Pie Methods

Pies are a simple delight to create for any gathering. They aren’t limited to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Who can resist a warm slice of apple pie paired with a cold, creamy scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a delicate and luscious strawberry chiffon pie?

Creating the perfect pie dough requires mastering the techniques of working with flour, shortening, water, and salt. Understanding the principles behind these techniques is essential for achieving great results.

Ingredients

Flour

When making pie dough, it’s best to use pastry flour because it has the right amount of gluten to create the desired flakiness and structure. Pastry flour has lower gluten content, resulting in a more tender product. If you use a stronger flour, you can increase the amount of shortening slightly.

Fat

For making piecrusts, regular shortening is the most popular choice. Emulsified shortening should be avoided. Butter can be used as a substitute for all the shortening in piecrusts because of its flavor, but it is expensive. Therefore, most volume bakeries use shortening. If all the shortening is replaced with butter, the percentage of fat should be increased by 1/4th, and the liquid can be reduced slightly. Another option for piecrusts is using lard.

Liquid

It’s important to remember the following information about dough:

Water is crucial for developing gluten in the flour and providing structure and flakiness. Too much water can result in tough dough, while too little will cause the dough to fall apart. Adding milk can create a richer dough that browns quickly, but it may be less crispy and more expensive. It’s essential to add liquid cold to maintain the proper dough temperature.

Salt

Salt has a conditioning effect on gluten, but its most important role is to add flavor. It should be dissolved in the liquid before being added to the mix to ensure proper distribution.

Temperature

Pie dough should be kept cold, at about 60°F throughout the mixing and shaping process. The fat has the best consistency when it is cool, and gluten development is slowed at cooler temperatures.

Pie Dough Types

• Flaky pie dough
• Mealy pie dough

The difference is how the fat is blended with the flour.

Flaky Pie Dough

The fat should be rubbed or cut into the flour until the pieces are about the size of peas. The flour and fat should not be completely blended together. When you add water, the flour absorbs it and develops some gluten. When you roll out the dough, the flattened lumps of fat and moistened flour become flakes of dough separated by layers of fat.

Flaky pie dough is used for top crusts and prebaked crusts.

Mealy Pie Dough

Remember the following instructions for preparing the dough:

Blend the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. This will result in a crust that is short and tender with less gluten. It will also require less water, and once baked, the dough will be less likely to absorb moisture from the filling and become soggy.

Mealy pie dough is used for bottom crusts.

3-2-1 Dough

Popular pie dough formula and easy to remember. 3 parts flour, 2 parts shortening, and 1 part ice water.

Pie Dough Mixing Method

1. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour and add the shortening.

2. Rub or cut the shortening into the flour until reaching the desired consistency:

   – For a flaky texture, the fat should be pea-sized.

   – For a mealy texture, the mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal.

3. Dissolve salt and sugar (if used) in water.

4. Add the water to the flour mixture. Mix gently until the water is absorbed. Avoid overworking the dough.

5. Place the dough in pans, cover with plastic film, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

6. Scale portions of dough as needed.

Rolling Pie Dough and Lining Pans

1. Select the best doughs for each purpose.
2. Scale the dough. The following are guidelines:
   • 225g for 9in bottom crusts
   • 170g for 9in top crusts
   • 170g for 8in bottom crusts
   • 140g for 8in top crust
3. Take care to lightly dust the bench and rolling pin with flour. It is essential to avoid excessive flour usage as it may toughen the dough. When rolling out the dough, ensure it is flattened to a 1/8 inch thickness, rolling from the center outwards to create a circular shape to avoid sticking.
4. When placing the dough in the pan, do so meticulously, pressing it gently into the corners without stretching it, and ensuring there are no air bubbles.
5. For single-crust pies, neatly flute or crimp the edges. In the case of double-crust pies, fill with a cold filling, brush the crust’s edge with water, and then cover with the second layer of dough. Seal the edges through crimping or fluting, followed by trimming any excess dough.
6. After pie assembly, allow the pies to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to prevent crust shrinkage.

Scaling Instruction for Baked Pies

Preparing Baked Pies

*For pies without a top crust, omit steps 3 to 7.

1. Line pie pans with pie dough.
2. Fill with cooled fillings. Do not drop the filling on the rims of the pie shells; this will make it harder to seal the rims to the top crusts, and leaking may result during baking. To avoid spilling custard fillings in single-crust pies, place the empty shells on the racks in the ovens before pouring the filling.
3. Roll out dough for the top crusts.
4. Cut perforations in the top crusts to allow steam to escape during baking.
5. Moisten the rim of the bottom crusts with water or egg wash to help seal them to the top crusts.
6. Fit the top crusts in place. Seal the edges together firmly and trim excess dough. The rims may be fluted or crimped if desired. Pressing with the tins of a fork is a quick way to seal and crimp the edge. An efficient way to trim excess pastry is to rotate the pie while pressing on the edges with the palms of the hands.
7. Brush tops with desired wash: milk, cream, egg wash, or melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar, if desired. Egg-washed tops have a shiny appearance when baked. Tops brushed with fat, milk, or cream are not shiny but have a home-baked look.
8. Place pies on the lower level of an oven preheated to 425-450 degrees F (210-220C). The high initial heat helps set the bottom crust to avoid soaking. Fruit pies are baked at this high heat until done. For custard pies, reduce heat after 10 minutes to 325-350 degrees F (165-175C) to avoid overcooking and curdling the custard. Custard pies include all those containing large quantities of egg, such as pumpkin pie and pecan pie.

*Gisslen, Wayne. Professional Baking, Sixth Edition.

Lattice Top Crust

1. Roll out fresh pie dough to 1/4 inch thick.
2. Cut strips approximately 3/4 inch wide and long enough to cross the center of the pie. You can use varying widths for a more creative approach.
3. Egg wash the strips and the edge of the filled pie.
4. Place the strips across the pie about 1 inch apart, parallel, and evenly spaced. Seal them onto the rim of the pie and trim the edges.
5. Place additional strips across the pie at an angle the first. 45° angle to make a diamond pattern or 90° for a checkerboard. Seal and trim.
6. You can also interweave the strips, be sure to remove any juices from the filling from the strips as you go as they can distract from the beauty of the pie.

Preparing Unbaked Pies

• Line the pie pans with pie dough, then dock the crust with a fork to prevent blistering. Place another pan inside the first one so the dough is between two pans. Place the pans upside down in a preheated oven at 450°F. This method helps prevent the dough from shrinking into the pan. For best results, some bakers prefer to chill the crusts for 20-30 minutes before baking to relax the gluten and reduce shrinkage.
• Bake the crusts for 10-15 minutes. One pan may be removed during the final part of baking to allow the crust to brown. Once baked, cool the crusts completely. Some bakers opt to brush melted white chocolate inside the crust to prevent fogginess.
• Afterward, fill the crusts with cream or chiffon filling, and chill the pies until they are set enough to be sliced. For added appeal, most cream pies and chiffon pies are best served topped with whipped cream, while lemon cream pies are often enhanced by a layer of meringue, which is then browned.

Meringue Pie Topping

1. Prepare either common meringue or Swiss meringue by combining 1 pound of sugar with 1 pound of egg whites. Whip the mixture until it forms stiff peaks.
2. Generously spread the meringue on each pie, making sure to attach it to the edge of the crust all around. Leave the meringue in ripples or peaks for an attractive finish.
3. Bake the pies at 400°F until the meringue’s surface is attractively browned. Using a higher temperature may cause the meringue to shrink and toughen.
4. Once baked, remove the pies from the oven and allow them to cool.

Pie Filling Methods

Cooked Juice Method

1. Drain the juice from the fruit.
2. Measure the juice and, if necessary, add water or other fruit juice to bring to the desired volume.
3. Bring the juice to a boil.
4. Dissolve the starch in cold water and stir into the boiling juice. Return to a boil and cook until clear and thickened.
5. Add sugar, salt, and flavorings. Stir until dissolved.
6. Pour the thickened juice over the drained fruit and mix gently. Be careful not to break or mash the fruit.
7. Cool.

Cooked Fruit Method

1. Bring the fruit and juice or water to a boil. Some sugar may be added to the fruit to draw out juices.
2. Dissolve the starch in cold water and stir into the fruit. Return to a boil and cook until clear and thickened. Stir while cooking.
3. Add sugar, salt, and flavorings, and other ingredients. Stir until dissolved.
4. Cool as quickly as possible.

Variation

Some fruits, such as fresh apples, may be cooked in butter, rather than boiled in water, for better flavor.

Making Chiffon Pie Filings

1. Prepare the base.
2. Soften gelatin in cold liquid. Stir it into the hot base until dissolved. Chill until thickened, but not set.
3. Fold in beaten egg whites.
4. Fold in whipped cream, if used.
5. Immediately pour into pie shells and chill.

my favorite tools for making pies

• french rolling pin
• pie tins
• pie weights
• pie mat
• 1″ pastry brush or 2″ pastry brush
• pastry wheel-crimped