Yes, golden crust and well-set filling can co-exist.
There’s something undeniably special about showing up to a party with ahomemade pie.
We firmly believe pie is a dessert appropriatefor every occasion, especially when made from scratch.
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But making a pie entirely from scratch is no small feat.
Let me be honest here.
Pie had me stumped when I started working as a professional baker.
Credit: Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly
I could crankhundreds of cookieswithout batting an eyelash.
I could whip up perfectly amber caramels and soft sheets of marshmallows with no problems.
But pie perplexed me.
Each element requires love and care.
Striking the perfect balance of a golden-brown crust and a well-set filling seemed downright impossible.
Nonetheless, I dove in head-first.
These pie-baking tips focus on one of the notoriously finicky elements of baking pie from scratch: pie dough.
The operative phrase being: melt in the ovennot before.
In short: Use your fridge.
Yes, even the flour.
Chilling your flour will slow down the process of the butter melting as you work it.
Resist the temptation to start immediatelylet all the ingredients chill through.
Handle Dough Gently
When handling your pie dough, use a delicate touch.
Evenly Distribute Butter
Each baker takes a different approach to incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients.
When making pie dough, I like to use my hands.
Start slowly and try not to roll over the same area twice (turning will help achieve this).
Remember to always work with chilled dough.
Overworking the pie dough will develop gluten, resulting in atough, mealy pie crust.
At this point, you’ll only want to handle the dough until it just starts to come together.
Some chunks of butter are good.
They’ll melt in the oven and create those coveted flaky layers in your pie crust.
Resist the temptation to continue mixing.
Resting the mixture in the fridge will give the dough time to hydrate further.
This resting period is essential for successful dough.
Resting the mixture in the fridge keeps your pie dough nice and cold, making it easier to roll.
Keep It Rolling
When rolling out your pie dough, keep it constantly moving.
I even like to flip my pie dough mid-rolling so the side touching the table faces up.
Keeping your pie dough moving while rolling will allow you to transfer it to the pie dish quickly.
This final step seals in thecrimp patternand keeps everything nice and cool.
To Blind Bake, Or Not To Blind Bake?
Specific pie recipes will call for you toblind bakethe pie crust.
Pie dougha flaky, buttery pastryhas the natural propensity to puff and bubble in the oven.
Weighing it down withpie weightshelps the shell keep its shape and prevents air pockets from forming.
Pie Crust Recipes
Try these pie-making tips out on one of these recipes for crusts and pies.
