Nothing says summer quite like Blueberry Pie. When I came back from the East Lynn Farmers Market with my trusty stroller loaded with 2 pounds of Ontario blueberries; I knew I had to bake. And bake I did. I love Canadian summer; the cold, frigid winter months make me that much more appreciative for the few months of steady sunshine we can squeeze in between & the abundance of fresh, local produce everywhere.
I have been obsessed with blueberry pie ever since I got a chance to try the real deal at local Farmers Markets around Ontario. Can I just say; that’s darn good pie. Picture thick on the filling, oozing with fresh blueberries, flaky as flaky pie gets. The kind of pie you can’t pick up at any grocery store because it tastes homemade and was made at home. It doesn’t have chemicals, preservatives or additives and it went straight from someone’s oven to your table.
But here’s the conundrum; I’ve always been seriously intimated by… pie crust! Yes, it’s entirely laughable. I undertake far more difficult kitchen endeavours, but somehow fear kneading, rolling, and prepping pie crust. Actually, transferring rolled pie crust onto the pie dish is the hardest part. But I have a trick: I roll the dough over parchment paper and then lift it by holding up the parchment paper and flipping it over on the dish, and then peeling of the parchment paper. Friends, it works like a charm!
Well, I did just that for an audience on snapchat. I shared some great tips on how to roll the dough and keep it from breaking when transferring to the pie dish. Can I just say, gluten free crust is far more likely to fall apart and break than it’s gluten laden counterparts. Gluten gives amazing elasticity to dough, but incredible stiffness to my back. Best analogy I could come up with. So, we’ll stick to gluten-free.
Now here’s the key tip for the best pie crust of your life: prepare the dough the night before you bake the pie and then allow it to chill back to room temperature when prepping it. After mixing everything well, I like to divide the dough into two sections of equal size. You know it’s got the perfect consistency when it doesn’t stick to your hands. It should totally feel like play doh. [You may have to dig deep into your childhood memories]…. Unless, of course, you’re a mom like me and are constantly finding hidden blobs of play doh inside tea cups, crevices, and vases. Then you know all too well how pie dough should feel. Once you’ve mastered this easy pie dough method, we’ll focus on making a killer filling. Because that’s where the flavor punch lies.
Gluten Free Blueberry Pie
Ingredients
FILLING
- 6 cups of fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup of organic coconut sugar OR pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp of pure vanilla extract (I swear by Madagascar Vanilla)
- 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp of cornstarch
- 2 tbsp of unsalted, grass-fed butter cut into squares or coconut oil for vegan options
CRUST
- 2 + 1/4 cups of gluten-free multipurpose flour (or if using store-bought mix, I really recommend Glutino, Gluten Free Perfect Pie Crust & follow their box instructions, instead)
- 2-3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup or coconut nectar to sweeten a bit
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Start with 5-6 tbsp of water. The dough must end up feeling like play-doh.
- 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon (love saigon cinnamon!)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup non-dairy butter like “Earth Balance” or 1 cup of grass-fed butter, I recommend “Rolling Meadow Dairy”.
- 1 free run egg (not to be mixed into dough ingredients, I use the yolk to brush on some egg wash on top before the pie goes into the oven)
Instructions
- I highly recommend to prep the pie crust dough the night before you bake the pie. If you need to bake this same-day, chill the dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Pour all crust ingredients into a big bowl. Start mixing with a whisk or large wooden spoon and you’ll end up working the dough to completion with clean hands. Note: you may also throw this into your food processor.
- I then divide the dough into 2 (almost) equal sections and place each one inside large ziplock bags and into the fridge they go (not freezer) overnight.
- The day you bake the pie, remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to chill back almost to room temperature. Preheat the oven on to 350F and grease a 9 inch pie dish with a paper towel soaked in coconut oil. Don’t forget to coat both; the bottom and the edges of the pie dish.
- Grab a large sheet of parchment paper and place one chilled dough disk over it. Using a rolling pin, start rolling the dough as if to create a circular pizza crust. When it’s evenly rolled and stretched on all sides, lift the sheet of parchment paper with both hands, lower it close to the pie dish, and flip it onto the pie plate. Gently peel the parchment paper off the dough. Press firmly with clean hands to mould the dough into the shape of the pie dish.You may use a kitchen scissor or knife to remove any excess around the edges.
- In a large bowl, mix ALL filling ingredients. Place over the pie dish that’s just been covered with the bottom crust.
- Repeat step 4 for pie dough disk #2 to cover the pie. Hey, if you don’t want a pie cover, that’s perfectly fine. All you need is one crust and this delicious filling to make it work. You could even throw some oat crumble mixed in with coconut oil or butter on top of the filling and get ready to bake.
- If you have covered the pie with crust, use a sharp knife to cut open some lines (in the shape of an asterisk) to facilitate cooking and help release steam.
- I beat the egg yolk and use a kitchen brush to place some over the top pie crust. It gives pies a nice, golden, moist finish. Cover with aluminum foil & bake for about 35-50 minutes. Mine took almost 45 minutes to brown nicely.
- Eat on repeat. Perhaps with a side of dairy-free vanilla coconut ice cream. SO good.
- If you enjoy this recipe, please share this with me!
This pie is BEAUTIFUL!!! Perfect for a summer treat 🙂
You are the sweetest, Thanks Sarah! 🙂
This looks so, so good! I’ve have all kinds of pie before but never a blueberry. Maybe it’s time!