|
 Pie Troubleshooting
Guide
Everybody
loves pie! It's one of the most versatile desserts ever, and just about
anyone who has ever made dessert before has tried their hand at pie ~
baking. All of us, from the first ~ timer to the seasoned veteran, have
run into our share of unexpected pie pitfalls and pastry problems,
though. To make pie ~ baking a more satisfying experience for you, we've
compiled a troubleshooting guide to address some of the most common
difficulties that all of us can run into when we turn out our pastry ~ clad masterpieces.
The
Dough cracks when you try to roll it out?
The dough is either too dry or too cold. If it seems to be crumbling
apart, work a few sprinkles of water into it ~ just try to handle it as
little as possible. If it just cracks at the edges when you run the
rolling pin over it, it probably just needs to warm up a little. Allow
it to sit on the counter for a few minutes, but don't let it get too
warm, or the layers of fat will melt together and your crust will not be
flaky.
The
Crust sticks to the rolling pin?
Chill the dough before trying to roll it out. Lightly flour the
countertop and the top of the dough. You can also buy a pastry cloth and
a rolling pin cover. These are made from thin cotton, and they will help
prevent the dough from getting stuck. Be sure to lightly flour the cloth
and the cover before using them.
The
Crust doesn't brown on bottom?
Place the pie on the bottom oven rack, and begin baking at a relatively
high temperature { 425 to 450 degrees F/220 to 230 degrees C }, then
reduce it after 20 minutes or so. The initial high temperature will help
the crust to brown, and reducing the temperature will allow the filling
to cook thoroughly before the crust burns.
The
Crust is soggy?
Brush the bottom crust with beaten egg white or heated jelly before
pouring in filling. Or, try partially or fully baking crust before
pouring in filling. Partially baking the bottom crust can be a challenge
if you're making a double ~ crust pie, but it can be done. Many people
find it easier in this case to make a lattice top crust. You can use
beaten egg to help seal the top crust to the partially baked bottom
crust, since you won't be able to pinch the two crusts together like
usual.
I pre ~ baked my pie crust, and it came out shrunken, puffy, and misshapen?
Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator both before and after
rolling it out.
Also be sure that you never pull or stretch the dough
when fitting it into the pan.
These measures will keep the crust from
shrinking.
Use a fork to poke the crust in several places to allow steam
to escape without forcing crust to puff up. However, if you're baking a
custard pie where the filling is baked in the crust { as opposed to a
cream pie, where the filling is cooked on the stovetop then poured into
a pre ~ baked crust } do not poke holes in the bottom crust, or the custard
will seep through the holes. Instead, you can use weights in the bottom
of the crust to keep it in place: either pie weights, which are
specifically made for this purpose, or dry beans or rice. Be sure to
line the crust with parchment paper, wax paper or foil before putting in
the weights.
The
Crust is too pale?
Increase the oven temperature. You can also brush the top crust with
beaten egg or milk for a golden, glossy appearance ~ but remember to do
this BEFORE you cut the steam vents in the top, or you will seal them
shut. If your crust recipe contains vinegar or lemon juice, this could
be the culprit as well: these ingredients are used to make the crust
tender, but they can also prevent browning. Counteract it by adding
about 1 teaspoon of sugar to your dry ingredients before mixing in the
butter, margarine or shortening.
The
Crust edges are burnt?
Cover crust edges with pie crust shields or strips of foil before
putting pie in oven { this is easier than taking the pie out of the oven
halfway through baking and trying to cover the crust without burning
yourself }. About 20 minutes before the end of baking time, remove the
foil and allow the edges to brown to perfection.
The
Crust is tough?
Mix the dough just barely enough to combine all ingredients to form a
ball. Once liquid comes in contact with the flour, it begins to form
gluten. The more you knead the liquid and flour together, the more the
gluten forms. The more gluten forms, the tougher the pastry will be.
Another thing you can try is substituting 1 teaspoon of the water called
for in the recipe with vinegar or lemon juice. The acidity will keep
gluten from forming a strong structure, and the crust will not be as
tough.
The
Crust isn't flaky?
Chill the fat and the liquid before adding them to the flour. When
combining the fat with the flour, you can crumble some of it finely, but
make sure to leave some larger pieces as well. Fat that is rubbed into
the flour until it has a sandy texture will promote tenderness, but it's
the larger pieces that separate the layers and slowly melt in the oven,
that promote flakiness. For a piecrust that is both tender and flaky,
use half chilled butter and half room temperature shortening. The
shortening will add tenderness; the butter, flakiness. Just be sure to
leave the butter in pieces at least as large as peas.
Filling leaks all over oven?
Did you remember to cut steam vents in the top crust? As fruit cooks, it
gives off steam, and if the steam doesn't have any place to go, it will
blow holes randomly in the sides of the crust and leak pie filling all
over the oven. Sometimes leaks happen even when we do cut steam vents in
the crust. This can occur when we brush a glaze of beaten egg or sugar
over the pie after we have cut the vents, thus effectively sealing the
vents shut again. Or, if the pie filling is extremely sugary, the
filling can bubble up and seal the vents shut on its own. Sometimes,
leakage is just unavoidable. To avoid big messes, cover a baking sheet
with foil and place the pie on top of it before putting it in the oven.
The pie may still leak, but at least it will be easy to clean up.
Fruit filling is mushy?
The fruit has been cooked too long. You should either increase oven
temperature so the crust will cook quickly before the filling has a
chance to get mushy, or cut the fruit in larger chunks so it will not
turn to mush before the pie is done.
There's a big gap between the top crust and the fruit filling?
You piled your pie high with fruit and covered it up carefully with
pastry, but now that it's done, the filling has shrunk and there's a
huge space between the top crust and the filling! This happens because
the fruit loses water { and therefore loses volume }, in the form of
steam, as it cooks. By the time the fruit has cooked down, though, the
top crust is already firm and it holds its original shape, even though
the fruit is no longer there to hold it up. If you want to prevent the
crust ~ gap problem, you can partially cook your filling before you put it
in the pie. If you do this, you'll need to start off with more fruit
that your original recipe calls for. Place it in a large saucepan along
with the other filling ingredients such as cornstarch, sugar, and
spices, and cook it over low heat until the fruit gets softer and loses
some of its volume. Fill the pie as you normally would, then bake it at
a high temperature to keep the fruit from getting mushy before the crust
is done. Just remember to cover it loosely with foil during the first
part of baking so the top won't burn.
Cream filling is curdled?
Cream filling can curdle when the eggs get too hot. It's essential that
you temper your eggs before combining them with other hot ingredients.
The idea is to slowly bring up the temperature of the eggs-if you heat
them up too fast, they will scramble! To temper your eggs, first place
them in a bowl and whisk them thoroughly. Next, SLOWLY pour about a cup
of the heated milk mixture into the eggs while you whisk constantly. Now
that the eggs have been gently warmed up, you can slowly whisk this
mixture into the saucepan containing the rest of the milk. If your
filling recipe contains flour or cornstarch, it's okay to let the
mixture come to a boil on the stovetop. Just don't let it boil rapidly
or for too long, or it will burn. However, if your recipe does not
contain any starch, boiling will cause the mixture to curdle. No matter
what recipe you're using, remember to stir, stir, stir for as long as
your filling is on the stove! If you still have curdling troubles, try
making your cream filling in a double boiler.
The Pie
Filling is runny?
For fruit filling: use cornstarch, tapioca flour, arrowroot, or
all ~ purpose flour to thicken it up. Depending on the juiciness of the
fruit, use about 1/4 cup all ~ purpose flour, or 2 tablespoons cornstarch,
tapioca flour, or arrowroot.
For cream filling: make sure you cook the filling long enough after
you've added the eggs. If the eggs haven't been cooked long enough, the
filling can break down after it's cooled. Cook and stir the mixture for
at least 2 full minutes after the eggs have been whisked in. If you have
used instant pudding to fill your pie, serve it within a few hours.
Instant pudding will separate and get watery if allowed to sit for too
long. If you want filling with more staying power { and a richer,
creamier taste } use cook and serve pudding, or make the filling from
scratch.
I want to freeze a pie?
You can freeze a fruit pie raw or baked. To prepare an unbaked frozen
pie, do not defrost it first. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F { 200
degrees C } and bake for about 50 to 60 minutes. Don't forget to cut
steam vents in the top crust! To prepare a baked frozen pie, allow it to
thaw at room temperature for an hour, then bake it at 375 degrees F { 190
degrees C } for 30 to 40 minutes, until heated through. We do not
recommend freezing custard or cream pies.
|
