There’s something truly magical about baking a blackberry pie from scratch. The process, from handpicking the ripest berries to crafting a perfectly golden crust, transforms simple ingredients into a dessert bursting with flavor and nostalgia. For home bakers like myself, a blackberry pie is more than just a dessert; it’s a celebration of summer’s bounty, a labor of love, and a comforting reminder of simpler times.
The journey begins with the berries themselves. Whether you’re foraging for wild blackberries along a sun-dappled path or selecting the plumpest specimens from your local farmers market, the key to a memorable pie lies in the quality of the fruit. Blackberries, with their deep purple hue and sweet-tart flavor, are nature’s candy. They encapsulate the essence of summer, and their rich, juicy taste is unparalleled when fresh and in season. A good rule of thumb is to taste a few before committing them to your basket; the sweetest berries make the sweetest pies.
Next comes the preparation of the filling, where simplicity reigns supreme. Fresh blackberries need little adornment—just a bit of sugar to enhance their natural sweetness, I add a touch of Chambord Liqueur to brighten the flavor, and a sprinkle of cornstarch to thicken the juices as they bubble and meld in the jam-like sauce that’s poured over the fresh berries before baking. You could also add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg for a subtle warmth that complements the berries beautifully. As you mix these ingredients together, you’ll notice the vibrant transformation, the berries bursting with purple goodness.
No blackberry pie is complete without a homemade crust, flaky and golden, a perfect vessel for the luscious filling. Crafting the dough from scratch might seem daunting, but with a bit of patience and practice, it becomes a rewarding ritual. I love an ‘all butter’ crust, and adding some extra lamination in the process ensures a tender, flaky crust. The key is to keep everything cold and handle the dough as little as possible to prevent overworking it. Rolling out the dough, and either using a whole top crust, or cutting it into a lattice, and weaving it over the glossy berries is a therapeutic exercise that connects you to generations of bakers before you.
As the pie bakes, the intoxicating aroma fills your home, building anticipation for the first bite. The finished product is a thing of beauty: bubbling with fruit juices, encased in a golden crust, and dusted with a hint of demarera sugar. Served warm with a scoop of home made vanilla bean ice cream, blackberry pie is the epitome of comfort food, a dessert that brings people together and evokes fond memories of family gatherings and summer picnics. Every bite is a testament to the joy of baking from scratch, a reminder that the best things in life are often the simplest.
Baking a blackberry pie from scratch is more than just a culinary endeavor; it’s a celebration of nature’s gifts, a creative outlet, and a way to connect with loved ones. The process, though a little bit time-consuming, is deeply satisfying and well worth the effort. So the next time you find yourself with a basket of fresh blackberries, take a moment to savor the experience of transforming them into a pie that’s sure to become a cherished family favorite. Happy baking!
Double Crust Blackberry Pie
Notes
You’ll need:
- All Butter Flaky Pastry Pie Dough Recipe
- 9-inch glass pie pan
- Pie weights/dried beans/rice, enough to completely fill the pie pan
- Parchment paper
- Food processor
- Large saucepan with tall sides (I use a small 5 qt stock pot)
- small, medium, and large bowls
- fine mesh strainer or sieve
- spatulas, rolling pin, measuring tape or other means of making a perfect 14 inch round crust
- Pastry brush for egg wash
Ingredients
- 8 cups fresh blackberries, divided
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) white sugar, divided
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Chambord Liqueur or Blackberry Brandy (optional, you can omit and use water instead)
- 1 double-crust all butter flaky pastry – see button above to go to recipe (or 14.1 ounce package of store bought ready-made pie crust, like Pilsbury)
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon Demarera sugar
Instructions
- For the Pastry Shell and Double Crust:
- Make one double crust pastry recipe. Chill overnight.
- Roll out one half of the dough into a 14 inch round, and line a 9inch deep dish pie pan. Roll the outer edge under so the dough is just over the top of the sides of the pan. No need to crimp. Dock or prick the entire dough with a fork to help release steam while cooking.
- Freeze the prepared pie pan with the docked dough for a minimum of 15 minutes, longer is better.
- Roll out your second dough disk into a 12 – 14 inch round (make sure it’s cut to size)
- Cover a large baking sheet/cookie sheet (big enough for the top crust to lay flat) with parchment, and move the top crust onto the parchment/baking sheet.
- Brush the flat crust with egg wash, and sprinkly lightly with the Demarera sugar.
- Place the baking sheet in the refridgerator until ready to use.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Remove the frozen pie pan with frozen pie dough from the freezer.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper larger than your pie, crumple for ease of use, and place ontop of the frozen pie crust, pushing the parchment paper to the shape of the frozen crust.
- Fill completely with pie weights/dried beans/rice. Completely. All the way to the top of the crust, to avoid the crust slumping while baking.
- Place this into the oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven, and carefull lift up the parchement and pie weights out of the crust and set the parchement/weights aside. The crust will still look wet/slightly unbaked, place it back into the oven for another 10 minutes, checking at 5 minutes for any big bubbles and poking them with the point of a sharp knife ro release the steam (not too big of a hole to avoid seepage later)
- When the pie no longer looks wet and is no longer ‘singing’, remove it from the oven.
- After you’ve removed the blind baked crust, Preheat your oven to 400°F
- While the crust is blind baking, start the blackberry filling.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1/2 cup (100 g) of the sugar, and then add the Chambord/brandy and whisk until well combined. Keep whisk nearby.
- Separately, set up a medium bowl and your fine mesh strainer, and set aside close at hand, near your stove.
- In a food processor, add 6 cups of blackberries.
- Pulse to gently purée until liquid-like, but still lumpy. (don’t over due it, avoid pulverizing the seeds too. You just want the berries and juice loose enough to boil easily).
- Pour purée into large saucepan with tall sides (to avoid splattering), and add 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) of white sugar.
- Cook the berries and sugar over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a spatula to get the rest of the seeds from the berries.
- Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Carefully pour the hot berry liquid into your already-set-up fine mesh strainer over the bowl.
- Carefully press and stir the berry mixture through the strainer/sieve until all liquid is out of the berry seed mass.
- Throw the seed mass away and quickly rinse out your large saucepan and spatula to remove any left over seeds in the pan or on the utensil.
- Carefully pour the seedless berry juice mixture back into the large sauce pan, and heat to a boil again.
- Using the whisk to scoop up or scrape in, add the cornstarch/sugar/Chambord mixture into the hot blackberry purée and whisk to incorporate and return to a boil. It will quickly thicken, continue whisking for 5 minutes to cook out the taste of the cornstarch. The consistency should be like a thin pudding.
- Into your freshly baked pie crust, fill with the remaining 2 cups fresh blackberries. (Pie crust can still be hot, just be careful)
- If you didn’t earlier, make sure your oven is preheated to 400°F
- Pour the cooked blackberry purée over the fresh berries so they are evenly covered.
- Take the top crust out of the refrigerator and gently and quickly place the top over the pie, centered.
- Quickly tuck the edges under to meet the blindbaked crust, and do a quick crimp. (without burning your fingers.)
- Using a sharp knife, cut a small slit in the very center for any steam to escape.
- Place the filled and topped pie onto the parchment covered baking sheet (same one), and place in your 400°F oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes, and then add a Pie Shield or cover the edges with aluminum to avoid over browning.
- Bake for 10 – 15 mintues longer, using a aluminum ‘tent’ over the entire pie until crust is browned and juices are starting to bubble out, about a total of 45 – 50 minutes. (check on it, your oven might run hot/colder than mine. You’re looking for a golden brown color and doneness of the top crust)
- Remove from oven, and bring to room temperature before cutting or serving.
- Best if allowed to rest to set.
- Serve warm with home made Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!
- Enjoy!
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