Easy Homemade Blueberry Pie Recipe
Blueberries shine in this pie. The pie is lightly sweetened with a touch of spice from allspice and cinnamon. To top the pie, we like to add a lattice crust. It is simpler than it may seem; instructions are provided below. If preferred, a full sheet of pastry can be used; just cut a few slits to allow steam to escape. The pie is finished baking when the filling juices are bubbling eagerly. Removing the pie before the filling bubbles will result in a thin filling that runs out of the pie when sliced. A flaky pie crust recipe can be used, a favorite recipe, or store-bought crust.
Blueberries shine in this pie. The pie is lightly sweetened with a touch of spice from allspice and cinnamon. To top the pie, we like to add a lattice crust. It is simpler than it may seem; instructions are provided below. If preferred, a full sheet of pastry can be used; just cut a few slits to allow steam to escape. The pie is finished baking when the filling juices are bubbling eagerly. Removing the pie before the filling bubbles will result in a thin filling that runs out of the pie when sliced. A flaky pie crust recipe can be used, a favorite recipe, or store-bought crust.
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- pie dough for top and bottom 9-inch pie chilled (see our flaky pie crust recipe)
- 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup (130 to 150 grams) granulated sugar adjusted according to sweetness of berries
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
- 2 pounds (900 grams) fresh blueberries (about 6 cups)
- 1 tablespoon butter cut into small squares
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar for garnish
- Carbohydrate 1.69519125001029 g
- Cholesterol 27.8302777797167 mg
- Fat 2.08842500067944 g
- Fiber 0.0248749995496538 g
- Protein 0.332965972235233 g
- Saturated Fat 1.18129861153999 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -inch pie, 8 slice (107g)
- Sodium 27.1197583373619 mg
- Sugar 1.67031625046064 g
- Trans Fat 0.126084666711813 g
- Calories 26 calories
Step-by-step
- Roll out half of the pie dough to fit an 8- or 9-inch pie dish. To prevent the dough from sticking and to ensure uniform thickness, roll from the center of the dough outwards and keep lifting up and turning the dough a quarter turn as you roll. Check for the correct size by inverting the pie dish over the dough. The dough should be about 2 inches larger than the dish.
- Being careful not to stretch the dough, fit into pie dish then trim dough to within 3/4-inch of the edge of the dish. Refrigerate while you make the pie filling.
- Stir sugar, cornstarch, lemon peel, allspice, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add blueberries and gently toss to combine. Transfer blueberry filling to prepared pie crust. Refrigerate while you prepare the lattice crust.
- Roll out second half of dough to a similar size as before. Cut into 3/4-inch strips. Lay five strips over filled pie, parallel and equally spaced from one another. Carefully fold back the second and fourth strips then lay another strip of dough perpendicular to them. Unfold second and fourth strips over new strip.
- Fold back the first, third and fifth strips then lay another strip of dough perpendicular to them. Unfold the first, third and fifth strips over the new strip. Repeat until pie has been covered with a lattice crust. (Watch our video for how to make a lattice crust).
- Trim dough strips to 3/4-inch of the edge of dish. Fold edges of strips and bottom dough underneath itself, creating a thicker border that rests on the lip of the dish. Crimp edges. Dot butter over the open areas of the lattice.
- Make egg wash by whisking egg yolk and cream together then brush over pie dough. Sprinkle tablespoon of coarse sugar over crust. Refrigerate pie 20 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven then place a baking sheet on rack. (The baking sheet will catch any drips from the pie while baking).
- Bake chilled pie on hot baking sheet for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees F then continue to bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and juices in the filling are bubbling eagerly. (If, while baking, the crust begins to brown too much, cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake until done).
- Cool 2 to 3 hours before cutting to allow filling to set.
Adding frozen blueberries directly to a pie without accounting for their excess moisture will result in a watery filling that refuses to set. Fresh fruit contains less cellular water than frozen fruit, making two pounds of fresh blueberries the superior choice for maintaining structural integrity in a starch-thickened pastry. When tumbling the berries with sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest, the sugar draws out just enough liquid to hydrate the starch granules without flooding the pan. Cornstarch requires adequate heat to gelatinize fully, which is why the filling must bubble eagerly during baking. If the juices only simmer sluggishly, the starches remain raw and the liquid will run uncontrollably across the plate upon slicing. Rolling the dough requires keeping the fat cold; if kitchen temperatures exceed seventy degrees Fahrenheit, slide the dough back into the refrigerator for ten minutes to firm up the butter particles. Those solid pockets of fat melt during the oven phase, creating steam pockets that yield a flaky, layered crust rather than a tough, dense shell. Positioning a pre-heated baking sheet on the lower third of the oven catches any bubbling overspill while providing direct bottom heat to crisp the undercrust. Brushing the lattice strips with a mixture of egg yolk and heavy cream promotes browning through the Maillard reaction while anchoring the coarse sugar granules to the surface. Allowing the baked pie to rest undisturbed for three hours on a wire rack permits the internal temperature to drop and the starch network to contract fully, transforming a loose compote into a sliceable wedge.
