Preparing perfect pies (First part)

Wouldn’t it be perfect to come home and smell the aroma of freshly baked homemade pie? It would surely leave a wonderful memory to those who experience this. Growing up, I thought pie-making was hard to do, given the things it requires—the cutting in of the fat into the flour, the handling of the dough when adding the water, the waiting period during the resting of the dough, and the rolling out of an elastic dough to fit the mold. Those can really be intimidating. But as time passed, I learned to embrace this difficult process, just to attain that perfectly flaky pie dough. It’s totally worth it.

Question No. 1: Greetings, Chef Mom. I am Beverly Sotalbo, a mother of two boys. I like experimenting in the kitchen, especially in baking. Recently, I tried this apple pie recipe I got from the Internet. The crust turned out hard to bite into. It’s even hard to cut with a knife. What could possibly be the reason that happened? Thank you and good luck on your column.

Thank you for writing us, Beverly. Apple pie recipes usually call for a flaky pie dough. To make the pie dough flaky, a certain method is called for: the cut-in method. Fat is cut into the flour mixture called for in the recipe. By doing this, the fat will turn into small bits that will be coated with the flour. These bits will turn into flakes as the fat melts inside the oven. It is important that the fat does not premelt at any point before baking. If butter is used, chill it before using and make sure to maintain its temperature all throughout the preparation.

Beverly, I think the fat in your dough premelted, which is why your dough turned out tough, instead of flaky. Please follow the aforementioned tips to attain the result you want.

Question No. 2: Dear Chef Mom, I got to know of your column because of my friend. We both love to bake; we exchange recipes and even share baking secrets. I am writing to ask why my pie crust came out oily the last time I baked a pecan pie. Was it because of the pecan nuts in the filling?—Glecy Faustino, Makati City

If your dough was the one that turned oily, and not the filling, then the problem is your dough. I think the culprit is the fat in your dough. The fat should not premelt at any point before being baked. It is important to use chilled fat in the beginning. Resting the dough in the chiller not only relaxes the gluten in the dough to avoid overworking it, but also cools the fat in the dough so that the temperature is maintained.

You may stop at any time while preparing the dough if it starts to turn sticky or when you see the fat oozing out of the dough, melting. Chill the dough first and just resume when the fat is cold once again. Working in a cold kitchen also helps to maintain the temperature of your dough so it does not premelt. To bake your pie, do so at relatively high oven temperature, usually 350 to 375 F. Baking it at a low temperature, like 300 F or even lower, will cause the fat in your dough to start melting as soon as you put the pie in the oven, even before the protein in the dough sets. This will give you an oily, soggy crust.

To be concluded next month

We would like thank you, our dear readers, for your continued support. Rest assured, we will continue to do our best. Keep on writing us as we reveal more oven secrets! Send an e-mail to chefmom.tmm@gmail.com.