This weekend, we finally got to the U-Pick Blueberry place I’ve been wanting to visit for years! I can’t believe what I’ve been missing! Also, we walked away with six pounds of blueberries!! That sounds like a lot, but when I started planning all the recipes I wanted to try with my blueberry haul, I realized that this stash was going to go fast. For example: this blueberry pie with a crumble crust is a classic blueberry dessert, and a perfect way to show off those beauties!
Remember when I did my post on Short Rib Pot Pie? That crust was a 50/50 butter and shortening crust. This time, we’re going all butter, baby! I’ll reiterate what I said for the pot pie crust: the colder the better. Knowing that I wanted to throw together the crust soon, I cut the butter into squares and popped them in the freezer. I measured out the flour and salt and popped that in the fridge. In about a half hour, I’d be ready to go.
Put the flour and salt in the bottom of the processor, followed by the cubed butter, fresh from the freezer:
Pulse until it looks like this:
Add two tablespoons of water and pulse to see if it comes together. If it doesn’t, add water a teaspoon at a time until it comes together. Let me tell you, it feels like the mixture is totally dry and needs MUCH more water. Resist the temptation to add more water to save time. It goes from looking like the above picture to looking like this before you know it:
So be careful. Go slow. You want to add the least amount of water that will bring the dough together. Too much, and your dough will be dense. After it’s sticking together, scoop it out onto a non stick or lightly floured surface. Gently form in into a thick round disk. (A disk is easier to work with later than a ball will be!) Cover in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
One of the excuses I’ve made for not making more pies is how difficult rolling out the crust can be. I feel like I finally have a technique down-pat that works for me. It needs a few more trial runs before I share it, so stay tuned!!
The filling for this pie is just blueberries (I used about 2 lbs. of my 6 lb. stash), sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice–all mixed together. The crumb topping is just as simple: flour and sugar with butter cut in. For the topping, I suggest ditching the processor and going at it old school with a hand-held pastry blender or the “two-knife” method. The food processor will do TOO good of a job, and you want more inconsistency in the crumb. To make the process go quicker (because that’s all we want out of life, right?) grate the butter. I actually grated the butter WITH the grater attachment of the food processor, but then used the pastry blender to cut it into coarse crumbs. Yeah, I had to then wash the food processor again, but it’s worth it for the time and arm fatigue I save myself.
Pie assembly is pretty much the easiest thing ever! Dump in the blueberry mix and sprinkle on the topping. I know, it seems like a LOT of topping, but when it bakes, both the blueberries and topping lose a little volume, so just dump it all on there!
I like to cover the edges of the pie with thin strips of foil and remove it halfway through the baking process. I have bought fancy pie shields, and I think they are a bit of a waste. I have several different types of pie plates, and they all have slightly different rim sizes, so it’s just impractical. Aluminum foil fits no matter what! It doesn’t have to be pretty or tight-fitting. As long as the crust is covered, it won’t brown as fast. Remove the foil when there is about 15-20 minutes left on your timer. The pie is done when the filling is bubbly and the crust (and topping) is golden!!
OK–You’re not going to like what I have to say next. You HAVE to let this pie cool. Completely. If you don’t, your pie will be a soupy mess. Real talk–even if you let it cool completely, it might be a soupy mess. Blueberry pie is notorious for not setting, and there is a LOT of information out there touting the “foolproof” way to get berry pies to set every time. That being said, this post is already due for an update later this blueberry season. I found a recipe using math and tapioca flour. While I’m not particularly excited about doing math, I’m going to give it a try. I’ll let you know how it goes!
In the meantime, here’s the recipe I used this time around. It turned out a little juicy, but it didn’t detract from it being absolutely delicious!
Blueberry Pie
Juicy, fresh blueberries in an all-butter homemade crust, topped with a classic crumb topping! Recipe compliments of Crazy for Crust
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (diced and very cold)
- 1 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2-4 Tbsp Ice Water
- For the Filling:
- 5 cups Blueberries
- 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 4 Tbsp Cornstarch
- For the Crumb Topping:
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
Directions
- Step 1 Combine flour and salt in food processor. Add butter and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1 Tbsp water and pulse to mix. Add a second Tbsp and pulse. If dough is not coming together, add additional water a teaspoon at a time, pulsing in between until dough forms
- Step 2 Turn dough out onto a silicone mat or lightly floured surface. Press dough into a round disk. Chill for at least 30 minutes
- Step 3 Roll out the crust to fit a 9″ pie plate. Crimp edges. Chill again until ready to fill
- Step 4 Preheat oven until 425F
- Step 5 Stir together blueberries, sugar, lemon, and cornstarch in one bowl
- Step 6 In a separate bowl, grate cold butter. Add sugar and flour. Using a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture forms coarse crumbs
- Step 7 Add blueberry mixture to chilled pie crust and top with crumb mixture
- Step 8 Add strips of foil around the edges of the pie plate, covering the crust. Place pie on a cookie sheet
- Step 9 Bake for 10 minutes at 425F, then lower the temperature to 350F and bake for 30-40 minutes (remove the foil around the crust in the last 15 minutes) until crust is golden brown and filling is hot and bubbly
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