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Blueberry Pie

A basic blueberry pie laced with lemon. I've adapted Marion Cunningham's filling recipe here and swapped in a traditional Pâte Brisée --all butter--crust. (See PIE HELPS just below this recipe for a link to my crust or use your own.)
Makes one (9") pie 6-8 servings

Ingredients

  • 9" double crust pie pastry
  • 6 cups (840 g/1.85 lb) fresh or frozen blueberries-Rinse and pat dry for fresh or frozen berries.
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (can sub 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest)
  • 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup/31 g)) white, all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar-- plus a little more for dusting the top of the pie before baking
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons (14 g/1 oz)) butter, cut into small pieces--to be placed on top of the filling before the second crust is added

Instructions

  • PREPARATION: PREHEAT OVEN to 425 F (218 C) and set oven rack at center. Take out a rimmed baking sheet, line with a sheet of parchment paper, and set aside.
  • MAKE FILLING: In a large bowl, gently stir together until well-mixed the ingredients for the blueberry filling (blueberries, juice, sugar, flour, salt) except for the last 2 tablespoons of pieces of butter. Set aside briefly while you roll out the dough for the bottom crust.
  • ROLL OUT DOUGH FOR BOTTOM CRUST: On a lightly floured counter, using a floured rolling pin, roll out one piece (half) of the dough--dusted with a bit of flour-- into an 11"-12" circle. Lift and turn the dough once or twice and reflour the counter before rolling again to prevent the dough sticking to the counter. Roll up the circle of dough onto the rolling pin or fold in half and transfer the dough, carefully fitting it into a 9" pie pan. Trim edges, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. TIP: Don't stretch dough (it will shrink when it bakes) but lift and adjust the entire piece of dough to move it to fit.
  • ADD FILLING TO BOTTOM CRUST: Spoon the reserved blueberry mixture into the the dough-lined pan and smooth top. Dot with the butter. Place in fridge.
  • ROLL OUT TOP CRUST/ADD TO PIE: Lightly flour the counter and rolling pin again and roll the second piece of dough--lightly dusted with flour-- into an 9"-10" circle, again lifting once or twice and reflouring counter to avoid sticking. Roll it up on the rolling pin. Remove pie from fridge.
    ~Carefully lay the second piece of dough evenly over the top of the pie. With your fingers, fold and press the edge of the bottom crust up and around the edge of the top crust. Crimp or press the edges down with the tines of a dinner fork.
  • CUT VENTS INTO THE TOP CRUST/FREEZE PIE FOR 20 MIN: With a small sharp knife, cut several slits at equal intervals into the top crust to vent the pie--a decorative pattern is fun here: B for Blueberry Pie or G for Gene if the pie is Gene's, etc.
    ~Freeze pie for 20 minutes. This will help prevent the crimping from blurring in the heat of the oven and will give you a flakier pie crust.
  • BAKE PIE/COOL/SERVE: Place pie on the lined baking sheet, sprinkle the top with a teaspoon of granulated sugar, and bake for 15 minutes at 425 F. Reduce heat to 350 F (180 C) and bake another 30-50 minutes or until juice are bubbling through top slits and the crust is browned to your liking. It is hard to over bake a pie but if it's getting too brown and not yet bubbling, cover loosely with foil.
    ~ Remove pie to a rack and let cool at least three hours before cutting and serving. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for a week. If you must bake ahead and freeze, double wrap in foil when the pie is totally cooled and freeze for no more than 6 months.

Notes

Note about flouring the counter or board before rolling dough:  You only need a little bit of flour scattered over perhaps an imaginary 15" inch diameter area.  Years ago, I heard someone say, "Pretend you are feeding the chickens," which means having just a small amount of flour (chicken feed) in your right hand and flicking it back and forth, scattering it lightly across the area.  Too much flour will make the dough heavy so here's another place where less is more.
Copyright Alyce Morgan, 2025. All rights reserved.