Apple pie. Pumpkin Pie. Blueberry Pie. To me, those are the holy trinity of pies. If I’m honest, in this area, I’m a terrible Foodie. Or food enthusiast. Or gourmand. Or Food Lover. Or whatever the current term for someone who enjoys putting good food in her face hole is called.
I prefer the classic versions of these pie. I know. I know. There’s a million ways to make each of those pies. Yet I always some back to the classics.
In this case, it’s just blueberries, a little lemon, enough sugar to sweeten, and just enough cornstarch to hold the whole thing together. That’s it.
Now, if you were to top my slice with, say, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I wouldn’t say no to that. Of course I wouldn’t! Pie a la mode is a classic.
Classic Blueberry Pie (Gluten-Free, of course)
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 1/4 cups brown or white rice flour (6 1/4 ounces; 177 grams)
- 1/2 cup sweet rice flour (2 ounces; 56 grams)
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter or solid shortening, cold and cut into tablespoon-size pieces (8 ounces; 226 grams)
- 5 tablespoons water, more if needed (2.5 ounces; 70 grams)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For the Filling
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces; 150 grams)
- zest of one lemon
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch (1 1/4 ounces; 35 grams)
- 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (1/2 ounce; 14 grams)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups blueberries, washed and picked over (about 2 1/2 pounds; 1 kilo)
- 3 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into six pieces (1.5 ounces; 42 grams)
For the Topping
- 1 large egg whisked
- granulated sugar
- Ice cream or whipped cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
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In a large bowl, whisk together brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, and salt. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal and contains little nuggets of butter. Add water and vinegar. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. If the dough is dry, add an additional tablespoon of water (more if needed) until the dough holds together. Pat dough into a rectangle and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for one hour.
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
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Cut dough into two equal pieces. Return one piece to the refrigerator. Dust your counter with white or brown rice flour. Roll out one of the dough pieces. Roll out the dough into a 13-inch circle. Move the dough several times to prevent it from sticking on the counter. Working quickly, roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer to a 9-inch deep pie pan. Don't trim the edges of the pastry yet. Place the pie pan in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
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In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub it together so no there are no clumps of zest in the sugar. Add the cornstarch, sweet rice flour, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the blueberries. Stir to combine.
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Remove the pie pan from the fridge. Spoon the berries into the crust and set aside. Place the six pieces of butter evenly on top of the berries. Roll out the remaining piece of pastry. Roll out the dough into a 13-inch circle. Move the dough several times to prevent it from sticking on the counter. Working quickly, roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer the dough to cover the berries. Fold the top pastry under the bottom and crimp, either with your hands or by pressing the pastry together with a fork.
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Brush the egg over the crust and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Cut several slits in the pastry. This allows steam to vent. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the pie until the crust is golden brown and filling bubbles, about 45 minutes. If the crust turns brown before the filling bubbles, remove the pie from the oven, cover the top with foil and return the pie to the oven.
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Allow pie to cool for at least four hours before serving. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Chris says
Where can I find a gluten free recipe that doesn’t have added gum? First off Xanthan gum is a bacteria extract from the cabbage blight called black spot, secondly I have two good friends who are allergic to most gums.
Elizabeth says
Chris–All of the recipes in my book “World’s Easiest Paleo Baking” are gum-free. They are also grain-free. Hope this helps.
Steven Bacheler says
You mention salt in the blueberries, but do not show it in the list of ingredients.
Elizabeth says
Hi Steven,
Sorry about that! It’s an 1/8 teaspoon. I updated the recipe to include the salt.
Shirley says
I love this pie. I made my own crust, but the filling is wonderful. The lemon zest a great idea. Thank you.
Laura says
Under the filling you have 3 Tbl of butter cut 6 pieces but do not mention how this goes into the filling? I’m confused…
Elizabeth says
Fixed! I’m so sorry. You dot the top of the berries with the butter. The butter melts during baking adding richness and flavor. Again, sorry about that!
Laura says
Hey! No worries – I actually just omitted it and it still turned out fine. THIS IS THE BEST BLUEBERRY PIE RECIPE EVER. I have always been too afraid to make any kind of pie – this was my first and it was a huge hit. Everyone wanted seconds! I think the frozen wild blueberries are definitely the way to go, but I did have to drain the excess liquid from them after they thawed first. Thank you so much! Keeping this recipe to use again and again 🙂