It's not too early to start thinking about what kind of Thanksgiving pie you'll make this year. From favorites like Apple and Pumpkin to Pecan and Mincemeat, I've been compiling lists and starting to take votes. But a limp, soggy crust can quickly ruin even the best recipe.
Enter a baker's trick that doesn't have much to do with blind baking your pie shell or timing it perfectly. Some may say it's a lazy trick, but for juicy fruit-based pies, it can be a lifesaver. Two words: graham crackers.
I learned this trick from a mentor who taught me a great deal about baking, and she always sprinkled a layer of thinly ground graham cracker crumbs on the bottom of all of her pies before filling and baking. It soaks up any excess liquid that is bound to make your bottom crust a little limp. In Chez Panisse Fruit, one of my favorite narrowly-focused cookbooks, Alice Waters talks about sprinkling a fine layer of ground ameretti cookies on the bottom crust of her pies and tarts. Same theory, slightly different flavor. I've heard of some folks using breadcrumbs or even ground cornflakes. Regardless of what you choose, it may be worth experimenting before the Thanksgiving pie-onslaught begins. And it will, happily, in no time.
Related: 5 Steps to Make Perfect Pie Crust
(Image: Megan Gordon)
How to Cook Rice on the Stove
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
I like the idea of the cookies for the flavor addition, but I don't understand why it's needed to prevent soggy crust. If your bottom crust is turning out soggy (like in fruit pies) there are a couple things you can do to fix the problem instead of applying a bandaid that may not even work:
1. Make sure your dough is cold when it goes into the oven. When I roll out my crusts I put them in the freezer for 2 minutes, or the fridge for 15 if I have the time. The colder it is at the start the less likely your filling goo will penetrate enough to make it soggy at the end.
2. Keep your dough on the dry side. Many people add too much water to butter/shortening crusts. The dough should still be kind of crumbly, a main ball holding together, but small pieces falling off type of texture. When you put it in the fridge to rest the flour will absorb the water more evenly and you'll end up with a nice stiff dough to roll out.
3. Put your pie into a very hot oven to start. I always start butter crust pies in a 425F oven for at least 10 minutes, then lower to 375F for most varieties.
I'm not saying these are the only solutions/problems but I pie by these methods and never have a soggy crust no matter what the filling.
Jess13 - cold dough? I'm going to remember that!
jess13 - what pie crust recipe do you use?
Graham crumbs? That sounds soo much easier than the method we used in baking school: cake scraps. Who has cake scraps on a regular basis? Not me.
A baker who worked with me simply rolled his crusts out in fine graham cracker crumbs instead of flour. Easy, delicious, especially with pudding filled pies like lemon and butterscotch and with apple pie.