reheating Strawberry Slab Pie

It’s a miracle if this giant pie lasts more than a day when my family is around, but if, by some miracle, you have leftovers of your amazing Strawberry Slab Pie, you need to know how to keep it tasting fresh. Fruit pies are a little trickier than, say, a dry brownie, because of all that lovely juice we made sure to set perfectly with cornstarch!

Since this pie has a significant amount of fresh fruit filling, we have to be smart about how we put it away. I know you might want to keep it right on the counter like a pound cake, but we need to be a bit more careful since we used real fruit.

Keeping Leftover Strawberry Slab Pie Fresh

The goal here is to stop the air from getting in and drying out that gorgeous top crust. If you plan on eating the slices within about 12 hours, leaving it covered tightly at cool room temperature is fine, especially if your kitchen isn’t too humid. Just make sure it’s fully shielded with plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container.

However, since we are dealing with a sweet, moist fruit filling, I strongly prefer the fridge for anything lasting longer than a day. Wrap each individual slice tightly in plastic wrap, or put the whole slab back into the jelly roll pan, cover that aluminum pan tightly with plastic wrap, and pop it in the refrigerator. The crust *will* soften a little bit in the fridge, that’s just inevitable with fruit fillings, but it stops any spoilage!

If you want to revive a refrigerated slice, skip the microwave! It makes the crust instantly tough. Instead, reheat individual squares in a low oven—maybe 300 degrees Fahrenheit—for about 8 to 10 minutes until it warms through, or just eat it cold with a fork like a cold pudding. If you’re planning ahead for future deliciousness, this keeps really well for about three days. For other great make-ahead recipes, check out my thoughts on banana bread coffee cake while you’re wrapping up your leftovers!

Frequently Asked Questions About This Strawberry Slab Pie

So many great questions pop up when people realize they are baking a pie the size of a small football field! It’s a little different from that trusty 9-inch round cutter we all grew up with, so let me clear up a few things I hear all the time about making the perfect Strawberry Slab Pie.

Can I use frozen strawberries for the Strawberry Slab Pie?

Oh, that’s a common one, especially when fresh berries are out of season! You certainly *can*, but you have to treat them carefully. You must thaw those frozen strawberries completely long before you start mixing anything. Then, you’ll notice they look really watery. You need to drain off as much of that liquid as you possibly can before you mix them with the sugar and cornstarch. If you don’t, you’ll definitely end up with a runny mess, no matter how much cornstarch you add!

What is the best pan size for this recipe?

I designed this recipe specifically around the standard 10×15 inch jelly roll pan. That size is absolutely perfect because the two full crust recipes I call for are exactly what you need to cover that large surface area with a sturdy bottom and a nice, thick top crust. If you try to squeeze this amount of dough into something smaller, you’ll have way too much overhang that burns easily, or you might run out of dough for the top altogether!

For more great recipes that use standard baking equipment, you might like checking out my recipe for ultimate homemade cornbread; it uses a similar sized sheet pan for easy serving!

How long does the Strawberry Slab Pie need to cool?

This is probably the most important bit of advice for any fruit pie, but especially a big one like this! You cannot rush the cooling phase. I know your family will be circling the kitchen the second it comes out of the oven, eager for a warm slice, but you have to resist! The filling needs several hours—seriously, plan for at least four hours, maybe more if your kitchen is warm—to cool down completely so that cornstarch can fully set up. If you cut it too early, you lose all the structure, and it just becomes warm, sweet soup on a crust.

Share Your Strawberry Slab Pie Experience

Whew! We made it through all the baking, cooling, and prepping together. Now that you’ve got this spectacular, easy-to-serve slab pie cooling on the rack, I truly want to hear about it! Baking is so much more fun when you know what kind of party your dessert is showing up at.

Did you go for the classic solid top, or were you brave enough to try the lattice work? Did you manage to save any for leftovers, or did everyone inhale the entire thing in one go? Let me know how it went down at your place when you served this crowd-pleaser.

Don’t forget to leave a star rating right here on the recipe card—it really helps others (and me!) know that this large format dessert is truly worth the effort. And if you snap a picture of your finished, perfectly square slices, please tag me on social media! Seeing your creations always brightens my day. If you’re already thinking about what decadent baked goods to tackle next, maybe take a peek at my recipe for pecan pie brownies for a different kind of crowd-pleaser!

Happy baking, friends!

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