Shrinking piecrust

[CookinBlondie]

Cookin blondie is working on a piecrust for a cream pie and we have heard that placing beans in the crust to bake it before putting the filling in will keep it from shrinking. Do the beans have to be in something and if so what?

Cookin Blondie's Mom

 

[choclatechef]

No. The beans are loose. Just make sure you don't try to cook with the beans later. Save them in a marked container for your next blind baking.

 

[Psiguyy]

If you don't want to pick out hundreds of beans, you can line the crust with parchment paper and put the beans in the paper. When done, just life the paper and beans out.

I never use beans. My crusts don't shrink. The key to it is two fold. First, you must not stretch the crust when placing into the crust, especially when forming the dough to the contours of the pan. Second, you need to let the dough rest in the refrigerator for an hour before baking. Not only does that eliminate the stretching, but it lets the gluten relax so you end up with a more tender crust.

 

[honeybee]

shrinking pie crust

I've seen Paula Dean put beans on the pie crust. Just put the dried beans on the crust. Take them off the crust when you take the baked crust out of the oven.

 

[choclatechef]

If you don't want to pick out hundreds of beans, you can line the crust with parchment paper and put the beans in the paper. When done, just life the paper and beans out.

I never use beans. My crusts don't shrink. The key to it is two fold. First, you must not stretch the crust when placing into the crust, especially when forming the dough to the contours of the pan. Second, you need to let the dough rest in the refrigerator for an hour before baking. Not only does that eliminate the stretching, but it lets the gluten relax so you end up with a more tender crust.

Very true. I think the reason why beans are used mainly is to keep the shell from bubbling up in the pan.

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

See.... this is why I dont bake. All the flour and mixing... and THEN you have to wait for days.... hours until gluten has time to kick back and relax..... THEN you have to pound the stuff..... or roll it again.... or let it rise..... BUT..... you cant roll it TOO firm..... or it will be hard... or too soft... plus you use BEANS to make it not dry or shrink if you dont have the correct MIXTURE, didnt roll it right..... didnt use the right flour.... didnt let it relax properly and THEN the filling..... and THEN you have to let it bake for 3 days.... and when its done Im left with a 3" tart that I inhale within 2 minutes. :?
Sorry, I quit smoking... Im craby! Grrrrrrrrr.........

 

[choclatechef]

 

[WayneT]

But "SUSHI" if you go through all those processes you won't have time to smoke. Think of the health benefits of baking, not smoking.

 

[Psiguyy]

Very true. I think the reason why beans are used mainly is to keep the shell from bubbling up in the pan.

You are, of course, correct. The solution to the bubbling problem is to dock (poke holes with a fork or docking tool) the crust before baking.

 

[Audeo]

If you don't want to pick out hundreds of beans, you can line the crust with parchment paper and put the beans in the paper. When done, just life the paper and beans out.

I never use beans. My crusts don't shrink. The key to it is two fold. First, you must not stretch the crust when placing into the crust, especially when forming the dough to the contours of the pan. Second, you need to let the dough rest in the refrigerator for an hour before baking. Not only does that eliminate the stretching, but it lets the gluten relax so you end up with a more tender crust.

Bingo. Again, you win the prize, psiguyy! Ditto here.

 

[Psiguyy]

I just noticed I said stretching. Should have been shrinking, of course. Must have a a brain fart.

 

[Michael in FtW]

When I have a recipe that calls for blind baking a crust I dock the bottom (poke a bunch of holes in the bottom using a fork), line it with either parchment paper or aluminum foil, and fill it with dry beans (that I reserve for that purpose).

The reason for docking and weighting the crust is to keep the bottom from getting bubbles/blisters and getting too flakey (too much seperation of the layers can promote sogginess since the crust isn't dense enough). Docking helps - but the addition of the "pie weights" is double insurance .... like Justin Wilson would say about wearing both a belt and suspenders - it's safety engineering.

Never use wax paper unless you want your crust to have a faint taste of crayons or candles. I don't use beans or rice (which also works well) without parchment or foil because I have noticed that sometimes the shell can taste like roasted beans or rice. But, that's just my experiences.

 

[CookinBlondie]

Wow! You all are a great help! Thanks! So, of all the info given, when I am blind baking a pie crust................


1) Put in the fridge for a coulpe of hours
2) When putting into the pie pan, don't stretch and fold under the edges
3) Dock the bottom
4) Place beans/rice on a piece of foil in the bottom, bake, remove foil and beans/rice

Did I miss anything? Oh, and also, when I fold the crust over the edges of the pan, how do I remove that excess crust after baking, or will it be fine like it is? Thanks again for the help. You guys are the best!

*Note to self, make pies for psiguy, wayne, and another for sushi*

CookinBlondie*

 

[Psiguyy]

Step 1 is a bit off. You should refrigerate the dough for an hour before you roll it out, then you need to refrigerate again AFTER you place the dough in the pie pan.

Gluten is what develops when you make bread. That's what makes the dough sticky. When you make pie crusts, you don't want the gluten. Gluten is what makes pie dough tough and when gluten (protein) heats up, it shrinks. The resting period minimizes the effect of gluten.

 

[CookinBlondie]

Thanks, I'll make some more crust, see what happens, and report back.

CookinBlondie*