Do-it-yourself blueberry pie bursting with ripe, juicy fruit nestled inside a buttery crust. The recipe has the proper ratio of scrumptious filling elements to make sure lovely, sturdy slices.

Desk of Contents

1. Making the pie dough
2. Chill the dough
3. Rolling ideas
4. Pan Choice
5. Blueberry choice
6. Put together the blueberry filling
7. For an ornamental high crust
8. Brush on egg wash
9. Bake time
10. Cooling
11. Serve this with
12. FAQ
13. Blueberry Pie Recipe

Baking is a labor of affection, and after I’m not serving up my basic apple pie, I get pleasure from experimenting with different fillings. Blueberries are simple to work with and help you skip the slicing of the fruit. Preparation is additional sped up after I make my selfmade pie crust a day or two upfront. That manner, you may simply roll, fill, form, and bake with out ready for the dough to relax.

When growing this recipe, I made positive the entire juicy berries would droop in a clean, thickened compote-like sauce with out in the end solidifying right into a agency jam. Utilizing cornstarch gives a shiny shine and helps agency up the juices, stopping a watery filling. The following time you’re on the market, seize just a few baskets of berries. You gained’t remorse making this pie from scratch!

Making the pie dough

To realize a flaky crust, I exploit a pie dough referred to as Pâte Brisée, which I typically use for candy and savory desserts like pecan pie and rooster pot pie. It’s solely 4 elements; all-purpose flour, water, salt, and unsalted butter. Nonetheless, it’s important to interrupt the butter down into small pea-sized items.

I exploit the paddle attachment on a stand mixer to shortly break down the butter, however a meals processor, dough/pastry blender, or fingers work nicely too. While you roll out the dough, the fats flattens into little discs. Throughout baking, steam from the butter releases and creates tender, flaky layers of crust.

Chill the dough

It’s important to let the dough chill for at the very least 4 hours. This period provides time for the gluten proteins to calm down, stopping a troublesome, rugged texture. I favor to make it the day earlier than, so it’s able to bake as soon as the filling is finished. Alternatively, you should use store-bought pie crust. Nonetheless, baking instances could differ, so preserve an in depth eye on the colour change. 

Rolling ideas

Let the dough sit for about 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature earlier than rolling out. This course of permits the butter to melt barely. Roll the highest and backside crust out to ¼-inch thickness. This gives a superb ratio of crust-to-fruit and ensures sturdy slices. Be sure to relax the dough when you put together the remainder of the elements.

Pan Choice

I exploit a shallow 9-inch pie dish that’s about 1 ½-inches tall. This measurement provides thick slices with a crust that properly lays on the sting of the pie plate. I favor glass cookware. It takes a little bit longer to get the temperature up, but it surely retains warmth higher over time. Plus, I wish to see when the perimeters of the crust flip golden in colour.

When you roll out the underside crust, gently press it into the perimeters of the pie dish. Trim a couple of ½-inch overhang, making it simpler to crimp later. Chill the underside crust within the fridge to maintain the butter agency when you make the opposite elements. Doing so prevents the dough from scaling down earlier than the fruit is added.

Blueberry choice

Recent blueberries work greatest! They’ve the best texture distinction of entire items, with some that pop and launch their juices to kind a thick, syrupy coating. Give just a few a style earlier than baking to gauge if it’s good to add any further sugar into the filling.

If utilizing frozen blueberries, don’t defrost them earlier than baking. I additionally discover they’re barely sweeter as a result of farmers harvest and freeze them at their peak ripeness. Recent wild blueberries usually have extra fruit per pound in order that the flavour shall be extra concentrated and denser with extra skin-to-flesh content material.

Put together the blueberry filling

I exploit almost two kilos of blueberries, about 6 cups. This quantity ensures a concentrated fruit taste as they prepare dinner and condense throughout baking. I didn’t need to masks the fragile style of the berries, so I stored the filling easy. Granulated sugar provides a pure sweetness, and vanilla provides dimension. Freshly grated lemon zest and juice add a pleasant citrus observe, and the acidity balances the sweetness. 

A pinch of salt and floor cinnamon enhances the style with out overpowering the fruit, as an alternative of letting it shine. Combine the dry elements first earlier than including within the fruit or liquids. This system ensures that the wonderful particles of sugar and cornstarch evenly coat the berries. Distribute the fruit into the underside crust, in order that they pack collectively for simpler slicing later.

For an ornamental high crust

For a fairly presentation that will get all of the compliments, make a lattice high crust. You merely weave strips of dough about 1-inch vast, then crimp the sides to carry the highest and backside layers collectively. I like how one can see the fruit peaking via the crust. 

A lattice crust additionally features to supply extra air flow and concentrates the moisture within the filling for a thicker consistency. Be at liberty to get inventive and use cookie cutters to make enjoyable shapes like hearts or stars. In any other case, preserve it basic with a clean double crust with only a few small vents poked in on high.

Brush on egg wash

To create a golden brown colour on the floor of the pie crust, I exploit a complete egg and milk. The yolk provides a yellow hue, whereas the egg whites assist the egg wash follow the crust. A small quantity of milk or cream has milk solids that brown, including a pleasant taste and extra profound colour change. I wish to sprinkle a beneficiant quantity of granulated sugar or extra coarse granules on high for additional crunch and sweetness.

Bake time

Place the pie dish on a lined baking sheet because the filling does bubble, and it might spill over. You need to make sure that the filling is getting sizzling sufficient to activate the thickening powers of the cornstarch. Bake within the heart of the oven beginning at 400°F (204°C) for half-hour. This kick begins the colour change on the floor as a result of Maillard browning response. 

To completely prepare dinner the pie, cut back the warmth to 350ºF (177ºC) to permit for light cooking over a extra prolonged interval, about 40 to 50 minutes, till golden brown. I additionally use an instant-read thermometer to verify for the doneness of the filling. It must be scorching, about 203ºF (95ºC) deep within the heart. When you see the sides or high getting too brown, loosely tent foil over the floor or across the edges.

Cooling

Though you’ll need to dig in straight away, you have to let the pie settle down. This course of permits the new butter within the crust to agency up, making it simpler to slice. It additionally provides the cornstarch time to set. In any other case, the fruit filling shall be too skinny and can move out.

Ideally, the filling ought to maintain and cling collectively however nonetheless have a mushy pudding-like consistency. I like to recommend cooling for at the very least 4 hours, or you may let it sit in a single day on a wire rack on the counter and serve the following day.

Serve this with

FAQ