Country Blueberry Pie w/ Lemon Thyme Crust

Blueberry pie, where have you been all my life? I can’t honestly say I’ve never tried it, but that’s only because I refuse to believe that I’ve lived this long without ever having a slice of blueberry pie. I can’t actually remember ever eating it before, but I feel like I must have. Cause really, who hasn’t eaten a slice of blueberry pie in their life? Nobody, that’s who. Or maybe there is somebody, and it’s me. I just don’t remember. I do remember my dad bringing home literally dozens of Hostess pies from the bakery outlet store and jamming them, Jenga style, into our basement freezer until you couldn’t fit a toothpick in there. Cherry, apple and blueberry pies. He loved them like no other. I remember loving how much he loved them.

So when I joined a group of other bloggers for a monthly baking challenge and my first month in the group called for baking a pie, I automatically thought blueberry. It’s not that much of a stretch – it’s summer, after all. And summer means blueberries. But would I just be making this Country Blueberry Pie w/ Lemon Thyme Crust to check the box? Turns out no. Turns out this pie is flipping amazing and I’m totally in love with blueberry pie now.

Making the Lemon Thyme Pie Crust

I used a semi-traditional crust with cold butter cubes that you work into the flour using a pastry blender, a food processor or (if you’re me) your hands. I say it’s only a semi-traditional crust because, unlike the traditional method, my crust doesn’t add cold water to the flour and butter mixture. Instead, it adds eggs and a little lemon juice. The result is a buttery dough that is easy to work with and bakes up golden and flaky. It’s the same dough that I use when making galettes and it hasn’t failed me yet.

This recipe makes enough for a double crust pie. You don’t have to be fancy at all if you don’t want to. Just make a top and bottom crust and be done with it. But I will say, the lattice really isn’t hard and it’s oh so pretty. I haven’t done any video tutorials on braiding dough or making a lattice crust, but please message me if you have any questions and I’d be happy to walk you through it.

But what really takes this Country Blueberry Pie w/ Lemon Thyme Crust from basic to special is the lemon-thyme sugar. It’s a simple mixture of lemon zest, fresh thyme and raw turbinado sugar. The sugar caramelizes onto the pie crust and adds amazing texture, while the thyme adds an earthiness that balances the sweet filling just perfectly. A friend who tried a slice said it was the best blueberry pie he had ever had in his life. That’s a direct quote! I credit the lemon-thyme sugar. Without it, it’s just pie.

Making the Blueberry Pie Filling

While the pie dough for this Country Blueberry Pie w/ Lemon Thyme Crust is chilling in the fridge, make the filling. It’s even easier to make than the dough. Blueberries are so juicy and sweet this time of year that they don’t need much to make them into a delicious pie filling. Just add the basics – a little sugar and lemon juice, a dash of cinnamon and a few dollops of Greek yogurt for creaminess.

Be sure to serve this Country Blueberry Pie w/ Lemon Thyme Crust like you would any self-respecting pie – a la mode. Or at the very least, with some whipped cream on top. It’s like summer dessert heaven. I’m so glad that this baking challenge called for a summer pie and that I now have a newfound love for blueberry pie. Try this and I think you will too. Enjoy!

Country Blueberry Pie w/ Lemon Thyme Crust

Juicy blueberries inside a flaky, buttery crust sprinkled with lemony, herby sugar

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Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 1 hr 25 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Ingredients

  

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The Crust

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. salt5 eggs
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme minced
• 2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

The Filling

• 6 cups blueberries
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into cubes. Using a pastry blender or your hands, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Stir in 4 eggs and lemon juice. Divide dough in half and form into two discs. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients and mix well. In another bowl, combine the lemon zest, thyme and turbinado sugar. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unwrap the dough and roll out onto a floured surface. Roll until the dough is 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a greased pie plate and press gently into the plate, on the bottom and up the sides. Use a fork to prick all over the bottom of the crust. Pour the filling into the bottom crust. Roll out the top crust to a 1/4 inch thickness and place carefully over the pie filling.
• Use your hands to seal the edges of the top and bottom crust together and trim off the excess. Place the pie plate onto a baking sheet. Cut small slits in the top to allow air to escape. Brush the top crust with the remaining egg (beaten) and sprinkle generously with the lemon-thyme sugar. Bake 40 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Keyword blueberry, dessert, pie

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