Wild Blueberry Pie

Slice of blueberry pie on a white plate, with a flaky golden crust, rich purple pie filling, and a striped napkin nearby.

Course: Baked Desserts, Desserts, Pies

Cuisine: American, North American

Prep Time: 1 15

Cook Time: 1 20

Chilling / Resting time: 8 40

Total Time: 11 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 547kcal

Author: Dini Kodippili

Here's how to make the most flavorful blueberry pie with thick, juicy wild blueberry pie filling and a tender, flaky butter pie crust! With lots of tips to add even more flavor to your pie and bake it to perfection. No soggy or shrinking crust or runny filling ever!

INTERMEDIATE - This recipe is easier for those with some baking experience. However, the detailed step-by-step recipe is designed for beginners.

This can serve 8 - 10 people

Print Recipe

Metric - US Customary

Ingredients

Pie dough (all butter pie dough)

300 g unsalted butter preferably chilled
120 mL iced water
30 mL chilled vodka or use the same amount of iced water
400 g all purpose flour spooned and leveled when using cup measurements
30 g sugar
¾ tsp fine sea salt

Wild blueberry filling

1600 g wild blueberries frozen or fresh
150 g white sugar
45 g cornstarch or 90 g tapioca starch
1 tbsp lemon zest from 1 - 2 lemons
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated ginger optional

To finish

1 large egg for the egg wash
raw sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions

Making the dough

Make the pie crust dough according to the instructions in my all butter pie crust recipe here. Make sure the dough is well-rested for a few hours before rolling it out. We'll be using both dough portions for this double pie crust recipe.
300 g unsalted butter, 120 mL iced water, 30 mL chilled vodka, 400 g all purpose flour, 30 g sugar, ¾ tsp fine sea salt

Wild blueberry filling

I like to crush some of the blueberries in the filling to create a jammy texture. If you're using frozen wild blueberries, you will need to thaw about ⅓ of the berries (about 500 g) in a bowl overnight.
500 g Wild blueberries
You have the option of thawing out all the frozen blueberries or just ⅓ of it. If your blueberries are frozen into 1 big clump, then it's best to thaw out all of it in a bowl.
Once the pie dough is in the pan, and the second portion is also rolled out, make the blueberry filling.
After the blueberries are thawed, crush the ⅓ portion / 500 g of blueberries with a fork. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch (or tapioca starch) and sugar.
150 g white sugar, 45 g cornstarch
Place the crushed blueberries in a large bowl, followed by the remaining blueberries (fresh, thawed, or frozen). Add the starch and sugar mixture, along with the lemon zest and lemon juice. The grated ginger can also be added if you're using it.
1,100 g Wild blueberries, 1 tbsp lemon zest, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp grated ginger
Mix everything together really well. Set aside until needed.

Rolling out the dough

Take one portion of pie dough and unwrap the plastic wrap and place it on a floured surface.
Since the butter will be very firm, it'll be hard to roll out the dough right away. Strike the dough disc a few times with a rolling pin, on both sides, to make it more pliable and easy to roll out.
Roll out the dough while maintaining the shape of a circle as best you can. Squeeze any cracked dough together to seal. Turn the dough a quarter turn after each roll, to ensure that the dough maintains the shape of a circle and also does not stick to your work surface. Use a light dusting of flour as needed, and also remember to flip the dough so that you roll it on both sides.
Roll the dough until it’s about 3 mm in thickness. The diameter may vary, but it should definitely fit a 9.5 inch diameter, deep pie dish.
If the dough starts to shrink as you roll it, lightly flour the dough surface and either fold it into quarters OR roll it onto a rolling pin, and then cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, and then proceed with rolling it out again.
Now transfer the dough onto the pie dish. You can do this by rolling up the dough on a rolling pin and then carefully unrolling it over a pie dish, or folding the dough into quarters and unfolding it in the pie dish.
Once you've lined the bottom crust in the pie plate, repeat the process to roll out the second portion of pie dough for the top crust. Fold the top crust into quarters and wrap it in plastic wrap. Keep it in the fridge until you need it.

Lining the pie plate with the bottom crust

Do NOT stretch the dough to fit it inside the pie dish. This is crucial and a common beginner's mistake. Instead, carefully lift the pie crust and let it gently fall onto the pie dish. Use the back of your fingers to gently press the dough into the bottom of the pie dish, so that it neatly fits in the dish.
Make sure the dough lines the sides of the pie dish in one smooth layer as well, with no folds or wrinkles.
There should be an overhang over the pie dish rim. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut the excess pie crust, leaving at least a 0.5 - 1 inch overhang. Measure the overhang from the inner rim of the pie dish.
Loosely cover the pie crust with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge while you get the filling ready. If the butter softens at any stage, refrigerate the crust.

Assembling the pie

Fill the pie plate with the blueberry pie filling. If you used a deep pie pan, the filling will completely fill the pan. Make sure the filling is evenly spread in the pie pan.
However, if you're using a shallow pie pan, the filling will overfill the pan. Mound the extra blueberries in the middle of the pie.
Take the second rolled out dough portion. You can keep the crust whole, or create a pattern on the top crust. It'll be easier to cut out the design before placing it on the pie. Instead of cutting slits to create vents, you can cut small decorative holes or shapes as well.
Next, brush the bottom border of the pie crust with a little water. Place the top crust over it, fairly taut. Then press down the top crust so that it sticks well to the water brushed edge of the bottom crust.
Cut the excess dough from the top crust while leaving the same 0.5 - 1 inch overhang. Roll this overhang under the pie crust edge to form a pie crust border and crimp it with a fork OR create a fluted edge.
Refrigerate the pie for at least 30 minutes before baking, while you preheat the oven.
Before baking the pie, brush the top crust with an egg wash and cut some holes / slits for venting.
1 large egg
Sprinkle raw sugar on top (optional).
raw sugar

Baking the blueberry pie

Preheat the oven to 425℉ / 218℃ (conventional oven). Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven, and then place a baking sheet on the rack. Allow this to preheat with the oven. Make sure it's properly preheated before placing the pie on top of it (this is crucial for a perfectly baked bottom crust).
Place the egg washed pie on the preheated baking pan / pizza stone. Bake at this temperature for about 5 minutes.
Then lower the heat to 350°F / 180°C (conventional oven). Bake the pie for a further 55 - 60 minutes. If the pie crust edge is browning too fast, cover the edge with a silicone pie crust shield, or with a piece of aluminum foil shaped into something similar.
Once the pie is baked, and the top crust is golden brown on the surface, and the filling is bubbling, remove the pie from the oven.
Allow the pie to cool down before cutting into it. The hotter the pie, the more runny the filling will be. For neat pie slices, wait until the pie is completely cooled down to room temperature.
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional).

Notes

All butter pie crust dough

Step by step instructions and tips for my all butter pie crust recipe.

Double pie crust

Step by step instructions and tips on making double pie crust.

Nutrition