July Bake Club Challenge and Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who participated in last month's Bake Club Challenge and baked up a batch of Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins with Streusel!

The winner of this month’s challenge was Suzanne from Pittsburgh. Suzanne, I hope you enjoy your new marble pastry board!

let’s talk about this month’s challenge recipe…

Blueberry Pie

The perfect blueberry pie is just the right amount of sweet and tart, bursting with fresh blueberry flavor, covered in a flaky, tender, sugary crust, and easy to slice and serve.

“When you bake a pie, you are in the kitchen in the company of ghosts.” – In the South, Cake or Pie for Dessert? (NY Times)

I feel that this is a true sentiment about all baking, but also... I feel that pie is something most people have a story about. For me, it's the memories of the strawberry rhubarb and cherry pies my grandmother used to make from wild rhubarb and old cherry orchard trees scattered around my grandparent's property. It's also apple pie - my mom's favorite - with a brown sugar crumble top. In the fall she would make extra apple pie filling from the season's bounty of apples, freezing it for later use. We never had Thanksgiving without one.

And, ever since I can remember, I've baked a blueberry pie on or around the 4th of July. Over the years, I've experimented with a variety of recipes and techniques, and this is my favorite recipe. It has a concentrated fruit flavor, is just the right amount of sweet, and holds its shape when sliced. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

The July Bake Club Prize!

Sur La Table Marble Pastry Board

As much as we all might love a great summer pie, making pastry in the middle of a hot summer day can be challenging. This marble pastry board makes the whole process so much easier. Put it in the refrigerator or the freezer an hour or two before you want to roll out your dough, and it will keep the dough cool even if your kitchen is quite warm. The board is also perfect for making candy (like toffee or peanut brittle), working with chocolate, and even makes a fantastic cheese board.

How To Participate in the Bake Club

#1. Sign Up to Join the Bake Club.

You’ll receive an email each month when a new recipe challenge and prize is announced. This is also how I’ll know how to contact you if you win.
When you sign up for the Bake Club, you’ll be required to put in your name and email address. If you’re selected as the winner, I’ll send you an email and ask you where to send your prize.

(If you’ve signed up in the past, you’re golden. It's not necissary to sign up every month.)

#2. Bake this month's challenge and show it off!

You have three options for entering the giveaway:

Snap a picture of your baked blueberry pie and post it to Instagram, tagging it with #OfBatterAndDoughBakeClub.
OR, upload your photo to the Of Batter and Dough Facebook Page.
OR, send your photo to me in an email: rebecca@ofbatteranddough.com.

By sharing your photo you’ll be automatically entered to win this month’s prize. Bake the challenge recipe and submit your photo before August 1st.