Blueberry Pie + The Perfect Pie Crust

My journey to pie making started when I received this little quote about aprons, via email:

"Remember: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.  Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw."

I thought, "Hey! We can too, bake real pies!" It's true that most of us don't because frozen pies and pie shells are so convenient. It is a skill that my grandma knew well, and she would often be making more than one kind of pie at a time. I loved her pies (especially the lemon meringue!), and it's a skill I want to have for my children and grandchildren as well. It's really not like I feel I need to prove anything, it's really more about wanting to pass on the tradition of pie baking from my grandma to my own kids.

So, pictured above is my first, 100% made-from-scratch pie - and it was amazing. So good that I had to send the second half of it with my husband to work, lest I eat the whole thing myself today. 

Below you can find my recipe for both pie crust and blueberry pie filling. Still not sure that making pie crust isn't scary? Read my Top 8 Tips for the Perfect Pie Crust.

Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter*
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 4 tablespoons of ice water

* If you are looking for vegan alternatives, try these recipes from SavvyVegetarian.com and About.com, which use vegan margarine in place of butter, and use the same production and assembly techniques outlined here.

Directions

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Cut the sticks of butter into chunks and add to the dry ingredients, squeezing butter into the mixture by hand. Continue to combine until a crumbly ball has formed.

Add three to four tablespoons of ice water to dough. For me, three tablespoons were enough; however, you can use more than four if your dough is especially dry. Knead dough until fully soft and free of crumbles. Roll the dough into a ball, cut it in half, and press it into two flat discs.

To prevent sticking, wrap the discs in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour. 

While you wait for the crust, you can prepare your blueberry. 

P.S. my perfect pie crust recipe first appeared as a guest post by me on Going Home to Roost!

Blueberry Pie Filling

Ingredients

• 4 cups blueberries (2 pints) - I used frozen because fresh are too bitter right now
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 3 tablespoons water 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• For top of pie:
• 1 egg, beaten
• baker's sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions

Combine 1 cup of blueberries with 3/4 cup sugar in a medium sauce pan. Heat until sugar melts completely.

While waiting for sugar to melt, combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl, mixing completely. Once the sugar is melted, add in the water/cornstarch mixture. 

Bring to a full boil on medium heat. Remove from heat, and pour into a large bowl. Once the blueberry/sugar mix has cooled to just "warm", stir in remaining blueberries, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Let cool before adding to pie crust.

Assembling the pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. After one hour of refrigeration, remove pie dough and roll flat (1/8" or so thin) between two sheets of floured wax paper. This trick allowed me roll the dough very flat without the dough sticking to my rolling pin and tearing.

When dough is flattened nicely, lay the dough over your pie pan, gently pressing it into the sides and bottom. Cut excess dough of the edges of the pie with kitchen shears, leaving about an inch to fold over and pinch into the outer crust. 

Pour in the pie filling. Since this recipe is for two pie crusts, you can use the second for the top crust of the pie. I decided to give the lattice effect a try, and it was so fun! Simply cut the second rolled crust into strips about 3/4" thick. 

Weave strips of dough over and under, one-by-one, starting with the longest strips in the middle. If it looks confusing, check out this photo tutorial on About.com. 

Brush top pie crust with beaten egg, and sprinkle with baker's sugar (best choice for maintaining sparkle). I did not cover my pie. When putting the pie in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. 

Bake for 20 minutes, then check crust. If crust is still white, yellow, or slightly brown, leave as is and bake another 20 minutes. If crust is already browning, wrap just the outer crust with strips of foil before baking for another 20 minutes. 

I let the pie cool for about 15 minutes, and it was better than I ever imagined it would be. My husband was generally against all fruit-based pies, saying "why have berries when you could have peanut butter or pecans?", but I have officially convinced him of the joy that is a blueberry pie.

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Edit: I've since made this pie again, trying a different crust technique - what do you think of the star cut-outs?