Blueberry Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should I prebake my pie crust for blueberry pie? ›

Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie.

Tapioca Flour: This is the secret ingredient that will keep your blueberry pie from being a runny mess when you cut into it. Tapicoa flour works better than flour or cornstarch because you need less, and it wont alter the color or texture of the pie filling like those will.

Place 3 pints blueberries, sugar, water, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a saucepan; cook and stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; gently stir in butter and remaining 1 pint of blueberries so blueberries stay whole.

If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.

Blind Bake

The most common way to ward off a soggy pie crust is by a process called blind baking. Blind baking means you pre-bake the crust (sometimes covered with parchment or foil and weighed down with pie weights to prevent the crust from bubbling up) so that it sets and crisps up before you add any wet filling.

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency. Tapioca starch is preferable for products that will be frozen because it will not break down when thawed. We like tapioca in blueberry, cherry or peach pies.

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

Sugar: I use granulated sugar in the blueberry pie filling, but brown sugar would be fine. If your blueberries seem really tart, slightly increase the sugar.

Choose the Right Rack in the Oven

Which rack you use in the oven can help ensure a crisp crust. Baking the pie on a lower rack will concentrate heat on the bottom of the pie and help the crust crisp.

How long to prebake pie crust? ›

Bake: For a pie that you will cook further, like a quiche, bake the crust until it's dry and just beginning to brown, but still pale in color, about 20-30 minutes if you are using pie weights or beans and 45-50 minutes if you are using sugar.

But the one surefire way to make certain your pie's crust will be golden brown, crisp, and delicious — just as appealing as its filling — is to prebake it. That's right: bake the bottom crust first, before adding the filling.

Some say that scattering small bits of butter over a fruit filling keeps the juices from bubbling over in the same way that adding a bit of fat to simmering jam keeps it from foaming up in the preserving pan. The theory is that the fat disrupts the formation of bubbles on the surface of the viscous fruit mixture.

Adding an extra egg gives the pie a cake-like consistency.

It filled 11 tins.

The biggest difference between a cobbler and a pie is the placement of the dough. Pies have, at a minimum, a bottom crust with the fruit placed on top, while a cobbler has the fruit on the bottom and a dolloped dough on top instead.

Partially bake a pie crust if your crust needs longer in the oven than the pie filling, such as brownie pie or quiche. And if you want an extra-crisp pie crust for your apple pie, you can partially blind bake the crust before adding the filling.

Other pies, typically those with a more delicate, egg- and cream-based filling (think custard pie or quiche) require at least some baking — but don't spend long enough in the oven (at a high enough temperature) to guarantee a fully baked, brown and crispy crust. In these cases, you need to prebake your crust.

Pre-baking is a must if you're looking for a flaky pie crust. It's especially helpful for recipes with a wet center. Recipes for most tarts, pies, and quiches call for pre-baking to ensure that the final product doesn't end up soggy.

But when you're dealing with super-juicy summer fruits, pre-cooking seriously helps. Pre-cooking your filling basically allows you to control the juiciness before it goes into the oven, so there are no major surprises when it's time to bake.