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Berry Pies - but not the Jenna's Deep Dish Bacon Blueberry Pie
Equipment:
- baking sheet
- cooking work surface
- dry measuring cups
- food processor
- four forks
- frying pan
- knife
- liquid measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- oven
- oven mitts
- paper towels
- paring knife
- pastry cutter
- pie crust shield
- pie dish
- plastic wrap
- plate
- small bowl
- two large bowls
- water glass
Ingredients:
- Pie Crust
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- ½ cup ice water, add more as needed
- Filling:
- 3 pints fresh blueberries
- 4 strips maple flavored bacon
- ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- Pie:
- large egg
- 1 Tbsp milk
Instructions:
- Adjust oven rack to third lower position.
- Place a baking sheet on the bottom of the oven to catch any juices.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Crust: - In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt together.
- Add the cubed butter on top.
- Using a pastry cutter, food processor, or two forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until all flour is coated. You want to make pea-sized bits of flour coated butter, but a few larger bits of butter is fine. .
- Measure 1/2 cup of water in a cup and add ice.
- Stir it around.
- From that, measure 1/2 cup of water.
- Drizzle the cold water in, 2 Tablespoons at a time, and stir after each addition. Stop adding water when the dough comes together easily and begins to form large clumps. The dough will feel moist and a little sticky, but not feel overly wet. Do not add any more water than needed.
- Place pie dough on a lightly floured work surface.
- Cover hands in flour.
- Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the dough.
- Form it into a ball.
- Divide dough in half.
- Using your hands, flatten each half into a 1-inch thick disc.
- Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days before using in a pie recipe.
- When rolling out the chilled pie dough discs, use gentle force with your rolling pin. Start from the center of the disc and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands between rolls. Smooth out the edges if you notice cracks.
Filling: - In a large frying pan, fry maple flavored bacon.
- Cover a plate with a paper towel and use a spatula to carefully remove bacon and set on the paper towel to let grease drain.
- Let bacon cool.
- Using your hands, break maple bacon into small pieces.
- In a large bowl, mix together fresh blueberries, maple flavored bacon pieces, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
- If needed, burst a few blueberries to make sure pie filling is moistened.
Pie: - Flour work surface.
- Take one disc of pie dough (leave the other in the refrigerator), and using a rolling pin, roll out pie dough. After every few rolls, turn dough a quarter of a turn and roll more until reaching a 12-inch diameter disc of pie dough.
- Carefully place dough into a pie dish and tuck it in with your fingers making sure that the dough is even and uncracked.
- Evenly pour filling into pie crust.
- Dot butter on top of filling.
- Set aside filled pie crust, keeping it at room temperature.
- Roll out the second disc of pie dough using the same method as on the other disc.
- Using a pastry cutter, pizza cutter, or sharp knife, cut 1 inch wide strips of dough.
- Weave strips together, making a pie lattice. If needed, visuals and instructions are provided at How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust from Sally's Baking Addiction
- Using hands, press the edges of strips into the sides of the bottom of the crust to seal the pie.i
- Using a small paring knife to cut off extra pie dough.
- Using a fork, flute or crimp the pie dough edges.
- Bake pie at 425 F for 25 minutes.
- Keeping the pie in the oven, reduce oven temperature to 375F.
- Making sure to wear oven mitts, place a pie crust shield on the pie to prevent edges from over browning.
- Continue baking pie for 40 to 50 more minutes until pie juices are bubbling.
- Turn off the oven.
- Wearing oven mitts, remove pie from oven and place it on a cooling rack.
- Cool pie for at least 4 hours. The filling will be too soupy if the pie is not properly cooled.
- Leftovers can be cooled in the refrigerator for up to five days.
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