Let’s be real: Baking a pie can be stress inducing, which is why many choose to buy one instead. Pies have been made for thousands of years, originally with thick, inedible crusts that were meant to protect the ingredients sealed inside of them while cooking directly on a hot fire. Later, they became a means of food preservation, still protecting their fillings from the elements and preventing spoilage. Modern pies are much more fun, with creative flavor combinations and fancy toppings ranging from meringue to whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. Experience is the best teacher, and I promise you after making a pie or two, you’ll be better informed for future bakes. In the meantime, I can share with you a few tips and some pie advice from years of baking experience. Want an easy option? Try a crumb crust. Crushed graham crackers and melted butter with a little extra sugar make a perfect crust for a lot of pies. Pumpkin pies and cheesecakes especially! You can also make these cookie crumb crusts pretty quickly, since they’re not as difficult
Baking an apple pie? Be generous with the apples. Really pack them in, because as they bake they will lose a lot of volume. If your recipe calls for the apples to be pre-cooked (usually a good idea), make sure to cool the cooked filling completely before adding it to your pie shell. Underbaking is more common than overbaking. An underbaked pie will not fully set: It will be a bit too wet and the bottom crust will be gummy. With fruit pies and all-butter pie crusts, I encourage you to push the bake further, let things get a little browner. The flavor will be better and so will the texture! Bake pies a day ahead of your meal. The single most important thing I learned making pies professionally: Give the pie time to cool and set up and it will be much easier to slice. You can warm it up again before serving if you want, but trying to cut a pie an hour after baking will usually end up pretty messy. I bake my pies the day before and cover them loosely with plastic wrap. Fruit pies can stay out at room temperature for one to two days. Pumpkin pies or anything else with eggs should be refrigerated.
as an all-butter crust and don’t require chill time or rolling out.
Making your own dough? Do it a day (or two or three!) ahead. It’ll be absolutely fine in the fridge or freezer, and it gives the dough time to rest, making it easier to roll out. Splitting things up over a few days also makes the task a little less daunting.
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Thrive Market Organic Pumpkin
Thrive Market Non-Stick Parchment Paper
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