Q: I have a terrible time blind-baking my pie crusts. I have tried all kinds of techniques, pie weights, Cook's Illustrated tips — and I always have major shrinkage with my crust.
Can anyone help me make a beautiful crust for a chocolate cream pie?
Sent by Ann
Editor: Oh Ann, I feel your pain. As much as I love baking pies, my pie crusts never achieve a perfect crimp. My crusts have achieved lovely flakiness and a delicious taste, but they still always shrink back into themselves — no matter how much I rest the dough and chill it before baking.
Readers, this one is getting turned over to you. Ann and I both want to know: How do you make a perfect pie crust?
Related: How To Make a Pie Crust from Scratch
(Image: Nealey Dozier. Recipe pictured above: Browned Butter Butterscotch Pie)
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Good morning! Forgive me if this is something you have tried already, but I like to freeze my pie shells for 10-15 minutes before I pre-bake them. Then I put a layer of foil on, and since the dough is firm from the freezer, i tuck the foil so it is like a second skin on the pie, and I am able to fill it to the brim with dried beans or rice for baking. The formed crust keeps its shape with the foil skin and plenty of weights.
is your oven reaching the proper temperature? If you do not have a thermometer in the over to check that the middle of the rack reaches the temperature needed to bake the pie, then I would say that is the source of your frustration. You can not depend on the outside oven settings to reach optimal temperature in the oven.
The only perfect pie crust is one that you buy in the grocery store.
I increase my pie crust recipe by 1/3 (per pie), and roll out a much larger diameter pastry than what looks necessary. I use the extra to crimp a very high crown on the crust, and I am never disappointed by shrinkage.
I also do the high crimp--like tarts, it's also very important to not stretch the dough into the pan, just fit it gently. Lately, though, my overly large crimped edges have been too large...and at least one little area always drools over the edge.
My mother-in-law's trick was to prick it all over with a fork. This works very well, though I'm not sure why. I encourage you to try it.
let your pie crust sit in the fridge at least an hour before you roll it out, and return to the fridge for at least an hour after you roll it out & lay it in the pan (for this last part, i sometimes let it rest in fridge 45 min, then pop in freezer for the last 15)
the key is patience.
I usually prick the entire pie with a fork, and then I layer foil like a second skin and fill it with beans I had bought as pie weights!
Basically a combination of what Beanbag and angeladudek mentioned! I've never had an issue with shrinking crust!
Also try swapping pastry flour for the usual AP and that'll help too. (See RLB's Pie & Pastry Bible for recipes.) I suspect it helps because pastry flour has less stretchy gluten?
In any event, doing ALL of the aforementioned things (resting, chilling, high-siding, docking, weighting) AND using pastry flour is the only way I've ever been able to get a blind-baked crust to behave.
This is great! Thanks for all the helpful tips, I'm eager to try them. :)
As others say, chill the pie crust very well after you form it/crimp it and make sure you have enough pie weights to fill up your pie dish/pan up to the crimp. Not necessarily frozen hard, but it should be very cold.
Huh, I've never had that issue.
Do make sure that you chill the dough well before rolling it out, and watch your temps when baking. most of the time I start at a high temp (425 or so) for ten minutes, and then bring it down.
I have never really had this problem as long as I prick it with a fork. We also realized my gramma had under-estimated her measurements in her pie crust recipe so we started making a recipe and a half, which I think makes it easier. Chilling it helps, using ice water and cold oil when you make it also makes the whole thing easier to bring together without excessive stirring so you don't overdevelop the gluten.
Shrinkage usually happens if the dough has been overworked.
Mix the pie dough together until everything is just barely moist and will hold together when squeezed, then roll it out gently.
I've never had a shrinkage problem. Not sure why, so I'll just say that I always make my dough ahead of time (a day or 2). I wrap it, bag it, and refrigerate it until I'm ready to bake. Roll it out, place in the pie dish, prick with a fork and bake.