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Soggy Pie Bottom


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i bake quite a bit the only problem is that i find often is that the bottom of the pie shell is uncooked... i have heard that if i bake it at a higher temp which i have tried didn't work... now if i was to follow the instructions in a recipe it would say bake at 350 for 45mins in the middle rack... so how do i get the bottom of my pie to cook without burning the top.. by the way most recent baking adventure was yesterday with apple pie and a pumpkin pie...

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Dianabanana is spot on about freezing the apple pie first before baking. You can also try putting on a lower baking rack.

For pumpkin pie I first blind bake the crust until it's completely cooked through. Then I remove it from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes, and brush the inside with half of an egg white.

While the crust is baking, I heat up the pumpkin filling (except for the eggs) until boiling, and then slowly incorporate that into the beaten eggs so that the eggs are tempered. (The filling will thicken and be partially cooked.) Finally, I pour the filling into the crust and bake at 300F until set, which should only take a few minutes because it's already halfway there.

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While the crust is baking, I heat up the pumpkin filling (except for the eggs) until boiling, and then slowly incorporate that into the beaten eggs so that the eggs are tempered. (The filling will thicken and be partially cooked.)  Finally, I pour the filling into the crust and bake at 300F until set, which should only take a few minutes because it's already halfway there.

I've heard of this method and really wanted to try it but I had already mixed up my batter (with the eggs) the night before. But I'll definitely try this next time. Does the crust stay crisp this way?

I always do try to bake the crust separately anyway, or if I can't do that, I have to bake on the lower rack of the oven to be sure the bottom crust gets done.

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Using that method and the egg white coating I've never had a soggy pumpkin pie crust. The trick is that the filling sets up so quickly there's no time for the crust to get soggy. I can't remember the exact number of minutes it takes to bake, but it's usually just about done in the time it takes to wash the dishes.

Edited by sheetz (log)
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Lightly whisk an egg white with a little sugar and a splash of water, then brush the base of your tart or pie shell with it - this "seals" the pastry; bake for 6- 8 minutes, then add your filling. This also prevents any leaks.

Rover

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OLD OLD trick a grandma showed me for apple pie (or any fruit pie)

make your crust ...then pat it into flat disks wrap in plastic wrap put in a zippy bag and let it rest in the fridge for at LEAST a day but two days even better ...

then roll it out quickly while it is cold and before you put the filling in sprinkle a little cornmeal in the bottom of the crust about a tble evenly on the bottom layer of the crust ..I even kind of let it go up the side of the pie buy tapping it around ...

I cook my pies at a higher temp for at least 20 min of the baking then turn it down to 350 cover the edges with foil if they are browning to quickly (I like the dark edges)

you will never notice the cornmeal iflavor or testure..in the finished pie but the bottom stays so crispy for me that even that first slice comes out neatly ...and the next day (if there is any left) no sogginess

I use a half lard half butter pastry made with ice water if that matters...

Edited by hummingbirdkiss (log)
why am I always at the bottom and why is everything so high? 

why must there be so little me and so much sky?

Piglet 

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I use the method from Baking Illustrated. Preheat oven to 500F with a pizza pan or cookie sheet on the bottom rack. Put prepared pie on the pizza pan and reduce temp to 425F for 25 minutes, then rotate and reduce temp to 375 for another 30 - 35 minutes, cover edges with foil if necessary. This is off the top of my head, I'll have to double check times and temps but starting at 500F with the pan on the bottom rack has solved my soggy bottom problems.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

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What kind of pie plate are you using?

When I was younger I had soggy crust problems, and people suggested all sorts of egg washes and crust formulatinos to help me. None of this stuff worked, and it wasn't until I stopped using a ceramic pie plate that I stopped having issues.

If you use a pyrex, see through plate, you can just pick it up and look underneath to see if the bottom is brown enough. If it's not but your edges are brown, just cover those with foil and let it keep baking. If that's what's happening I wonder if you have a problem with your oven heating really unevenly.

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thanks guys... i guess the par baking for the pumpkin pie would work.. do you guys think that baking it ON the pizza stone would work? and if it did then would i need to bake it at 350 or 400? of course the pastry shop has it perfect every time... suggestion"s..??

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I've tried it on a pizza stone. Even tried preheating the stone to 550 degrees and then turning down before putting the pie/tart in the oven. If anything it's been a little better just on the rack.

I'm getting a little frustrated with the difficulty of browning tart shells on the bottom. I'm using tinned steel, which seems to be a favorite with bakers, but it just doesn't brown the bottom well. I'm considering finding a way to blacken the bottom of the pan (edge of the ring/disk) on the outside.

With pies I've had a slightly easier time ... pyrex seems to let the radiant heat do its thing.

Notes from the underbelly

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I've tried it on a pizza stone. Even tried preheating the stone to 550 degrees and then turning down before putting the pie/tart in the oven. If anything it's been a little better just on the rack.

I'm getting a little frustrated with the difficulty of browning tart shells on the bottom. I'm using tinned steel, which seems to be a favorite with bakers, but it just doesn't brown the bottom well. I'm considering finding a way to blacken the bottom of the pan (edge of the ring/disk) on the outside.

With pies I've had a slightly easier time ... pyrex seems to let the radiant heat do its thing.

have you tried using black pie pan?? the dark color will make it brown faster...hey i just kinda sorta figured my own problem out lol

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have you tried using black pie pan?? the dark color will make it brown faster...hey i just kinda sorta figured my own problem out  lol

I've been wondering about that. The thing is, I almost always make tarts, and the only dark tart pans I can find are non-stick (the idea of nonstick tart pans annoys me so much I can't bring myself to get one). I did a quick search for French blue steel tart pans but didn't find anything.

I may paint the outsides of my tinned steel pans black.

Notes from the underbelly

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I'm getting a little frustrated with the difficulty of browning tart shells on the bottom. I'm using tinned steel, which seems to be a favorite with bakers, but it just doesn't brown the bottom well. I'm considering finding a way to blacken the bottom of the pan (edge of the ring/disk) on the outside.

I don't have experience with those types of pans, but it would seem to me that the easiest solution isn't to try and make the bottoms brown faster, but to make the tops brown slower. To do that you can just cover the top edges with foil, which should prevent the top from getting too dark while while you are waiting for the bottom to brown.

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I don't have experience with those types of pans, but it would seem to me that the easiest solution isn't to try and make the bottoms brown faster, but to make the tops brown slower. To do that you can just cover the top edges with foil, which should prevent the top from getting too dark while while you are waiting for the bottom to brown.

I've done this, but it's a fussy, annoying workaround. And it's a compensation for a pan that just isn't performing correctly. Good bakeware browns the food at the rate you want.

Notes from the underbelly

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