Classic Double-Crust Blueberry Pie

Name: Classic Double-Crust Blueberry Pie
Prep time: 57 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 7 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting; 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon (6 g) fine salt; 1 cup (2 sticks) (226 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes; 7 tablespoons (105 ml) ice water, plus up to 1 extra tablespoon (15 ml) if needed, ice removed; 6 cups (870 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed), rinsed and picked over, stems removed; ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar; 3 tablespoons (24 g) cornstarch; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon (2 g) lemon, zest, finely grated; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) fine salt; 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small bits; 1 (50 g) large egg, beaten with the milk; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) whole milk; 1 tablespoon (12 g) coarse sparkling sugar

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A flaky all-butter double crust holds a jammy, sliceable blueberry filling brightened with lemon. Cornstarch and a long cool-down mean clean slices instead of a runny puddle.

Prep: 57 min
Cook: 1 hr 10 min
Wait: 5 hr 30 min
Total: 7 hr 37 min
Makes: 1 deep 9-inch pie (8 slices)

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the crust
2½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (6 g) fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) (226 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
7 tablespoons (105 ml) ice water, plus up to 1 extra tablespoon (15 ml) if needed, ice removed
For the filling
6 cups (870 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed), rinsed and picked over, stems removed
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (24 g) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon (2 g) lemon, zest, finely grated
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) fine salt
1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small bits
For the finish
1 (50 g) large egg, beaten with the milk
1 tablespoon (15 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (12 g) coarse sparkling sugar

Equipment (8)

9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish glass or ceramic pie plate (about 1½ inches / 4 cm deep)
Large mixing bowls (2)
Rolling pin
Rimmed baking sheet
Pastry cutter or food processor (optional)
Pastry brush
Instant-read thermometer (optional)
Wire cooling rack

Steps

Before you start

Cut the butter into cubes and chill it in the freezer for 15 minutes, and put a glass of water with ice in the fridge, before you start the dough.
Plan for about 7½ hours start to finish. Most of that is chilling and the 4-hour cool-down that sets the filling. You can make the dough a day ahead.
If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them. Use them straight from the freezer and add 5 minutes to the final bake.
Position an oven rack in the lower third and have a rimmed baking sheet ready to catch drips.

1
Cut butter into flour
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, crust sugar, and crust salt.
- Add the cold butter cubes and toss to coat.
- Using a pastry cutter, your fingertips, or short pulses in a food processor, work the butter in until most pieces are the size of peas, with some flat flakes up to the size of a almond slice.
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Ready when: Mixture looks like coarse crumbs with visible pea-sized butter pieces and no dry flour pockets at the bottom.
Tip: Work quickly. If the butter feels soft or greasy, chill the bowl for 10 minutes.
2
Add water, form dough
- Drizzle 7 tablespoons (105 ml) ice water over the mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition.
- Squeeze a handful: it should hold together without crumbling.
- If it's dry, add the extra tablespoon.
- Tip the shaggy mass onto the counter, divide in two (one piece slightly larger, about 55/45), and press each into a 1-inch-thick disk.
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Ready when: Dough holds together when squeezed and is not sticky.
Tip: Don't knead. Visible streaks of butter make the crust flaky.
3
Chill the dough
- Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
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Ready when: Dough is firm but gives slightly when pressed.
4
Roll and line the pan
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger disk into a 13-inch (33 cm) round about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick, turning it a quarter turn after every couple of rolls and dusting with flour as needed.
- Loosely fold it in quarters, transfer to the pie plate, and unfold, easing it into the corners without stretching.
- Trim the overhang to ½ inch (1 cm) beyond the rim.
- Refrigerate the lined plate while you make the filling.
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Ready when: Dough fills the pan to the rim with no gaps or thin spots.
Tip: If the dough cracks or turns soft and sticky, slide it onto a baking sheet and chill 10 minutes before continuing.
5
Mix the filling
- In a large bowl whisk the filling sugar, cornstarch, and filling salt until no cornstarch lumps remain.
- Add the blueberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest and fold gently until every berry is coated and no dry starch remains.
- Scoop out and set aside about 1 cup of berries; lightly crush them with a fork or potato masher, then fold them back in to release some juice for thickening.
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Ready when: Berries look glossy and wet, with no streaks of white starch.
Tip: Mix just before filling the pie so juices don't pool.
6
Fill and top the pie
- Roll the second disk into an 11-inch (28 cm) round, about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.
- Pile the filling into the chilled crust, mounding it slightly in the center, and scatter the butter bits on top.
- Lay the top round over the berries.
- Trim the top overhang to match the bottom, tuck the edges under, and press to seal.
- Crimp with your fingers or a fork.
- Cut 5 or 6 slits, each about 2 inches (5 cm) long, in the top for steam to escape.
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Ready when: Edges are tightly sealed and the top is vented.
Tip: Make sure the vents are cut all the way through, or the filling can steam-lift the crust and burst at the edge.
7
Chill and preheatOven 425°F / 220°C
- Refrigerate the assembled pie for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place a rack in the lower third of the oven with a rimmed baking sheet on it and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
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Ready when: Pie crust is cold and firm to the touch; oven is at full temperature.
Tip: Preheating the baking sheet helps the bottom crust brown.
8
Brush with egg wash
- Beat the egg and milk together until smooth.
- Brush a thin, even layer over the top crust and crimped edge, avoiding pooling in the vents.
- Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
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Ready when: Crust has an even, light sheen.
9
Bake hot firstOven 425°F / 220°C
- Set the pie on the preheated baking sheet and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes.
- The crust will begin to set and turn pale golden.
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Ready when: Crust is set and light golden at the edges.
10
Lower heat and finishOven 375°F / 190°C
- Reduce the oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake 45 to 50 minutes more (add 5 minutes if using frozen berries).
- If the edge browns too quickly, shield it with strips of foil.
- The pie is done when the crust is deep golden brown and thick, slow bubbles burst through the vents.
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Ready when: Deep golden crust and thick, jammy bubbles slowly rising in the vents, not just at the edges.
Tip: Bubbling is the key sign: cornstarch only thickens fully once the filling boils. If the juices are thin and watery, bake 10 more minutes.
11
Cool completely
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool at room temperature for at least 4 hours before slicing.
- The filling will look loose at first and set as it cools.
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Ready when: Bottom of the pan feels barely warm and the filling no longer jiggles when nudged.
Tip: Cutting a warm pie gives runny slices. Be patient.

Good to know

Tips

Mash a portion of the berries as in step 5; it releases pectin and juice that helps the filling gel.
Keep everything cold. If butter softens at any point, chill the dough 15 minutes before continuing.
Bake on the lower rack with a preheated sheet so the bottom crust cooks through instead of turning pale and soggy.
Wait for slow, thick bubbles in the vents before removing the pie; that's how you know the starch has activated.

Make ahead

"Make the dough disks up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate, or freeze up to 1 month (thaw overnight in the fridge). The baked pie is best the day it is made but can be baked a day ahead and kept at room temperature."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days. Refrigerate up to 4 days. Freeze whole or in slices, wrapped airtight, up to 2 months. Reheat slices or the whole pie at 325°F (160°C) for 10–20 minutes until warmed through and the crust re-crisps."

Substitutions

cornstarch → Instant tapioca starch (3 tablespoons / 24 g). Gives a slightly glossier filling; slice once fully cooled.
fresh lemon juice → Fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons (30 ml). Keeps the same bright acidity with a slightly different flavor.
unsalted butter → Half butter, half vegetable shortening (113 g each). Makes the dough easier to handle in warm kitchens, with a bit less buttery flavor.
coarse sparkling sugar → Regular granulated sugar. Browns the same but with less sparkle and crunch.