We bake Blueberry Pie, Mrs. Zuckerman’s delight from Charlotte's Web by E. B. White.
We’ll share our results, our recipes, and a little bit about our chosen stories on this blog.
AND we invite YOU to bake along with us.
Share what you make by tagging us with #DPPLBakes, send us your favorite recipes, or just enjoy reading our entries.
The Book:
That morning, just as Wilbur fell asleep, Avery Arable wandered into the Zuckerman’s front yard, followed by Fern. Avery carried a live frog in his hand. Fern had a crown of daisies in her hair. The children ran for the kitchen.
“Just in time for a piece of blueberry pie,” said Mrs. Zuckerman.
“Look at my frog!” said Avery, placing the frog on the drainboard and holding out his hand for pie.
“Take that thing out of here!” said Mrs. Zuckerman.
“He’s hot,” said Fern. “He’s almost dead, that frog.”
“He is not,” said Avery. “He lets me scratch him between the eyes.” The frog jumped and landed in Mrs. Zuckerman’s dishpan full of soapy water.
“You’re getting your pie on you,” said Fern. “Can I look for eggs in the henhouse, Aunt Edith?”
“Run outdoors, both of you! And don’t bother the hens!”
“It’s getting all over everything,” shouted Fern. “His pie is all over his front.”
“Come on, frog!” cried Avery. He scooped up his frog. The frog kicked, splashing soapy water onto the blueberry pie.
“Another crisis!” groaned Fern.
-E. B. White from Charlotte's Web, Chapter 10; The Explosion
Summertime is here and that means BERRIES and farmer's markets and making messes!
And what better way to make a mess than attempting to make a blueberry pie.
The Bake:
I chose this recipe that I adapted from Bianca Zapata's website. And by adapted I mean I cheated and used a store-bought deep-dish pie crust and I used frozen blueberries. I chose this recipe because several of those I was making it for eat plant-based and/or have issues with dairy. Bonus points because it was incredibly easy and came out AWESOME!
Ingredients
Pie Crust: (I halved this since I only made the top crust)
2 1/3 cups flour * (gluten-free, if needed) (300 g)
2 tbsp powdered sugar *
3/4 tsp salt
7/8 cup cold smart balance (200g) cubed
3 tbsp cold water
Blueberry Filling:
5 cups blueberries (800 g) fresh or frozen
1/2 cup sugar * (100 g)
1/4 cup cornstarch (30 g)
1/2 tsp lemon zest finely grated
2 tbsp lemon juice
For brushing:
a little plantbased milk / cream
1-2 tbsp brown sugar *
Instructions
Make the Pie Crust:
Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
Add the cubed vegan butter and work it into the flour with your hands.
Gradually, add the cold water and knead just until a dough forms. (Optionally, you can put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the dough crumbs together.)
Then divide the dough into two parts and shape each half into a disc.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.
Make the Blueberry Filling:
Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
Put the blueberries into a bowl and mix with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside.
This Bake brought to you by Readers’ Services Manager David Whittingham
Roll out one half of the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Lay into a greased 8-inch (20/22 cm) pie dish and gently press the dough against the buttom and sides. Pierce the buttom crust several times with a fork and then fill in the blueberry mixture.
Roll out the other half of the dough, cut into strips and place on top of the filling to create a grid pattern (or optionally cover the filling with the rolled out dough as a whole *). Then cut off the overhanging dough and gently press the edges slightly to seal the sides.
Optional: you can use the remaining dough to cut out cookies to make decorations for the pie. Form the rest of the dough into a ball again, reroll and cut out the desired designs using a cookie cutter. Then place on top of the pie and press a little, so they hold.
Brush the top of the pie with a little plantbased milk / cream and sprinkle with a little brown sugar.
Bake the cake for about 50-60 minutes until golden brown. If necessary, cover only the sides or the entire pie with aluminum foil, if the pie gets too dark during baking.
Let cool the Blueberry Pie afterwards.
Serve with a scoop of vegan ice cream, or whipped coconut cream, if you like!
