Apple Pie Crust - Advice

[mstefanis]

I went apple picking this weekend and made a 'wonderful' apple pie - the filling was great and the top crust flaky and perfect. But, my bottom crust was raw! It didn't bake at all!

I used a ceramic pie dish to bake in. Baked close to the bottom of the oven (but needed to use the lowest rack for a cookie sheet to catch all the drippings). I coated the bottom crust with egg white so it would not get soggy from the filling. I baked at a higher temperature (425 F) for the first 10 minutes and then lowered it to 350 F.

What am I doing wrong? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Maria

[runninduo]

I've never actually made a pie crust from scratch, but have been reading up on it b/c it's on my list of things to try.

I'm sure someone who knows more than I will answer, but what about pre-baking the crust for a bit.......maybe 10 min or so before adding the filling......i think you'd need to weight the crust down with a skillet or pie weigths so it doesn't puff up.

Good luck! I look forward to seeing other suggetions!

[Psiguyy]

Next time, put the pie plate directly on the cookie sheet. The way you did it, the sheet acted as a shield and prevented direct transfer of heat to the bottom of the pie. If you put the pie dish directly on the cookie sheet, the heat from the cookie sheet, especially if it's made out of heavy duty aluminum instead of the thin or "air-bake" stuff, you'll find that your filled pies will probably bake better than if you didn't have the sheet at all.

[southerncook]

Originally Posted by Psiguyy

Next time, put the pie plate directly on the cookie sheet. The way you did it, the sheet acted as a shield and prevented direct transfer of heat to the bottom of the pie. If you put the pie dish directly on the cookie sheet, the heat from the cookie sheet, especially if it's made out of heavy duty aluminum instead of the thin or "air-bake" stuff, you'll find that your filled pies will probably bake better than if you didn't have the sheet at all.

I'd go w/this and think about using a rolled out almond paste to fit the bottom of your pie, it acts as another layer of flavor, and doesn't allow the filling to mush up the bottom crust. It's really very, very good.

[bege]

I haven't anything to help you, as I have the same problem. I will be watching this thread closely. Maybe someone can help us both. I use deep dish pyrex, and I don't lower the temp. Could aluminum or tin pans be the answer? I have even used cookie sheet, pre-heated in the oven. It helps with the prepared pie crusts, which come in aluminum pans.

[WayneT]

This how I always prevent this happening. BAKE BLIND

‘Baking blind’ means cooking a pastry case without any filling. By baking the pastry before adding the contents, you're guaranteed a crisp, non-soggy pie case

How many times has your home-made quiche or tart fallen apart because of a soggy pie case? The simple way to avoid this common problem is blind baking: fully pre-bake the pastry then cook the pie or tart again with the filling in place.

1. Make the pastry and line a tin, glass or ceramic pastry or pie dish. The pastry should then rest in the fridge while you preheat the oven. Most pastries should cook at a fairly high temperature, usually 190–200C/375–400F/gas mark 6–7.
2. Place on a baking sheet (this makes it easier to remove from the oven when hot) and tear off a sheet of baking parchment or greaseproof paper. Lay it in the pastry case so it comes up the sides a bit. Tip in some ceramic baking beans (these are made especially for this purpose and can be bought in kitchen shops) or just use some dried beans or rice. The idea is to weigh the paper and pastry down to prevent it from rising up during baking.
3. Some cooks like to prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork before baking blind, but I find this unnecessary. Besides, any holes in your pastry can allow a liquid filling to seep out before it sets.
4. Make sure the oven is up to the correct temperature before baking the pastry. If not, it tends to ‘melt’ and slide down the sides of the dish before setting.
5. Most pastries will cook in about 9–12 minutes. Pastry with sugar in it will cook very quickly and can burn easily, so watch it carefully. When the case is a sandy colour, remove it from the oven and gently lift off the paper and baking beans. Place back in the oven for another 2–3 minutes to finish. A good way to tell if a shortcrust pastry case is done is to rub gently with your third finger then rub against your thumb. It should feel slightly gritty, like fine sand. The case is now ready for filling.

I use dried beans. But I am looking out for the ceramic ones. I once used my son's glass marbles, Some of them shattered with the heat. I had to chuck the pastry away.

[Audeo]

Originally Posted by Psiguyy

Next time, put the pie plate directly on the cookie sheet. The way you did it, the sheet acted as a shield and prevented direct transfer of heat to the bottom of the pie. If you put the pie dish directly on the cookie sheet, the heat from the cookie sheet, especially if it's made out of heavy duty aluminum instead of the thin or "air-bake" stuff, you'll find that your filled pies will probably bake better than if you didn't have the sheet at all.

Couldn't agree more. I used an insulated jelly roll pan once to catch the drip-overs and had a raw bottom crust -- the one and only time this has happened. Before and since, I always use a solid heavy-duty pan and place the pie plate directly on top of that in the middle of the oven. I use ceramic and glass pie dishes with equal success. I would never consider pre-baking a bottom crust for a pie with a top crust. I can't fathom how that would possibly work -- you'd never be able to attach the top to the pre-cooked bottom with any success.

[WayneT]

Originally Posted by Audeo

. I would never consider pre-baking a bottom crust for a pie with a top crust. I can't fathom how that would possibly work -- you'd never be able to attach the top to the pre-cooked bottom with any success.

You are right. I was forgetting about mstefanis was using a top crust!

[mstefanis]

Thank you all for your great suggestions. I'll try the crust again and see how it goes.

[pst1can]

I used have my own restaurant and for a consistent product I used a few different tricks. The main one was I pre-cook my apples in a microwave for 4-5 minutes then I add my spices and brown sugar to finish my filling. I always used to use foil pie plates as just as many pies went home "whole" as we sold in our restaurant. I always used to use a convection oven so my pies were always in the middle of the oven on a baking sheet to collect any drips. This always worked for me....I cannot tell you how to cook your pies at home as when we moved in to this house I splurged on a gas/convection oven for our kitchen. Hope this helps. 8)