- 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
- 6 cups fresh wild blueberries or 3 (10-ounce) packages frozen (not thawed)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Pastry dough for a double-crust pie
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate (6-cup capacity); small decorative cookie cutters (optional)
- Put a large baking sheet on oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
- Whisk together brown sugar and tapioca and toss with blueberries and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- Roll out larger piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit into pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out dough for top crust.
- Roll out remaining dough on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round. Cut out 5 or 6 small holes with small decorative cookie cutters or use a small knife to slash steam vents toward center.
- Spoon filling with any accumulated juices into shell, dot with butter, and cover with top crust. Trim top crust with kitchen shears, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang of top crust under bottom pastry and press against rim of pie plate to reinforce edge, then crimp decoratively and brush with egg wash.
- Bake pie on hot baking sheet in oven 30 minutes, then cover edge with a pie shield or foil to prevent overbrowning. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes more.
- Cool pie completely on a rack, about 4 hours (filling will be runny if pie is still warm).