Blueberry rye pie-Mustikkakukko recipe

Finland has a variety of berries and many ways to enjoy them, like the traditional blueberry pie and the lesser-known mustikkakukko. The latter is a blueberry rye pie made entirely of rye flour with a layer of crust, blueberries, and another layer of crust. It can be eaten like a stew pudding.

A simple and delicious casserole dessert can be made in the oven with rye flour for a unique taste and consistency. Gluten-free versions are also available using oat flour due to increased gluten intolerance.

The recipe originally came from Mikkeli in the southern Savonia region (Pohjois Savo); traditionally, butter was used as the fat to make this pie. However, nowadays, people often replace butter with oil or margarine, or for a fat-free version, it is possible to use one banana mashed or apple sauce.

This dish was traditionally made with forest-picked blueberries in summer. Now, you can pick fresh or frozen berries from grocery stores.

Ingredients:

4 dl rye flour

1 dl sugar

1 ts baking powder

1 dl oil

1 pack of fresh/frozen blueberries (300 grams)

2 tbsp potato starch (perunajauho, in Finnish)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

2. Mix the sugar, rye flour, and baking powder well in a bowl.

3. Add the oil to the dry ingredients, mix well until combined uniformly, and create your dough.

4. Put blueberries, potato starch, and one spoon of sugar in another bowl and mix gently. Try not to mash the blueberries, and cover the blueberries nicely.

5. Transfer ⅔ the dough into the oven dish and fill it with the blueberry batter.

6. Add the rest of the dough on top of the blueberries to cover the whole dish with the crust and close it.

7. Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes or one hour until the crust is golden brown.

8. Serve alone or with a topping such as vanilla sauce/ice cream or thick yogurt.