Double-Crusted Blackberry Pie

I live in the hills just east of San Francisco, where blackberries grow wild. When I run in my neighborhood early in the morning, it’s too dark to see the ripened berries, but I can smell them. Their aroma hangs heavily in the cool morning air, swirling around my head as I run past.

The aroma was so intoxicating on Friday morning–it’s August now and the berries are so ripe they’re nearly fermenting on the vine–that I had to take the afternoon off from work and make a pie.

I think I covered the topic of how to prepare the dough for pie crust pretty thoroughly in Friday’s post. Today, I’ll show you how to roll out the dough and assemble the finished pie.

Equipment:

• 9 inch pie plate
• rolling pin
• large counter area for rolling the dough
• nonstick silicone baking mat, if you have one
• flour for dusting

Remove one of the chilled dough discs from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for about ten minutes. Prepare your work surface by dusting it with flour. Have a good rolling pin handy, and dust it with flour, too. As you’ll see in the photos, I use a silicone baking mat (the best ones are made by Silpat, but I’m using a knockoff) which is pre-marked with circle measurments. This makes rolling and trimming the dough pretty fool-proof, and cleanup is a snap.

Roll the dough disc into a twelve inch circle. As you roll, pick the dough up and rotate it on your floured work surface to keep it from sticking. Dust the surface with additional flour as you work if necessary, but don’t over do it: too much flour will make the dough tough.

Trim the edges of the circle with a paring knife so the circle is symmetric and evenly-edged.

Here comes the trick no professional pastry chef will ever share with you: To transfer the dough circle into your pie plate, fold it into quarters, as pictured. It’s easier to pick up this way, and you’ll avoid tearing it. Place it in the pie plate, then unfold. Gently press the dough into the plate, eliminating any air gaps between the crust and the plate. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Prepare the blackberry filling:

• 4 cups blackberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
• finely grated zest of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Wash, dry, and pick over the blackberries. Be careful to remove all stems, leaves and withered blossoms. And bugs!

Combine the sugar and corn starch in a bowl, whisk to combine. Add the lemon zest, juice, and berries, tossing gently until the berries are coated with the sugary syrup and the dry ingredients are completely absorbed. Pour into the refrigerated pie shell.

Roll out the top crust:

Follow the same steps as with the first piece of dough, only your top crust need only be about 10 inches in diameter. Trim away any excess and save for future use. Use the “fold in quarters” trick to transfer your dough from your work surface to your pie, then unfold carefully over the filling.

Press the edges of the top and bottom crusts together, then crimp with a fork. Cut a few slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape as the fruit cooks. Cover the finished pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour to chill the dough: this will help the crust retain its shape and flakiness during baking. Alternatively, you can freeze the finished pie at this point, for up to a month. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425. Remove the pie from the fridge and brush the top with egg wash (1 egg beaten lightly with 1 tablespoon water), then sprinkle with a spoonful of turbinado sugar. The egg wash gives the crust a golden, shiny finish and the turbinado sugar adds a sweet crunch.

Bake in the pre-heated 450 F oven for 30-40 minutes, until the juices are bubbling thickly through the slits. (Note: If you’re baking a frozen pie, do not defrost before baking. Just add about 10 minutes baking time.) Allow to cool at least two hours before serving.

Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.