Now that’s a pie.
Warm lemony berry filling that spills when sliced. A crisp and flaky sugar topped crust. Imperfect crust crimping and slightly burned edges.
Let me tell you a few secrets about pies. They’re a lot of work. They’re never perfect. Sometimes they burn. Sometimes they bubble. And somehow a slightly warm, homemade pie is always always always perfect, despite the burned bits and the spilled guts.
Another secret: I licked these utensils. Yea.. that happened.
Now… it’s a holiday weekend, right? Are you going to parties? Will there be barbecues? Are you wearing a bathing suit? Can I come?
Pie for your parties? You should. I know. I know.. I just told you this pie was a lot of work. What kind of jerk am I? I think you’re up for the task. If you aren’t feeling brave enough for pie baking this weekend, here are a few other festive treats you might want to share. Yea… I’m giving you an easy way out.
Once you tackle the pie crust (which might seem a little daunting, but I totally believe in you) berry pies are pretty dang easy. Combine fresh berries with flour, sugar and lemon zest. You might also want to add some crushed graham crackers of plain bread crumbs to the pie shell to help soak up the juices… top crust… egg wash… you’re golden!
This pie is everything you’d want it to be. Big, bursting cooked berries lightly sweetened with the slightest brightness of lemon. It’s crazy effing delicious. I love it for breakfast with a cup of milky tea. Now you know.
At least once this summer you should make a pie. Promise?
And if you want to bring me a slice of that pie after you make it.. well heck, just invite me over. I’m friendly.
Blueberry Blackberry Pie
adapted from Baking: from my home to yours
makes one 9-inch double crusted pie
2 pints fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
1 cup sugar, plus more for dusting the top crust
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
generous pinch of salt
zest of 1/2 a lemon
juice from 1/2 a lemon, or more to taste
1/4 cup dry plain bread crumbs or finely crumbled graham crackers
1 large egg beaten with a splash of water for the egg wash
Start off by making the Buttermilk Pie Crust. While the dough is resting in the fridge, make the berry pie filling.
To make the filling put the rinsed berries into a large bowl and gently stir in the sugar, flour, salt, zest and juice. Let sit for five minutes. Taste the filling and add more lemon if necessary.
Remove the chilled pie crust from the fridge and roll out on a well floured work surface. Drape one rolled out dough into the pie plate and trim, leaving about 1/2-inch of excess dough overhang.
Sprinkle bread crumbs or crumbled graham crackers into the bottom of the unbaked pie shell. Scoop in the fruit mixture and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Moisten the edges of the pie dough with egg wash.
Drape the other rolled out pie dough over the pie. Trim to a 1/2-inch over hang. The egg wash will help the two stick together. Tuck the two pie crusts under a bit so the dough is flush with the edge of the pie plate. Crimp with your fingers or a fork to seal. Cut four vent holes into the top of the pie crust.
Place pie in the fridge while oven preheats.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a cookie sheet on the lowest shelf to catch any bubble over.
Coat the top and sides of the pie with egg wash. Sprinkle generously with granulated sugar. Bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes then reduce the oven to 375 degrees F and bake pie for another 30 minutes or until the crust is a beautiful golden brown and the filling is bubbling up through the slits. If the pie seems to be browning too quickly, make a loose foil tent for the pie while it bakes.
Transfer the pie to a rack and let it cool and settle for at least 30 minutes before serving.
danie
joy, i made this pie. this pie inspired me to throw my vegan baking obsession away for a hot second, buck up, and buy some butter. joy, this pie was good. (sorry i copied the bowling ball pattern on the crust. i just liked it) http://a-few-good-things.blogspot.com/2012/06/pie-time.html
Elizabeth
I made this pie this morning and it was SO delicious!
Kayleen
I made this pie and my boyfriend said its the best blueberry pie he’s had! :) he also said he was surprised how good it was… I will be making this again for sure:)
Jeanette
I am making this pie tonight but it mini form (using my rad william sonoma mini pie mold).
I am making them to impress a boy. The thing is though, is that this boy lives thousands of miles away from me. I am going to bake them and take pretty pictures and then upload them to facebook in hopes that this boy is impressed, gosh that sounds crazy! But who am I kidding…I am baking them for me because I am the one who will be eating them…alone, in this lovely Los angeles rain…sigh!
Maria
Another AMAZING recipe!
Thanks a bunch, Joy.
http://www.photoblog.com/nochebella/2010/08/22/blueberry-blackberry-pie-compliments-of-joy.html
MaryEllen
That was an amazing pie! I made it with raspberries and blackberries and it was unbelievable! :) Your pie crust is also awesome, btw.
s
This recipe is rad and so are you! I made it on my third-ever attempt to bake anything (first attempt to make a pie) and it was super duper crazy easy with the extensive & encouraging instructions. Thanks for making it such an awesome and enjoyable process!
Cory
Joy, you can even make a 21 year old college boy try making pies. After two attempts at the crust (I let the butter get too warm the first time) it is now cooling waited to be stabbed and eaten.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/loquito5765/pie.jpg
Thanks for your help.
joythebaker
hot damn that’s gorgeous Cory!
you’re going to get hella ladies with your pie making abilities.
i’m super impressed.
Danielle Gardner
I’ve been following and saving up your recipes for a while now, and I finally had a chance to use both of these this weekend. It was my first time making pie crust and my first from-scratch pie and it turned out deliciously! Thank you so much for your recipes and please keep sharing as I will definitely be trying more from now on :)
Nicki
I would totally invite you over if we lived in the same country. We love pie in Canada too!
Christine
I made the blackberry/blueberry pie for a BBQ. It was a hit – the lemon and graham crackers on the bottom made it different. The berries were summery and perfect.
Sheila H
My mother just made the best cherry pie this weekend. My family and my parents went over to a friend’s house and picked cherries off the tree. It was to die for! I just picked blackberres yesterday that I will be making jam tonight and best of all, malts! If I can get some more blackberries, I’ll try your pie.
trevorwallace
It looks like you murdered someone and got blood all over those utensils, and then you liked them to boot, sadistic :)
Nastassia Johnson
why do you tease me with this pie! i want to take a big bite out of it! next time you are pie making i’m over in los feliz if you want to share ;) maybe bring over a piece to Bar Covell and I will trade you a drink for it!
joythebaker
deal deal deal!
Lick My Spoon
Just looking at your photos, this pie must taste like heaven. Blueberry and blackberry heaven! Thanks for the recipe; must try soon before the berries are gone for the season.
Sarah from 20somethingcupcakes
I don’t think I’ll ever look at another pie the same way again. That sugary crust looks to die for. xxSAS
mwine122
This pie was my day-late Independence Day pie this year, though I subbed out half the blueberries for raspberries to make it a kinda multi-berry, red, golden brown and blue juice explosion kinda deal. And, holy hell, lady! That is some kinda pie crust! Truly. I will, no doubt, impress my mother with that crust in months to come. Gosh, I love making pies. And this is a really exceptional one! Thanks for the recipe!
Tara
blueberries…and blackberries…TOGETHER!!! IN A PIE!!! I need to make more pies.
Simply Life
WOW! That looks SO good!
Megan
I made this and am douvouring it now. Husband says, “you can make this whenever you want.” A winner all around! Thank you!
Natalie
Mmm wow this looks so good, definately not a pie to eat when wearing a good top in case of stainage hehe :P
Dianne Fishel
This pie looks incredibly delicious. Can’t wait to try it. I think I’ll use graham crackers for the crust rather than bread crumbs. I’ve never seen bread crumbs in a pie crust before.
Katrina
Berry pies are my favorite. I love the combo you used here, it looks and sounds so tasty!
nancy K.
I am not a pie baker…more into cookies/bars and cupcakes but given your great pie dough tutorial, I decided to make this for a 4th cookout but used fresh raspberries and fresh blueberries. I used a little less sugar( 3/4 cup) and just a couple of tablespoons of flour so that the pie would remain really juicy. I used one of the balls of dough to cut out various size stars for the top rather than a full crust.
Everyone raved about the pie. I have to admit, it was really tasty and the crust was delicious and very flaky.
Thanks Joy…I now will attempt pies more often.
celia
I promise to make a pie this summer!!! I love the way your pie looks-you can see the pieces of butter in the shell-delicious! I’m spending my summer in France and they have excellent butter here so I can’t wait to try this recipe. I LOVE the breadcrumb idea, it will be a lot better than the usual corn starch which ends up as white gobs in the pie.
Hettar7
Umm….. Your pie server looks like it has blood and gore on it. Joy?…..
Kim
So sweet Joy we are celebrating the 4th in Grass Valley and there is a pie baking contest. Sooo I went to my fav baker’s blog to see what to make. Found this awesome pie and decided to make it my own. Made the crust and made the filling & turned it into a rustic tart. It is for sure the winner! We will send you the pics of the tart and the gnome that the winner gets. Oh yea a winner’s gnome!!!
Love and Happy 4th,
Kim and Tracy
your friends from SLO
erin
This pie is currently baking away in my oven, and is my first pie from scratch! Thank you for your detailed and friendly recipes, Joy!
Glenda
This pie looks amazing, I will be making this. I have blackberries in the fridge and blueberries in the freezer. All I need is buttermilk. We had our 4th celebration early, and I did make pies. And there wasn’t a slice left. I made lemon creme. It was quite refreshing for a hot N.O. day. I think I probably won’t be shareing this blackberry blueberry pie :)
Avanika (Yumsilicious Bakes)
So glad you licked the utensils.. It’s a perk of baking on your own :)
nileta
really loved your pie.
feel free to try my nectarine pie recipe! hope its the first of many!
cassie o
i made it yesterday for a cookout (with blueberries…even though i hate them with a passion). everyone was raving about the pie all night long…i love how good it feels to be the baker of the best dessert at a cookout, it’s like a being queen for three hours
Val
I love the imperfections. I think that’s what makes pie so darn good. Homemade pie rocks and yours looks delicious.
Maria Jose-Dit i Fet
Que estupendo pastel, me recuerda a los pasteles de los dibujos animados de mi niñez, un beso
Chris
Heavens, that pie looks good!
You can make baking a pie considerably less of a project by using store-bought pie crust dough.
I know, I know it’s supposed to be homemade. But the ready made pie crust dough is pretty good, and the pie would still be partly homemade.
Beats having no pie at all!
annie
Okay, you’ve inspired me to make a 4th of July pie, despite the fact that I won’t have a working oven all weekend… enter the toaster oven! Wish me luck.
Also, made your chocolate bundt cake with the sour cream-chocolate frosting TWICE IN ONE WEEK last week. You are officially the devil, but I love you anyway. :)
Happy 4th!
alex
wow! i was looking for the perfect Fourth-of-July treat to make in spain for my host family. I am 100% sure you´ve created it :)
Great work Joy!!!
gee gee
it’s cold here. think i might try making the pie.
carolina
uhh i love blueberries and blackberries.. it’s soo hard to find them here in Argentina.. specially now that´s winter! i’m soo jealous!
Carly
I can’t wait to try this. I love making pies all year long but summer berries and fresh rhubarb inspire me to many unnecessary pies.
Catherine Crehan
Hi Joy,
We are going to one of my oldest friend for a bar b q. I am making a lime cake. You can come with us anytime. We live in Pa. I don’t know if that is to far for you. You are a JOY. I love this site,it makes my day.
I know thats sad.
delaney @ heartbreakpie
you can’t go wrong with buttermilk! looks delicious, can’t wait to give it a go
Dreaming Bear
Cheers from Iowa! Just found your lovely blog! So happy I did!!! I’m drooling, but happy! Decided to try the blackberry pie bars first! Thanks for sharing! YUM.
cassie o
so i’m not a huge fan of blueberries (i know, i know…traitor)
any chance i could do blackberry and raspberry together?
Nicole @ the dirty oven
Looks great. I wish I had time to bake a pie this weekend. However, lemon frozen yogurt and blueberry crumb bars are on there way to my mouth. BBQ’s are my BFF!!!!
Thanks for sharing.
Megan (megabite)
I know I commented once before already, but it makes me feel good that you say that pies get a little burned on the top and fruit spills in them because for a minute I thought it was just me!
Annalise
Thanks so much for the inspiration, I’ll be baking a pie this weekend! I’m actually going to make my first cherry pie, wish me luck!
LadyPreacher
Joy! I’m so disappointed. I feel really evangelical about pies — letting the people know that a pie is indeed within their reach. And you, mentor to so many, say publicly that they’re a lot of work? I mean, SEX is a lot of work. And that doesn’t stop anyone. Well. Not many people.
Jack
I love that you admitted licking the utensils. Because that is what home cooking is all about.
I am going to hit the farmer’s market next week and scrounge up some awesome berries.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
Oooo… Now that is one beautiful pie. Just in time for the Fourth! That Strawberry Coffee Cake, by the way, was one of my favorites. I posted about it here: http://comfortofcooking.blogspot.com/2010/04/strawberry-coffee-cake.html
Beautiful pie, and photos, as usual. Hope you and everyone around you has a great July 4th weekend!
Nicole
There’s nothing like a plate of pie with the filling staining the bottom. Yum!
Mackenzie@The Caramel Cookie
Pie sounds so perfect right now! And it’s true that pies are a lot of work, but they are totally worth it!
colleen @ sweetswallows
MMmmm, I love me some pie! After a long and gruesome heat wave in Philly, the last few days have been breezy and beautiful, and I woke up yesterday morning thinking, “It’s a perfect pie day!” Really, this is what I said out loud. So I made a blueberry pie too! And I ate my pie for breakfast this morning!
Hooray pie!
Lia
I can only imagine how delicious and yummy it must be…
Cheers,
Lia.
Heather @ chiknpastry
of course you licked the utensils – who doesn’t??!!! pie looks yummy although i prefer seeded fruits and could tear up a blueberry or cherry pie like no other! i suppose i could use a food mill to seed the blackberries, but then you aren’t left with clumpy fruits, which i like….. hmmm.
Miranda
I am so in love with your blog. I stalk it every day. I love your wit and the AMAZING food you make. Keep the recipes and the wit coming…..and I will be back for seconds!
Hannah
Oh it looks so tasty.
One (maybe stupid) question: I wanna make a strawberry pie, can I use the same amount of flour and crackers? Or even more / less?
Enjoy your pie :)
Lauren @ Crave. Indulge. Satisfy.
This looks delicious! I absolutely love blueberries and blackberries! Happy 4th!
take a megabite
I’m really glad you licked the utensils. I mean, how could you not? All that berry goodness, just gazing at you…
I will make this pie this summer even though I’ve never done a double crust before. I can do it.
Rachel (Two Healthy Plates)
This looks amazing…my husband is the biggest fan of pies and berries….he would love this!
Allison from "a for aubergine"
full confession! i lick utensils too! my mouth is watering for this pie. mmmm!
BakinEpiphanies
Aww, that pie has Love written all over it! Berry pies are so difficult to get right between fruit spillage (fillings that are too thin), or super-gunk (corn starch anyone?) I’m not sure that anyone’s found the solution for that (except maybe the America’s Test Kitchen folks with their apple-pectin method, haven’t tried so don’t know if it works). Pies are hard work and messy but oh so super-yummy!
joythebaker
the flour works pretty well in this recipe. i always think that fruit pies are allowed to have some spillage. it sure beats super-gunk from cornstarch.
i also sliced this pie when it was still pretty warm… that’s why i had as much spillage as i did in the first photo.
Beardyface
My secret weapon in berry pies is tapioca pearls. It usually holds together, but doesn’t give you the “gunk” (great word for it :) ) that cornstarch gives
dani
omg joy…. sooooooo delicious!
Avril Miller
Joy, you are ALWAYS invited to my house for a piece of pie!!! Just have to travel across the country to little ole NH….please do! Beautiful beautiful pie you made! :-)
Mika
I will try your pie crust recipe very soon, it seems to delicious to wait…I like the super golden color of that pie!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
I can’t even imagine how delicious the combo of blueberries and blackberries is!
Wei-Wei
I’m making a completely improvised sweet potato pie right now. I’m using leftover graham cracker dough. I’m not sure if it’ll work, but… CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. If this doesn’t work out I’ll still make a pie this summer. :D
Wei-Wei
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes
Great job Joy :)
Carmen Henesy
I’d like a slice right now before I snuggle under the covwers, even though I know that’s the worst time to eat!! I think I’d sleep like a baby, though.
Silvia
Looks so good…. I already feel my mouth watering!