Chef notes
There are a few keys to a perfect blueberry pie — and it’s as much about the methods you use as it is finding the sweetest fruit to put inside. A tender, flaky crust encasing a filling made of plump blueberries and just enough sugar to bring it firmly into dessert territory is just begging to go a la mode. But in the pie world, there’s a fine line between a perfectly juicy filling and a runny mess — and the journey to a just-right blueberry pie starts at the stovetop. Pre-cooking the filling adds a bit of time to the baking process, but helps ensure a perfect, sliceable consistency even with the juiciest summer berries.
The second secret to nailing that “just-right” pie texture comes from a good, long time in the oven. In order for it to be evenly and fully baked from top to bottom, the pie starts at a high temperature, which helps the crust’s structure set. After this initial bake, the oven temperature is reduced for the remainder of bake time. But it’s well worth the wait! And if a long bake time makes you nervous, remember that the area most prone to over-browning on pies is the outside edge — so when you egg wash the surface of this pie, skip the edges. ( A bit of aluminum foil can also help protect any areas that are browning more than you’d like.) While not much beats homemade pie dough, if you want to save some time, you can use two purchased pie crusts instead.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1/4 cup ice water, plus more as needed
- 2 pounds fresh blueberries
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- pinch ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- coarse sanding sugar or turbinado sugar, as needed
Preparation
Make the Pie Dough:
1.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the cubed butter, tossing throughout the flour until each individual piece is well coated. ‘Cut’ the butter into the flour by pressing the pieces between your fingers, flattening the cubes into big shards. As you work, continue to toss the butter through the flour, recoating the shingled pieces.
2.Continue cutting the butter into the flour just until the pieces of butter are about the size of peas.
3.Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the ice water to the well and, using a tossing motion with your hands, start to mix the two together. As it begins to become hydrated, you can start to use more of a kneading motion — but don’t overdo it: this will make the dough tough. Add more water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is properly hydrated: it should be uniformly combined and hold together easily, but it won’t look totally smooth. Dough that is too dry may have sort of a “dusty” appearance, or pockets of un-hydrated flour. It will not hold together and will appear crumbly. Dough that is too wet will feel sticky or tacky to the touch, and is often smoother and/or lighter in color.
4.Divide the dough into two even pieces, and form each into a disk about 1-inch thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
5.After chilling, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about ½-inch thick (exact shape and size doesn’t matter here - just the thickness). Fold the dough in half, then fold the halved dough in half again. Tuck the edges of the dough under to form the dough back into a round. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days before using.
Make the Blueberry Filling:
1.In a medium pot, toss the blueberries and lemon juice to combine. Add ½ cup of sugar and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit softens and releases some of its juices, 6 to 8 minutes.
2.While the fruit cooks, stir the remaining ½ cup sugar with cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
3.When the blueberries have softened, sprinkle the sugar/cornstarch mixture over the surface, and immediately stir well to combine. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and visibly thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
4.Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and butter. Cool the filling to room temperature before using. To do this quickly, transfer the filling to a large casserole dish or baking sheet -—the increased surface area will cool it down very quickly. Alternatively, you can make the filling up to 2 days in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Assemble and Bake the Pie:
1.On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of pie dough into a circle about ¼-inch thick. To transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan, gently roll it up, wrapping it around the rolling pin, then gently unfurl it over the pie pan. There should be at least ½-inch of excess dough all the way around the outside of the pan.
2.Scoop the cooled blueberry filling into the center, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the top crust.
3.Roll out the second disk of dough into a circle about ¼-inch thick. Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator and use the rolling pin to gently unfurl the dough on top of the filling.
4.Use your fingers to pinch the top crust and bottom crust together all the way around the outside edge, pressing firmly to help seal the two crusts together. Use scissors to trim away any excess dough, leaving just ½-inch of dough hanging over the edge of the pie plate. Tuck this excess dough under itself all the way around the pie pan, making it flush with the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the edges as desired with your fingers or a fork.
5.Refrigerate the pie while you preheat the oven to 400 F with an oven rack in the center.
6.In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together to combine. Transfer the pie to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the surface of the pie with egg wash, and garnish with coarse or turbinado sugar. Cut an X into the center of the top crust to serve as a vent.
7. Transfer the pie to the oven. Bake for 35 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for 50 to 60 minutes , until the filling bubbles up through the vents and the crust is deeply golden brown. If the crust browns before the filling bubbles, tent the pie with foil for the remainder of bake time.
8. Cool the pie completely to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Note:
If using frozen blueberries, thaw the berries fully and drain any liquid off before using.
