Sweet Blueberry Pie

To make the crust:

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the cold butter into smaller cubes and add them to the bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter in until the butter is about the size of peas. The butter pieces will be all different sizes, but you don’t want to over work the dough, so ‘pea size’ is just a general rule. You can also do this in food processor, but using a pastry cutter is really easy (if you have one).

Slowly add in 1/2 cup of ice cold water and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add in more cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is thick and starts sticking to your spoon. Then use your hands and give it a quick knead (only about 5 kneads) to really gather the dough.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces, lay each on a piece of plastic wrap, form each into a small disk, wrap them up, and put them in the fridge for at least 2 hours. At this point you can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze it up to a couple of months.

To make the pie:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Stir together the blueberries, cornstarch, flour, sugar, salt and lemon juice gently in a large bowl.

Roll out half of the chilled dough on a floured work surface to 13-inches round (or something that slightly resembles a circle). Fold the circle in half, then in half again and place the point in the center of the pie plate, then unfold the crust. Or you can roll it around the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie plate. Trim edges so you have roughly a half-inch overhang.

Scoop the blueberry filling into the pie crust, discarding the majority of the liquid that has pooled in the bowl. Add the little bits of butter to the top of the blueberries.

Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface, and slice into strips. The strips should be roughly 1/2-1 inch thick (your choice). Weave the strips over the blueberry filling, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under (or over, if that’s easier) the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it. Use your thumb and index finger with one hand, and your index finger knuckle on the other hand to ‘crimp’ the edge of the pie.

Combine the egg and water in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash over over lattice top (a little will get on the blueberries, that’s OK.

Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 F and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes. Bake until the crust is golden and the blueberries are bubbling through. Let the pie cool on a rack. Can be made up to a day ahead of time (maybe more, but I made mine 1 day ahead and we demolished it in 1 sitting).

Pie crust recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.