"Made with wild Maine blueberries, this pie has a flaky, all-butter milk powder crust that perfectly complements the blueberry filling"
Wild Blueberry Pie
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Prep time: 1hr
Cook time: 1hr 20mins
Serves or Makes: 8
Recipe Card
ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 cup cold, unsalted, diced butter
- 6 tablespoons half and half
- 1 egg white (for egg wash)
- Extra granulated sugar for sprinkling over the egg wash
ingredients
Filling
- 2 pounds wild blueberries, regular blueberries, thawed if frozen
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Method
Baking Tips
Step 1
The crust recipe below is enough dough for a double-crust pie. However, if doing an intricate design like a lattice, it will not be enough dough, since a lattice top essentially uses two crusts, especially if there are no gaps between the strips, like in my design. If you need more dough for a lattice design, you can scale the crust recipe to 1 1/2 times the amounts listed below, to get enough for 3 crusts. That said, when doing a lattice, you should roll the dough fairly thin, so that the overlapping strips don't create a too-thick top crust.
Step 2
The filling should be made a day in advance and allowed to cool and the flavors to mingle and marry before filling and baking your pie.
Step 3
Pro Tip: I assembled my lattice on the counter and trimmed the edges before carefully lifting and placing the whole design on top of my pie.
Crust
Step 1
In a large bowl, combine the flour, milk powder, corn starch, sugar and salt. Scatter the diced butter over the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in until the butter pieces are no bigger than 1/4 inch. Now, use your fingers to smash the butter pieces flat. Drizzle the half 'n' half over the mixture and toss together. Dump the mixture out onto a clean work surface; it will be very dry and floury. Use your hands to gather the mixture up, working the liquid into the dry ingredients, just until it all comes together into a ball of dough.
Step 2
Lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough out into a large square, between 1/4 - 1/8 inch thick, using a little more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Using a bench scraper to loosen the dough from the counter if it's sticking, fold the square into thirds, like a letter, then fold the long ends towards the center into thirds again, so you have a neat square package of dough. Cut the dough in half so you have two portions. You can now roll out the dough immediately, or wrap each portion in plastic and refrigerate for several days, or freeze indefinitely for later use. If your dough is cold and hard from the refrigerator, you'll need to let it sit out and soften for at least an hour until you'll be able to roll it out.
Filling
Step 1
In a large stock pot, toss together the blueberries with the sugar and corn starch. Stir in the lemon juice and salt until everything is evenly coated. Over medium low heat, gently warm the blueberries until the sugar dissolves and they become very liquidy. Over medium heat, cook the blueberries, stirring constantly but gently, so that you don't smash the berries, bring them to a boil, and continue to cook until it thickens into the consistency of jam. Once it reaches a boil, cook for one full minute before removing from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and butter.
Step 2
Refrigerate and cool completely, preferably overnight so that the flavors intensify.
Assembly and Bake
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
Step 2
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of the dough so that it's large enough to fit into a deep dish pie pan with a little bit of overhang. Trim the edges. Sprinkle the bottom of the crust with 2 tablespoons flour, to help prevent the bottom from getting soggy.
Step 3
Pour the chilled filling into the crust.
Step 4
Roll out the other portion of dough and lay it over the filling, trimming and crimping the edges of the dough as you like. Brush the top lightly with the egg white and then sprinkle with sugar. If your top crust is completely sealed with no gaps in your design (like a lattice), use a sharp knife to cut a few slits in the top to vent the steam.
Step 5
Refrigerate the pie for 10 minutes to firm up the dough again.
Step 6
Place the pie on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for approximately 80 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is slowly bubbling up and thickened. About 40 minutes into the baking, you'll need to cover the edges of the pie with foil to keep them from over-browning while the center bakes and browns.
Step 7
Set the pie on a wire rack to cool completely, preferably 6-8 hours, before cutting.