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Slab Pies to Feed a Crowd

Making pie for a party? Swap your pie plate for a sheet pan to make a large-scale pie to feed a crowd.

Slab Pies to Feed a Crowd

About this Class

Slab pie is essentially an oversized, shallow, rectangular pie made in a large rimmed baking sheet. Since it serves up to 20—more than twice the amount as a regular 9-inch pie—it’s a great option for feeding a crowd. Due to the shallow depth of the baking sheet, slab pies have a closer filling-to-crust ratio, which we think lends itself well to brightly flavored fruit fillings such as summer berries, juicy peaches, and fall favorites like apples and pears. Many of these pies have a double crust, providing a blank canvas for you to create a decorative top so you can finish your pie with flair.

Meet Your Instructors

Author: Christie Morrison

Christie Morrison

Editorial Director, Classes

Christie Morrison is Editorial Director, Classes and an on-screen test cook for Cook’s Country. As editorial director, she creates the curriculum for ATK Classes and is executive producer for Classes video content. She has been a cooking class instructor since 2016. As a senior editor for Cook’s Country magazine from 2013 to 2016 and an associate editor on the Books team prior to that, she developed, tested, and edited recipes. Christie was also a culinary producer for Cook’s Country for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Christie has a BA in English from Dickinson College and an MA in English from Bucknell University. A midcareer change brought her to Boston, where she received her culinary diploma from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (CSCA). In addition to teaching professional and recreational cooking classes at CSCA, Christie has worked in restaurants and catering kitchens in Boston.

Author: Sam Block

Sam Block

Digital Test Cook

Samantha Block is ATK's digital test cook as well as an on-screen test cook for America’s Test Kitchen. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University’s culinary program, she spent years cooking professionally, including a worldwide adventure on cruise ships. After developing recipes for some of ATK’s most successful cookbooks, she now finds herself teaching ATK Classes and producing video content showcasing ATK’s integrity (in her own quirky way).

Lessons

Class Progress

1Get to Know Slab Pies

What is a Slab Pie?

What is a Slab Pie?

Can Any Pie Become a Slab Pie?

Can Any Pie Become a Slab Pie?

Getting Creative with a Double-Crust Slab Pie

Technique5 min video

Getting Creative with a Double-Crust Slab Pie

2Pies to Feed a Crowd

Slab Pie Dough

Slab Pie Dough

Triple Berry Slab Pie with Ginger-Lemon Streusel

Triple Berry Slab Pie with Ginger-Lemon Streusel

Peach Slab Pie

Recipe2 hr 30 min

Peach Slab Pie

Pear-Butterscotch Slab Pie

Pear-Butterscotch Slab Pie

Ask ATK

Have a Question?

We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a message anytime and we’ll get back to you. We’re here to help!

Class FAQs

Why is it so important to weigh the flour for the dough?

Why did the edges of my crust slump into the pie?

Author: Christie

Answered by Christie

Editorial Director, Classes

The straight sides of a rimmed baking sheet can cause problems when baking a pie. Once baked, the bottom crust should sit on the edge of the baking sheet so that it holds in the filling. If you skip the step of chilling the dough once rolled and formed in the pan, the crust will slump and fall into the filling while baking. Proper chilling once the bottom dough is in place and before you fill the pie is an important step—be sure to chill the crimped crust for a full 30 minutes before filling and baking the pie.

The bottom of my pie leaked and stuck to the sheet pan. What happened?

Author: Carmen

Answered by Carmen

Test Cook

Transforming two pieces of dough into one bottom crust can be tricky, and it’s easy to leave a weak spot that allows juices to flow to the bottom and cause a sticky mess. But with a little care, you can avoid this pitfall. When you lower the second dough into the sheet pan, be sure to overlap the other sheet of dough by ½ inch. From there you can ease the two pieces of dough into the pan lifting with one hand and guiding into the pan with the other so they reach the corners and edges. This will ensure the dough does not become too thin in spots that it breaks during cooking. The final step is to gently lift the seam up, brush water across the dough and lower it. From there you can press to seal the two pieces together, taking care not to miss a spot.

Why isn’t a little extra flour enough to keep my dough layers from sticking together while they rest?

Author: Elle

Answered by Elle

Executive Editor, Television and Video

We recommend using a piece of parchment to keep the layers of dough separate from one another while they are resting and cooling off in the refrigerator. It is true that the layers of dough will not stick to one another as soon as you layer them because of the residual flour on them from rolling out the dough. However, over time and during their stay in the refrigerator, the dough will absorb the flour that is on the exterior of the sheets and eventually the two pieces will glue together.