This blueberry pie recipe was something of a man magnet for cookbook author Rick Martinez. When he first posted a photo of it on social media, “Men that I knew well, men who I had gone on dates with, exes, total strangers, everyone was messaging me that they needed that pie right now and would do whatever it takes to get it,” he writes. It scored him a few "blueberry pie and chill" situations.
The homemade blueberry pie is that good. It’s all about showcasing the fruit by achieving the right crust-to-filling ratio. For that you’ll need a deep-dish pie pan, which allows you to cram in 8 cups of blueberries for the pie filling. If you’d like, add a ½ teaspoon ground cardamom or coriander to enhance the blueberries’ fruitiness and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or ginger powder for a hit of warmth.
The pie crust that holds it all together is flaky, almost like puff pastry, which comes from smashing the butter into thin sheets between your fingers and palms. After the dough has chilled, use a rolling pin to thinly roll out each disk: One will be used for the bottom crust; the other will be cut into strips and used for the lattice top.
A word to the wise from Rick: Resist the temptation to cut into this fruit pie while it’s hot. If you do you’ll be faced with blueberry molten lava. Let the pie rest for at least four hours before serving it—perchance to a date.
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling and Assembly
Special Equipment
Preparation
Dough
Step 1
Whisk flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Toss butter in dry ingredients with your fingertips to evenly coat. Working quickly and aggressively, rub butter into dry ingredients with your fingertips and palms to smash butter into flour and incorporate completely, creating some pieces that are flat and thin and some that are pea-sized and irregular.
Step 2
Stir vodka, lemon juice, and ¼ cup ice water (or ½ cup ice water if you’re not using vodka; the vodka cooks off and makes for a tender, flaky crust) in a small bowl. Drizzle over dough, then mix with a fork until shaggy pieces form. Knead in bowl with your hands a couple of times until a shaggy dough forms (it will look quite dry, which is exactly what it should look like). Transfer large clumps of dough to a work surface. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. ice water over remaining smaller bits of dough in bowl and knead again to bring it together. Add to dough on work surface.
Step 3
Divide dough in half. Working with one half, press it together into a single mass, incorporating dry bits, then pat down to make a ¾"-thick block. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide block into 4 pieces. Stack pieces on top of one another, tucking any unincorporated dry bits in between layers, and press down to combine, flattening into one mass again. Form dough into a ¾"-thick disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Keeping dough wrapped in plastic, use your fingertips and the heels of your palms to press in any rough spots or remaining dry bits of dough around edges. Chill at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
Do Ahead: Dough can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month.
Filling and Assembly
Step 4
Toss blueberries, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and ¾ cup raw sugar in a large bowl. Let sit 30 minutes to soften berries and extract juices.
Step 5
Meanwhile, let dough sit at room temperature 5 minutes to soften. Working one at a time, roll out disks on a lightly floured surface to ⅛" thick (about 16" in diameter). Transfer one round to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill while you make lattice. Cut remaining round into twelve 1" strips. Place another piece of parchment over whole round on baking sheet, then transfer strips to parchment and chill.
Step 6
Position a rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°. Line another rimmed baking sheet with foil and place in oven.
Step 7
Carefully transfer whole dough round to pie dish (make sure it’s a deep pie dish—super critical). Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish (if it’s too cold to be pliable, let it warm up slightly first). Gently press dough into edges of dish, if needed. Trim, leaving about a ½" overhang. Gently scrape in filling and smooth top.
Step 8
Beat egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl. Lay 6 dough strips vertically across filling so that they are parallel to each other, leaving about ½" between them. (Tip: It’s easiest to start in the middle and work outwards.)
Step 9
Rotate pie plate about 15° (if the top of the pie is the 12 o’clock mark, turn it to 2 o’clock). Lay another 6 strips vertically over first set so that they create a tight angle, or narrow “X” pattern, at the points where they cross. Very little filling should be visible; the dough will shrink, and these gaps will widen as pie bakes. Advanced bakers (you know who you are): weave the lattice, if desired. Trim dough ends so strips overhang bottom round by ½". Working around edge of pie plate, fold loose ends under bottom round, pinching each gently to seal. Crimp edges decoratively, if desired. Brush edges and lattice lightly with egg wash, then sprinkle surface with raw sugar.
Step 10
Transfer pie dish to freezer and chill 10 minutes. Transfer pie dish to preheated baking sheet. Bake pie 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375°. Continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown and juices are thick and vigorously bubbling, 75–90 minutes (check at the 60- and 75-minute mark and loosely tent with foil if browning too quickly; the juices will start to bubble at around 75 minutes but will thicken and bubble faster in the last 15 minutes, so don’t be tempted to pull it out until the bubbles are really going). If using a clear pie dish, check underneath to make sure bottom crust is evenly browned.
Step 11
Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool at least 4 hours before serving. Yes, it smells amazing, and yes, people love warm pie. But if you don’t give it time to set up properly, the filling will be runny when you cut into it.
Do Ahead: Pie can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool, then cover with foil and store at room temperature.
Editor's note: This recipe was originally published in July 2017 as part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.
