While nectarines are not the first fruit you think of for making a homemade fruit pie, I promise after eating this amazing Nectarine and Blackberry Homemade Pie, you will think about them every single time!
Why Fruit Pies Are The Perfect Summer Dessert
Fruit Pie is the quintessential American dessert. You take the best fruits summer has to offer and sandwich it between flaky pie crust. Could anything be better?
If you have felt intimated about making a pie, let me give you some simple tips and tricks to help you out. I want you to love pie-making as much as I do.
Now, let's talk about nectarines. If you have never tried them in a pie before, add this to your weekend baking list.
Nectarines have long been one of my favorite summer fruits. A few years ago I decided to try them in a pie. Wasn't I surprised when I fell in love?
For this pie, I decided to use a blend of nectarines and blackberries. It was a really good idea as they are so good together!
Ingredients
- Pie dough- I wrote up a recipe post all about making the perfect pie crust. If you are new to pie making, this is a really great resource. If you don't want to take the time, go ahead and buy your favorite brand.
- Nectarines- You will want these to be sweet and ripe, but not mushy. Mushy nectarines make terrible pie!
- Blackberries- as noted above, you want them ripe, but not mushy.
- Cornstarch- Do not skip this ingredient. This will help to thicken your fruit filling. I will explain more about this below.
- Granulated sugar- you can also use coconut sugar if you prefer
- Egg- this isn't necessary, but I use it for the egg wash and it gives the pie a beautiful glossy crust.
- Milk- for the egg wash as well
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Roll out the bottom crust on a lightly floured surface. This pie can be made in an 8 or 9-inch pie pan. So, roll your dough about 2 inches bigger all the way around.
- Place the pie dough gently into your pie pan.
- Fold over the edges.
- Crimp the edges.
- Move the pie pan to the fridge for making the pie.
- I will show you below how I form my lattice pie topping. If you are doing a regular solid crust, wait to roll out the top until after you have made the filling.
- Cut up nectarines, then mix in the blackberries, sugar, and cornstarch.
- Mix well and pour into the bottom crust.
- Top with the lattice as I did, or with a regular solid crust. If you are using the solid, top, crimp to close.
- Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown and the nectarines are tender.
Notes On Making The Perfect Fruit Pie
- As I mentioned above, the fruit you will use for fruit pies needs to be ripe, but not mushy. The fruit will soften enough when you bake it, you don't want to start with mushy fruit!
- I do not peel my nectarines. It softens so much when you are baking, that I don't think it is worth the effort to peel it before adding them to the pie.
- It is important to make sure your pie dough stays chilled until it hits the hot oven. Don't get stressed out, just make sure you have all ingredients ready to go before you start rolling. Or form the bottom crust and move it to the fridge while you make the filling.
- The filling needs to be thickened. Nectarines especially release a lot of juice when they are baking. I mix cornstarch in with my filling and this will thicken it while it bakes. If you aren't used to using cornstarch, this pie will change your mind!
How Do You Make Lattice Pie Crust?
Okay, here is a secret I learned several years ago for forming a lattice top on pies. If you have always made your lattice on top of the pie filling, you know how messy and a pain this can be. Let me show you a better way.
This is to make the lattice top separate from the rest of the pie and place it on later. Yes, there will be space around the edges where it doesn't crimp together, but I think this is really pretty, especially with fruit pies as it allows the bubbling to happen all around the lattice. You can see this in the close-up photo below.
Trace the shape of the top of your pie onto parchment paper. It will be a round circle of about 10-inches. Make sure the line you draw is dark. Now, flip the paper over, making sure you can still see the pencil circle.
Roll your pie dough out to about ¼ inch thick on a floured surface. I did mine in a sort of oblong shape. Cut the dough into about ½-1- inch strips. This depends on how you want your lattice to look.
Now, start weaving the pie dough. Lay 6-8 of your strips vertical, pretty close together. These will go right over the top of the circle you traced. Make sure the lattice goes over the edges of the circle you traced. We want a little wiggle room for trimming later.
Then with the remaining strips, start weaving, working horizontally. If you remember this process from grade school art class, you will remember how easy this is.
I like to do the cross weave by folding back every other strip, then I don't have to remember if I am going over or under. You can see this in the bottom photo on the left.
Once you are finished weaving, straighten your strips as needed. Then trim to the circle.
Place in the freezer until the filling is done and in the bottom crust.
When you add it to the top of the filling, if it is a little big, don't stress, trim up the edges with a sharp pair of scissors.
Other Pie Filling Variations
If you are looking to change this recipe up a bit, here are my suggestions- the nectarines can easily be subbed out for peaches. No other changes are needed to the recipe.
If you want a different berry, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries all work well with this recipe. Again, sub them out for the same amount and everything else stays the same. You can even make a mix of berries if you want to get really wild!
FAQ Nectarine And Blueberry Homemade Pie
I am going to say, yes. You can also use tapioca, but cornstarch is my favorite thickener.
One thing you can do is brush it with melted or softened butter. Do this after you have rolled it out and placed it in your pan. The fat in the butter works as a barrier and keeps it from getting soggy. I also like to bake my pies in the lower half of my oven, this makes sure the bottom crust gets baked all the way through.
Of course! It is extra work and doesn't bother me, so I leave them on. I think the baking leaves the skin very soft. But, if you don't want it, peel them off.
I am always looking for pie pans that conduct heat well. I prefer glass and metal pan for pie-making. I know the ceramic pans are beautiful and look so pretty for serving, but they just don't bake as well! They are so thick and take so long to heat up. This causes your pie dough to start to melt and lose its shape. Also, I don't think it lets the butter melt as quickly as it needs to, so the crust isn't perfectly flaky!
Other Pie Recipes
- Cherry Slab Pie
- Simple Pie Pops
- Chocolate pecan pie
- Chocolate coconut pie
- Pumpkin praline pie
- Blueberry Hand Pies
- Pumpkin Maple Pie
- Apple Pie
Nectarine and Blackberry Pie
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- 9 inch pie pan
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 4 cups nectarine wedges
- 2 cups blackberries
- ½-3/4 cup sugar This is a variable. I used ½ in mine, if you like your pie a little more sweet, add in more.
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 batch pie dough
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling on top of pie.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll half of your pie dough for the bottom of the pie. Make sure to roll large enough to get a 1-2 inch overhang all the way around. Place in the fridge while you prep the filling.
- Mix nectarine wedges, blackberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. I use a rubber spatula, so I don't break up the fruit. Pour into prepared pan.
- Next, decide on how you want to cover the top. If you have a solid top, make sure and cut some vent holes. If not, you can do lattice as I did.
- Fold under your overlap on the bottom crust. Crimp how you choose.
- Mix your egg and milk in a bowl and lightly brush over the top. Sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake until golden brown and the fruit is soft, but now mushy. If your top crust is getting too dark, cover lightly with a piece of tinfoil.
- Remove from oven. You can either serve it immediately or wait until it has cooled. It is easier to cut cool, but if you like it warm, I say go for it!
- It is delicious served on its own, with ice cream, whip cream, or even pastry cream. The sky is the limit here!
Notes
- As I mentioned above, the fruit you will use for fruit pies needs to be ripe, but not mushy. The fruit will soften enough when you bake it, you don't want to start with mushy fruit!
- I do not peel my nectarines. It softens so much when you are baking, that I don't think it is worth the effort to peel it before adding them to the pie.
- It is important to make sure your pie dough stays chilled until it hits the hot oven. Don't get stressed out, just make sure you have all ingredients ready to go before you start rolling. Or form the bottom crust and move it to the fridge while you make the filling.
- The filling needs to be thickened. Nectarines especially release a lot of juice when they are baking. I mix cornstarch in with my filling and this will thicken it while it bakes. If you aren't used to using cornstarch, this pie will change your mind!
How to Make Whole Wheat Flour Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour You can also easily use 100% whole wheat and no all-purpose if you prefer.
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons butter, cut in 1 inch pieces Butter should be chilled. After you cut it into chunks and are waiting to add it in, I like to pue it in the freezer to keep it really cold.
- ½ cup ice water plus 1-3 tablespoons as needed.
Instructions
Making the Pie Dough
- Add salt and flours to medium-sized bowl. Mix to combine. Next add in chilled butter. Blend in with your hands or pastry cutter. If you are using a food processor, I like to pulse it about 10 times. You will want the butter to look like cracker crumbs.
- Now, it is time for the water. Add in ½ cup, and mix. If you are using a food processor, pulse about 10 times again. Pinch the dough between your thumb and index finger. If it stays together and holds well, it is good to go. If it is still crumbly, add in another tablespoon or 2. Repeat the process and check again.
- Once it is ready to go, turn out onto a surface and knead quickly until it holds together. Divide dough in half and form into 2 disks. Wrap each one separately with saran wrap and place in the fridge.
- It is best chilled at least 2 hours. The dough can be held in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or, if you prefer, you can make it ahead and store it in the freezer, wrapped well, for up to once month. Just place in the fridge overnight before using.
- Now, it is ready to go! choose your favorite recipe and get to it!
Rolling Out a Pie Crust
- Lightly flour your surface and remove the dough from the fridge. Roll out the disk several times back and forth in one direction. Rotate it 45 degrees, and roll again.
- Continue this process until the dough is the right size. This helps maintain the circular shape. Roll the pie dough to 2-3 inches bigger than your pan.
- Gently press the pie dough into your pan. Tuck the excess pie dough under. Then crimp the edges.
- For blind baking, place a piece of parchment into the formed pie dough. Fill with beans or baking weights. Bake the pie dough at 385 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights. Bake an additional 8 minutes.
Notes
- I like the butter as cold as possible to start. Cut it into chunks and freeze it while getting the rest of the ingredients ready.
- Work quickly so the butter doesn't have a chance to warm up and soften too much.
- Environmental factors affect the texture of the dough. Be sure to adjust the amount of water as needed.
- Storing pie dough in the freezer. You can make it ahead and store for up to one month in the freezer. Wrap it well and store it in an airtight bag to keep it from absorbing any flavors in the freezer.