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classic blueberry pie
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Classic Blueberry Pie

This classic blueberry pie uses frozen berries so it can be made all year round. There's a flaky pie crust, a sweet, jammy blueberry filling and a impressive lattice top.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • 9" Pie Dish
  • Rolling Pin
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Large Saucepan
  • Pastry Brush

Ingredients

Pie Crust

  • 350 g Plain Flour
  • 30 g Caster Sugar
  • ½ tsp Fine Sea Salt
  • 150 g Unsalted Butter (Cold & Cut Into 1cm Chunks)
  • 65 g Lard (Cold & Cut Into 1cm Chunks)
  • 50 g Ice Cold Water
  • 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Blueberry Pie Filling

  • 800 g Frozen Blueberries (Defrosted)
  • 200 g Caster Sugar
  • 50 g Unsalted Butter (Roughly Chopped)
  • 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • A Pinch Of Sea Salt
  • 20 g Cornflour (Cornstarch)
  • 20 g Cold Water
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Paste

Assembly

  • 1 tbsp Ground Almonds
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 tsp Milk
  • Demerara Sugar

Instructions

Pie Crust

  • Place the flour, sugar & salt into a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine then add in the cold butter & lard.
  • Using your fingers, rub the fats into the flour until the pieces are roughly the size of peas. We want to keep the pieces of fat fairly large as this makes the pastry extra flaky!
  • Next, mix the cold water & vinegar together then add into the flour. Mix by hand, until a rough dough forms. Stop mixing as soon as this happens!
  • Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface & knead gently until smooth (be careful not to overwork the pastry) then cut in half, flatten into discs & wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Blueberry Pie Filling

  • Add the blueberries into a large saucepan, along with the sugar, butter, lemon juice and salt. Set the pan over a medium-low heat then cook, stirring regularly until the berries are starting to soften and have released lots of juice. This will take 4-5 minutes.
    Give the blueberries a taste before thickening, adding more sugar & lemon juice if needed.
  • Whilst the berries are cooking, add the cornflour & cold water into a small mixing bowl then stir together to make a smooth paste.
  • Once the blueberries are ready, turn the heat up to medium and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cornflour paste then continue cooking, stirring regularly until the juice has thickened, this will take 2-3 minutes. The juice needs to be just bubbling, in order to activate the cornflour.
    The juice needs to be thick enough to coat the blueberries but the filling shouldn't be a solid jelly! If you think your filling needs to be thicker, mix a bit more cornflour & water together then add in & cook out. If you need to thin the filling out, stir in a splash of water. Keep in mind that the filling will set slightly thicker as it cools.
  • Take the pan off the heat then stir the vanilla paste into the pie filling. Transfer the filling to a container, leave to cool then chill in the fridge until completely cold (or for up to a day).

Assembly

  • Take one piece of pastry out of the fridge, leave to sit out for 10-20 minutes then roll out on a lightly floured surface into a disc that's an inch bigger than your pie dish. The pastry should be 3-4mm thick.
    Lightly dust the top of the pastry with flour to stop it sticking to your rolling pin. To get a uniform circle, turn the pastry a quarter turn after each roll. Take the other piece of pastry out of the fridge just before you roll out the first piece.
  • Carefully roll the pastry around your rolling pin, unroll into a 9" pie dish then gently press the pastry into the tin. The pastry should be overhanging the edge by a couple of centimetres.
    Trim the overhanging pastry with a pair of scissors if needed.
  • Sprinkle the ground almonds onto the bottom of the pie then spoon the cold blueberry filling on top. Use a spatula/palette knife to spread it out into an even layer. If your kitchen is warm, place the pie in the fridge whilst you prep the pastry for the lattice.
  • Next, roll the other piece of pastry out into a 12" circle then cut it into 12x 1 inch strips.
    I find that a pizza cutter works best here! Don't worry if the pastry isn't perfectly round, as long as you can cut 12x 1" wide strips that are long enough to cover the top of the pie. You can re roll any trimmings if necessary.
  • To assemble the lattice, place 6 of the strips on top of the pie so that they're facing horizontally & are evenly spaced apart. Fold one end of every other strip back so that they fold back over themselves by a couple inches.
    Make sure that the pastry sits on top of itself and doesn't go into the pie filling!
  • Place another strip of pastry on top of the pie so that it's facing vertically and sitting next to the folded back pieces (on top of the unfolded lengths). Fold the horizontal lengths back over the top of the vertical length.
    There's a visual guide on doing this in the post above!
  • Next, fold the other 3 horizontal strips back, this time fold them so that they sit over the first vertical piece & off the edge of the pie dish.
    Place another vertical strip next to the first then fold the horizontal strips back over. Repeat this process, with alternating strips of pastry until you've used all the pastry up & you've got a complete lattice.
    Use the longer strips for the middle of the pie & the shorter ones for the edges. Make sure to space the vertical strips out evenly, like the horizontal ones.
  • If needed, trim the edges of the lattice so that it's level with the edge of the pie dish then fold the overhanging pastry (from the bottom crust) over onto the edge of the pie dish. Crimp as desired then chill the pie in the fridge for at least an hour.

Baking

  • Preheat an oven to 220°c/200°c fan (428°f/392°f). Place a large baking tray in the oven at the same time. Make sure to give the oven & tray plenty of time to heat up.
  • Next, place the egg & milk into a bowl then whisk together. Brush a thin, even layer of the egg wash over the top of the pie then sprinkle a generous amount of demerara sugar over the lattice.
  • Place the pie onto the preheated tray, bake for 20 minutes then turn the oven temperature down to 180°c/356°f. Continue baking for another 40-45 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden brown all over & the filling is bubbling. If the pastry starts to brown too much, cover it loosely with foil.
  • Once cooked, let the pie cool completely then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. If you've got the time, an overnight chill is best.
    I've found that a small, sharp knife works best for cutting the pie into slices!

Notes

1. To Bake In An Aga – Use the simmering plate to cook the blueberry filling. Bake the pie in the roasting oven on the bottom set of runners for 20 minutes then move over to the bottom set of runners in the baking oven for the rest of the cook.
2. Blueberries - This pie is designed to be made with frozen blueberries and it's best to let them defrost before cooking. I’d recommend giving the filling a taste before you add in the cornflour then adding in more sugar if needed.
If you like, add a teaspoon of almond extract into the blueberry filling when you add in the vanilla! This is what I do when I make cherry pie and it would work great with blueberries as well.
3. Making In Advance – Both the pastry & filling can be made up to a day in advance & will need to be stored in the fridge. Once assembled, the pie should be baked within a day.
4. Storage & Serving – Blueberry pie needs to be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days. You can serve the pie cold, at room temperature or warm. To serve warm, it’s best to microwave individual slices. To serve at room temperature, leave slices out of the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.