Gluten-Free Blueberry Pie
I know they say apple pie is about as American as you can get, but I give that moniker to blueberry pie instead. When I think of pie, I think summertime and blueberries! Every summer, we visit my father in western Massachusetts and go to a big field with the most prolific old blueberry bushes you’ve ever seen, and fill our buckets with heaping cups of blueberries. We eat a lot of them right then and there while picking, but the rest get made into pancakes, and best of all, baked up into pie!
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 9-inch pie
Ingredients
Blueberry Pie Filling
Double Flaky Pie Crust
Preparation
Step 1
Set the oven rack in the lowest position, place a baking sheet on the rack, and preheat the oven to 425°F.
Step 2
To make the filling, combine the blueberries, granulated sugar, flour mix, salt, and lime juice. Toss gently. Set aside.
Step 3
To make the pie crust, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the flours, confectioners’ sugar, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the shortening in tablespoon-size pieces, and mix on medium speed until you have a coarse meal, about 1 minute. Add the egg replacer and lemon juice and mix until combined (it should start to ball in the center of the bowl), about 1 minute.
Step 4
Divide the dough in half and mold into two balls. Set one aside. Place the other on a sheet of parchment paper. Flatten into a disk, pinching together the edges. Top with a second piece of parchment paper, and roll out to 1/4 inch thick and about 2 inches wider than your pie dish. Grease a 9-inch pie dish lightly with a little vegetable shortening. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper, flip the crust into the pie dish, pressing down with the palm of your hand and using your fingers to press into the dish around the edges, then peel off the other sheet of parchment paper. Trim the edges, patching as necessary. Prick the bottom 8 times with a fork and refrigerate while you roll out the second crust.
Step 5
Roll out the second crust the same way you did the first.
Step 6
Pour the filling into the bottom crust. Cut the shortening into little pieces and dot on top of the berries. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper from the rolled-out top crust, and flip on top of the pie. Press down along the edges with your fingers to secure the top crust. Peel off the remaining sheet of parchment paper. Seal and crimp the edges. Use the tines of a fork to make a final seal all the way around. Using a sharp knife, cut 6 slits in the top of the pie. At this point, I often gather up the scraps of dough, roll them to 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of parchment paper, cut them into 1-inch decorative shapes such as leaves or stars with a small cookie cutter, and adorn the top of the crust. Brush the crust, including the outer edge, with the rice milk. Sprinkle evenly with the granulated sugar.
Step 7
Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for about 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Reduce the temperature to 400°F if the crust is browning too quickly.
Step 8
Rotate the baking sheet, decrease the temperature to 375°F, and bake for about 45 minutes longer, or until the fruit is really bubbling up through the slits on top and the crust is deeply golden. If you have used frozen blueberries, it will take a little longer. If the edges of your crust are browning too quickly, cover with a little loose aluminum foil, or better yet, a pie shield.
Step 9
Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack to room temperature, at least 2 hours, before cutting into wedges.
tip
Step 10
If you are an enthusiastic pie maker, I encourage you to invest in a good pie dish. I’ve been using the same 9-inch Emile Henry Auberge pie dish I got as a wedding gift for years, with endless success. They are sturdy and versatile, and make for a great presentation.
