Bakers Clay Cherry Pie

By Hester

Ingredients

• DOUGH
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups salt
• 1 2/3 cups water
• PAINTING AND VARNISHING
• Dark red acrylic paint mixed with a little blue to produce a cherry shade
• 1 small can clear, glossy varnish or clear shellac
• 1 small paint brush for coloring cherries
• 1 1 " brush for varnishing
• varnish cleaner for brush

Preparation

Step 1

TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the water and mix well with your hands. The dough should be firm, but slightly moist. Add a few more drops of water if necessary. Knead for a minute until the dough is smooth. Lightly flour the board and roll out half the dough into a circle 1/4" thick. Keep any dough you are not working with covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

Lightly grease a 7" pie plate and line with the circle of dough. Trim and flute the edges. Roll small, cherry-sized balls between the palms of your hands and pile them loosely into the pie crust. Paint the cherries with the red pain, pushing your brush down between the cherries to paint any that are visible underneath. In painting the cherries around the outer edge, be careful not to get paint on the crust.

After you are finished painting, scrape off any red spots on the crust with the point of a knife. Place the pie in the oven, set the temperature to 350F and bake for 15 minutes, or until the paint is dry. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and allow to cool thoroughly.

Meanwhile, roll out remaining dough into a rectangle 1/8" thick and about 9 inches long. Cut 10 strips of dough each 1/2" wide, for the lattice top. Lay 5 of them, evenly spaced, across the top of the cooled pie. Lay the remaining strips in the opposite direction, weaving across over and under. When all the strips are woven, trip the edges and press them into the fluted edge of the pie crust. Return pie to the oven and bake for an additional 2 - 2 1/2 hours, until the pie has hardened. (The lattice top may appear to be too pale, but it will take on a realistic golden tint after varnishing.)

Remove the pie from its pan, set on a wire rack and cool thoroughly. Then paint the entire pie, covering all exposed surfaces with a clear varnish or shellac. Allow the top to dry before turning over to varnish the sides and bottom. For a high gloss, dry overnight and then give a second coat.