Fruit Pie Fillings

[LuckyGirl]

I've been diddling around with making pies for the last 6 months. I'm very happy with where I'm at as for as crust making goes. I'm also pretty happy with the fruit fillings I've made thus far this summer.

This week I started thinking about the different ways to thicken fruit pies and I would like to know what folks have found works for them, what thickening agent they prefer and why.

I have found that for an apple pie I get the best results with flour and then a few pads of butter on top of the apple filling before the top crust goes on. I have found that when I forget the butter, the filling does not thicken quite as much with only the flour.

Mostly for fruit fillings I've been using cornstarch and with good results but this week I tried tapioca. While I very much like the texture the tapioca gives I don't like the way some of the bits remain soft little bubbles and don't actually "dissolve".

Today I started wondering about arrowroot. How is that for a fruit filling thickener?

What are your preferred thickening agents? Do you use a different agent with different fruits?

Aslo, is there a "master" pie thread that I might want to consult?

[MaryMc]

I like Instant ClearJel, which I order from King Arthur Flour. It thickens my fruit pies nicely and stays clear. Cooks Illustrated turned me on to it--they tested several thickeners and it's the one they liked best.

[tmriga]

When I started experimenting with pies, I used what the recipe said to use. I found that I do not like using flour, as some recipes call for, because the taste never quite cooks out.

I switched to cornstarch, and now use that exclusively. I've had success using it every time. If I have a recipe that calls for flour as a thickener, I use half as much cornstarch.

I mix the cornstarch in with the sugar and spices, then pour the powder mixture over the fruit, stir well, and immediately pour it into the shell (scraping the bowl well, to get every bit of mixture) dot with butter, cover, pierce for steam, and bake.

Theresa

[David Ross]

I'm a traditionalist and just use butter and flour for thickening my fruit pies. The only thing I change is the ratio of flour to butter depending on the juice in the fruit. For example, I might use more flour to soak up the juices in a peach pie.

I've never liked the end result of fruit pies thickened with cornstarch or tapioca. Just don't like the taste, texture and appearance. I prefer the more natural result of the fruit juices lightly thickened with flour and butter. The result is a pie with juices that run onto the plate. I know a lot of friends and family that don't like that end result because they are used to store-bought fruit pies that have that thick jelly sort of texture.

[Lora]

I'm with you - flour for apple, cornstarch for all others. I thicken lightly and almost always use a lattice top crust to let excess moisture escape - thick filling, but not jelly-like.

[Chris Hennes]

To counter David, I'm an anti-traditionalist : I don't like flour as a thickener at all, even in apple.

I made a blueberry pie last week thickened with tapioca flour and a Granny Smith apple (for the pectin): the texture was excellent, in my opinion. With any thickener I think it's important to get the amount right. I was comparing recipes for fruit pies and there are VASTLY varying amounts of thickener called for. I personally hate those gloppy cornstarch-laden diner-style pies, but that's not really an indictment of cornstarch, it's a recipe problem: they just call for too much of it.

[Edward J]

None....At least for apple.

I used too, and still occasionally churn out apple pies. I use the $30.00 apple peeler. Next I heat up a bit of butter in pot and saute the apple slices untill they start to collapse a bit. The best apple I've found for this is Braeburn. Sweeten, if you like, a hint of cinnamon--if you like, and into the shell.

Now, it's true that you might get a few crumbs when you slice, but on the whole, the pie slices come out fairly cleanly--and it's all pure apple.

[DanM]

I use cornstarch for my pies. Rose Levy Beranbaum has a wonderful table in the Pie and Pastry Bible that shows how much sugar and cornstarch needed for 4oz of 15 types of fruit as well as a table that shows how much fruit, sugar, and starch is needed for a typical pie. These two pages make the book worth wile all on its own.

Dan

Edited July 10, 2009 by DanM (log)

[andiesenji]

I also use Instant ClearJel as I have found it to be much more stable than regular cornstarch. It is very versatile.

Note that it was available to commercial bakers long before it was made available to consumers. If you have ever tried to duplicate the delicate and yet stable results from a bakery and been unsuccessful, it is probably because they were using this stuff.

The results have a silky texture, not the gloppy (sic) stuff that one gets with other thickeners.

However, I have also used other thickeners, guar gum, xanthan gum, kuzu root powder, etc., and they all have their plusses but one needs to experiment to get the perfect result. ClearJel is virtually foolproof.

You can also purchase it from Barry Farm.

Edited July 10, 2009 by andiesenji (log)

[mgaretz]

I prefer tapioca, but I use tapioca flour which avoids the problem of the little lumps. Tapioca flour is available at Asian groceries.

[djyee100]

...this week I tried tapioca. While I very much like the texture the tapioca gives I don't like the way some of the bits remain soft little bubbles and don't actually "dissolve".

I don't like that about tapioca either. However, recently, somewhere (one of the Chez Panisse cookbooks, I think) I read a tart recipe that told you to grind tapioca beads to a powder in a spice grinder. Now that should work. Or, like Chris Hennes, you can use tapioca flour, which is found in Asian markets.

[Chris Hennes]

Credit where credit is due: mgaretz gave me the idea in the first place .

[djyee100]

Or, like Chris Hennes and mgaretz, you can use tapioca flour, which is found in Asian markets.

[LuckyGirl]

Wow, thanks for all the input. It sounds like I need to keep experimenting to find my own preferences for each fruit.

I've been happy with the textures of my fillings when I've used both cornstarch and tapioca. I haven't had "gloppy" filling with either. I think, as was mentioned, the trick is in using the right amount.

I also like "juicy" pies but only if they are going to be eaten right away and while I like the more natural juices, I don't like loosing out on the crispness of the bottom crust when it come to a "juicy" pie. I am thinking about selling my pies so the issues with "juicy" pies is that they don't keep or transport well and while most folks I know do not want an overly "gloppy" filling neither do they want a runny pie

I will give ClearGel a try and will also look for tapioca powder and my Asian grocery store. The tapioca I used was ground but apparently not finely enough.

Also, thanks for the heads up on the ratios available in Rose Levy Beranbaum's "Pie and Pastry Bible". I will check it out. That sounds like just what I was hoping to find.

I will keep on experimenting. I've been baking several pies a day every chance I get. Making a good pie is so damn satisfying!

[David A. Goldfarb]

If I use anything, it's likely to be a dusting of flour on the fruit before assembling the pie. For whatever reason, I've never cared much for the consistency of things thickened with cornstarch, though I use it occasionally where it seems appropriate.