Blueberry Pie

I have put off attempting to make pie for a while because I was nervous about making the crust. I love to cook but with cooking I don’t always have to be exact in my measurements and and there is room make substitutions. Baking is a different story. My extent of baking was my chocolate chip cookies and that was about it.

For Mother’s Day I decided to break free from my comfort zone and attempt to make my Mom’s favorite pie – Blueberry! After a lot of research on different crust and filling options I decided to go with a dough I could make in the food processor and a filling that focused on lots and lots of fresh blueberries and not much else.

If you don’t want to attempt the crust you can totally still make the filling and use a store bought crust and it will be delicious! Of if you want an apple or mixed berry pie this crust recipe can be used with whatever filling fits your taste buds.

Also I just have to share – the pie plate you see pictured below is my absolute FAVE! I have a set of these 9″ pie plates and I use them for everything from this pie to a tool to help me when breading meat and fish – one for egg wash, 1 for breading. They are the perfect size!

Tips for making Blueberry Pie

• Make your dough in advance to give it enough time to rest – you need at least 30 minutes in the fridge but it can easily be made the night before
• Take your chilled dough out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before you are going t roll it out. This will help make rolling easier.
• Use a pizza cutter to make your lattice strips
• If you do not want to make lattice strips just cover the pie with the full piece of dough and cut slits in the top so it can vent.
• Every oven is different but the main thing you want to see is your filling bubbling. This means the berries are breaking down and the cornstarch is starting to thicken your filling. If you do not let this happen you will have a runny pie. Check the pie at the 35 minute mark and if it is not bubbling let it go another 10 minutes. Continue to check on it and let it cook until the filling is bubbling.
• If your crust is browned but the filling is not bubbling, cover the pie with aluminum foil to prevent burning and continue to cook.

Blueberry Pie

^{Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8}

Ingredients

Pie Crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 1/2 cup ice water, or more if needed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small squares
• 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, for garnish

Blueberry Pie Filling:

• 2lbs (32oz or approx. 6 cups) fresh blueberries, rinsed
• 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup granulated sugar, depends on the sweetness of your berries
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Make the dough:

1. Place flour and butter into the freezer (separately) for 30 minutes before starting to make the crust.
2. In the food processor, pulse the cold flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
3. Add the frozen butter and continue to pulse until pea-sized bits start to form.
4. Keep the food processor running and add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. It should be moist but not sticky – you can test it by squeezing it between your fingers.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
6. Separate 1/4 of the dough out. Form into a rectangle making sure there are no/minimal cracks. Wrap in plastic wrap.
7. Form the remaining 3/4 of the dough into a round ball making sure there are no/minimal cracks. Wrap in plastic wrap.
8. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Assemble the pie:

1. When you are ready to roll out the dough take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
2. On a lightly floured surface, start with the larger dough ball. Flatten with the palm of your hand then starting at the middle of the dough roll out from the center into a large round that is approx. 1/4″ thick.
3. Place dough in the pie plate and trim excess edges.
4. Please pie plate in fridge while you make the filling.
5. Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
6. Add blueberries and lemon juice. Stir to coat the berries.
7. Pour blueberry mixture in pie crust.
8. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the smaller rectangular dough until approx. 1/4″ thick.
9. Using a pizza cutter or knife cut 3/4″ strips with the dough.
10. Lay 5-6 strips (depending how much topping you want) over filled pie, parallel and equally spaced from one another.
11. Fold back every other strip then lay another strip of dough perpendicular to them. Unfold strips back over new strip.
12. Fold back the other strips (not the ones you started with) then lay another strip of dough perpendicular to them. Unfold strips over the new strip.Repeat until pie has been covered with a lattice crust. **check out this video from Inspired Taste on how to create a lattice crust**
13. Trim edges of lattice so strips end at edge of pie platr. Clean up edges by rolling into pie or by crimping. **learn how to crimp the edges in this flaky crust video from Inspired Taste**
14. Make the egg wash by whisking egg yolk and cream together in bowl. Brush over pie dough.
15. Dot the butter over the open areas of the lattice
16. Sprinkle the coarse sugar over crust.
17. Refrigerate pie 20 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking.

Bake the pie:

1. Position oven rack in the lower third of the oven and place a baking sheet on top of the rack to catch any drips while baking.
2. Preheat to 400 F with baking sheet in the oven.
3. Place chilled pie on hot baking sheet and bake at 400 F for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 350 F then continue to bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and pie is bubbling. **If you notice the crust begins to brown too much while baking, cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake until done**
4. Cool 2 to 3 hours before cutting to allow filling to set.

Notes

The pie can be left on the counter at room temperature for up to two days as long as it is covered in plastic wrap. After that store it in the fridge for up to two more days. If you prefer to freeze, place it uncovered in the freezer until it becomes solid. Then wrap in plastic wrap or foil and it will last for up to four months. Thaw at room temperature and then reheat at 375F until warmed through, approx. 30 minutes.