Preparing perfect pies (Last part)

Pies, no matter how rustic they may be, are slowly coming back to the mainstream nowadays. Years ago, one would find it hard to find pies in bake- shops, and even on the product list of in-demand home bakers. Thanks to the “farm-to-table” concept that’s sprouting all over the metropolis, bakeshops and home bakers are now putting pies on their product list.

Below is the conclusion of our column on pies. Learn a thing or two to get that perfectly flaky pie dough with matching succulent filling.

Question No. 3: How do you ensure your pie dough comes out nice and crisp every time? I’ve had experienced baking a pie crust that was soggy. What should I do next time so that my pie dough comes out crisp and nicely browned, even at the bottom?—Jessica Ng, Pasig City

Hi, Jessica. In pie-making, there is such a thing called “blind-baking,” which means baking the pie dough without the filling. After the pie dough had been rested, rolled out to the desired thickness, then laid on the mold or pan to be baked in, then finally resting it again in the refrigerator, the dough is baked until it is baked through and nicely browned. Ceramic balls, rice or even beans can be poured on top of the dough to weigh down the crust, so that it does not bubble up during baking.

After most of the baking is down, the pie weight is removed and the dough is baked again until it is completely baked through. This will ensure the pie dough is crisp throughout, even the center area, which is quite hard to do with the filling present. This can be done to all pie-dough recipes, even if the original recipe does not say so. Baking your pie dough in the lower part of the oven will also make the bottom of the dough nicely browned.

Question No. 4: A perfect pie should be perfectly browned all over and emulates the same shape as the mold it was baked in. Why is it that when I bake apple pie at home, the crust is not evenly browned and the crust also shrinks in size? Thank you in advance.—Ofel Gregorio, Quezon City

Thanks for taking the time to write us your question, Ofel. Baking not only entails accurately measuring the ingredients to give us the result we want. Techniques and methods play a big part, too. In pie-making, the resting of the dough in the refrigerator is the secret for a well-behaved pie dough. Resting is done at least twice: first, after the dough is formed with the combination of the ingredients called for in the recipe; and second, after the dough had been rolled out and formed in the mold or pan to be baked in. The longer you rest the dough in the refrigerator, the better. There is actually no overresting of the dough. You can even do these preparations in advance. A well-rested dough will be so “relaxed,” it won’t move or shrink in the oven.

When it comes to evenly browning the pie, you may rotate the pie mold halfway through baking or once you see that one part of the pie is browned and the opposite side is still pale. Uneven browning is due to the hotspot of your oven.

It helps to know where the hotspot of your oven is. Feel free to rotate the pie once the first half of the baking time has elapsed or once part of the pie has browned already.

Let us thank you, our dear readers, for your continued support. We hope you continue to send your baking queries to our e-mail address at chefmom.tmm@gmail.com. We would love to reveal more oven secrets! Happy baking!