Blueberry Nectarine Pie and DIY Flaky Pie Crust

Pie Crust Ingredients

For best results, pie crust should chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour once it is made, before rolling out and baking. Be sure to allow time for this step. The crust can be made a day ahead of the pie. Allow ½ hour to make the crust, plus an hour to chill the dough.

½ cup butter-hard
3 tbl Earth Balance buttery spread
½ tsp salt
2 pinches sugar
1 ½ cups flour
4–6 tbl ice cold water

I started using this pie crust recipe years ago, based on Julia Child’s recipe. She uses 3 tablespoons crisco, which helps to make a flaky crust. I recently switched to using an oil-based soft spread instead of the crisco. The butter should be hard, straight out of the fridge. I use a food processor for making the pie crust. The trick to making a flaky crust is to not overwork the dough, especially once the water is added.

Berry Nectarine Ingredients

2 baskets blueberries, preferably organic
4–5 nectarines, organic
2 tbl cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves

½ tsp cardamon – optional

For the filling:

(Or make the crust first, and when it is chilling, make the filling.)

1. Rinse berries in a collander, removing any stems. Cut the nectarines into half, twist apart. Remove the pit. Cut the pieces in half again, remove the skin.

Cut into thin pieces.

Place the fruit into a bowl. Add the cornstarch, sugar, and spices. Stir. Set aside.

For the crust:

1. Cut the butter with a knife into about 8 pieces. Add to the food processor (use the plastic dough blade) with the buttery spread, salt, sugar, and flour. Pulse, stop and stir the edge of the bowl once or twice and continue to pulse until the dough forms tiny pea-sized pieces.

2. Add cold water to a small bowl with ice cubes.

Slowly add water through feed tube while pulsing, and only mix long enough to form dough ball. It is important to not over process the dough, or you will get a tough crust.

Remove the plastic blade, and form the dough into two balls. Cover with wax paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Dough can stay overnight if you choose to make the crust in advance.

3. Rolling out the dough:

Once the dough has chilled, place the dough on a lightly floured wooden or marble surface. Pound dough flat with a rolling pin to start.

Continue to roll out the dough, rolling from the center out in all directions to keep the crust round. Turn the dough over and lightly flour both sides.

Roll to about ⅛ inch thick, it should be slightly larger than the pie pan. (I usually use a 9.5 inch pyrex or glass pie pan.)

Dough should be fragile, easily falls apart. If the dough begins to stick to the board, gently use a long metal spatula to loosen it. You don’t want to over-roll, or re-roll the dough—this will make the dough tough.

Add a little butter to the bottom of the pie pan, it will prevent the pie crust from sticking to the pan.

4. Fold the dough in half, and then in half again, being careful it does not stick together.

Gently transfer the dough to the pie pan, and open it back up.

Dough should hang over the edge about an inch, as shown in the photo above. If the dough has uneven, longer edges, trim with a knife.

Additionally, if the dough edge is short in places, use the cut off pieces to patch into the area.

Roll out the top crust. Add filling to the pie pan. Dollop the filling with 5 or so thin half teaspoon-size pieces of butter.

Now place the top crust onto the pie, folding as before and gently moving and unfolding onto the pie filling. Trim any long edges, but the top crust should slightly hang longer then the bottom crust.

Now carefully fold the top edge under, so it catches the bottom crust, and tuck into the edge of the pie pan.

Using your thumb and fingers, pinch the dough around the top edge to create a rippled edge. Do these two motions together, I was alone taking these photos, so could not use both hands to demonstrate.