Pie dough is relatively easy to make, however problems still arise due to a lot of reasons. We are featuring questions about pie dough so read on and learn.

Q: Hi Chef Jun Jun and Chef Adoree. I would like to ask why my pie crust doesn’t brown. I’ve already baked it for 45 minutes and it is still white. Is there something wrong with the recipe? (Evelyn Mercado of Quezon City)

Adoree: Evelyn, I’m guessing that it is due to the recipe you used. The fat that you used was probably shortening, so the dough was white to start with. Pie dough usually takes some time to brown. You should bake pies at the lowest rack of your oven where the heat is from. Also, have your oven checked; maybe you were baking the pie crust at a very low temperature.

Jun Jun: Whether your pie dough is made of shortening or butter, the heat of your oven is essential to the browning qualities of whatever you are baking. Adoree is right about the best place to bake it. It must be at the lowest part of the oven so that the crust will brown and be baked before the filling starts making the dough soggy. Have your oven checked or put in an oven thermometer so that proper baking temperature is achieved. 

Q: I am Marie Vecoria from Iloilo. I read your column regularly. I would just like to ask why my pie dough slides down when I pre-bake it. I used a pie mold and the side is slanted.  Does that really happen? 

Adoree: Pre-baking, also known as blind-baking is done when you do not bake the pie dough with the filling. If you are baking a flaky type of dough, you need to put pie weights on top of it to hold it down. This ensures that you do not end up with uneven dough. This would also prevent the dough from sliding or moving. 

It is also important that you rest the dough in the refrigerator after you roll it out and put it on the pie plate. Resting allows the dough to relax so that it does not move or shrink while baking. Also, when you put the dough on the mold, you should place the dough on the rim of the mold, making sure the dough sits on it for support. Crimping the dough would also make sure it sits perfectly on the rim. Lastly, be sure the dough is cold before you put it in the oven.  Sometimes, if the fat in the dough has already pre-melted, the dough would easily slide as you put it in the oven.

Jun Jun: That’s right, Marie. I support Adoree’s answer to your blind baking problems. If these precautions are taken cared of before baking the dough, then you will not have problems. 

Q: Greetings to both of you, Jun Jun and Adoree. I bake for my family even without an occasion. I love to bake, I find it therapeutic. Why is it that when I make pies, the crust cracks after baking. When I placed it in the oven there were no cracks, but as I took the pie out, there were. What could have caused this? (Rorie Ledesma of Pasig City)

Adoree: Rorie, baking is really therapeutic; your family is fortunate that you bake for them. The cracking of your pie dough happened because your dough lacked in water. Next time you make your pie dough, add a little more water, up to the point that your dough becomes a bit sticky. The stickiness will vanish later on as you add extra flour while rolling out the dough.

Jun Jun: That’s so true, pies lacking in water usually crack after they are baked. Also, make sure that it is not baked too long in the oven or if the color is no longer light brown, this will further make your dough very fragile and any sudden movement will cause it to crack.

Q: My pie dough breaks easily when sliced. Is there a way of ensuring that I get a perfect slice each time? (Emily Buenconsejo of Parañaque)

Adoree: Emily, make sure you roll out the dough properly. A thickness of 1/16 of an inch would be just right. Also, using flour with higher protein content ensures that your crust will not break easily. If you are already using all-purpose flour, try getting another brand or get it from another supplier. If the problem is still there, try substituting part of the all-purpose flour with bread flour; you can probably start with two tablespoons. Bread flour has higher protein content than all-purpose flour. And adding some in place of all-purpose flour will increase the protein content of your flour; this will give your crust more structure.

Jun Jun: Breaking your crust during slicing tells me that you over baked it. Over baking made the crust very crispy, up to the point that it breaks easily. Make sure that your pie is baked at 350 F and only stays in the oven until a golden brown color is achieved on its side. 

Questions? Email us at mbdining@gmail.com.