Blackberry Pie
Submitted by rmcmiller
Classic double-crust blackberry pie with a flaky shortening crust and simple sugar-flour filling. No frills, just four cups of berries baked golden in a homemade shell.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minThis is blackberry pie stripped down to its essentials. Homemade double crust, four cups of berries, sugar, a little flour to thicken, and that’s about it. No cornstarch, no tapioca, no spices competing with the fruit. Just blackberries doing what blackberries do.
The crust is a straightforward shortening-based dough. Cut the shortening into the flour until you see pieces the size of large peas, not fine crumbs. Those chunks of fat create steam pockets in the oven that make the crust flaky. Add the cold water sparingly and stop the moment the dough holds together. More water means more gluten, and more gluten means a tough crust.
Chill the dough for a full hour before rolling. Cold dough is easier to handle and shrinks less during baking. Make one ball slightly larger for the bottom crust, since it needs to line the dish and come up the sides.
Slash the top crust in several places before baking. Those vents let steam escape so the filling bubbles gently instead of erupting through the seams and making a mess of your oven.
Pro Tips
- Toss the berries with the sugar-flour mixture gently. Crushing them releases juice too early and makes the bottom crust soggy.
- If the edges brown too fast, tent them with foil strips about halfway through baking.
- Let the pie cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. The filling needs time to set, otherwise it runs everywhere.
- Fresh berries work best, but frozen (thawed and drained) work in a pinch. Expect a juicier filling.
Variations
- Blackberry crumble pie: Skip the top crust and add a brown sugar, oat, and butter crumble topping instead.
- Lemon-kissed: Add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon of zest to the filling for brightness.
Ingredients
Directions
Sift together flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles large coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle water over flour mixture, using a fork to stir it in gently to make it gather into a ball (the less water the better - just enough to hold it together).
Turn out onto a lightly floured board and shape with your hands into two balls, one slightly larger than the other.
Chill dough for 1 hour, then roll out large ball to fit the bottom of a 9 or 10” pie dish.
Now, mix sugar and all-purpose flour in a separate bowl, then add a dash of salt and stir in berries.
Pour mixture into the empty pie shell, then roll out remaining ball of dough to make top crust.
Crimp and trim edges, then slash the top crust in several places.
Bake in a preheated 375℉ (190℃) oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 1 - 10” pie.
Comments
