blind baking pie shells

[maxmillan]

My crust recipe consists of 75% butter, 25% shortening, flour, salt, sugar, lemon juice, water and baking powder.

I bake it in a pyrex, forked all over, and covered with bean filled foil. I bake like this for approx 10 minutes and and then take out the foil and beans and bake for another 10 minutes.

How can I prevent shrinkage so that it can maintain that nice crimped pre-baked look? I've had the edges rise and droop over and also shrink in.

Is it my recipe, my method, or both?

Thanks for your advice or any links to this similar problem.

[Domestic Goddess]

I have a similar problem and I eagerly await tips and advice on this matter.

[John DePaula]

My crust recipe consists of 75% butter, 25% shortening, flour, salt, sugar, lemon juice, water and baking powder.

I bake it in a pyrex, forked all over, and covered with bean filled foil.  I bake like this for approx 10 minutes and and then take out the foil and beans and bake for another 10 minutes.

How can I prevent shrinkage so that it can maintain that nice crimped pre-baked look?  I've had the edges rise and droop over and also shrink in.

Is it my recipe, my method, or both?

Thanks for your advice or any links to this similar problem.

←

Are you resting and chilling your dough? There may be some other tips here: Perfect sweet pastry tartlets, tips, tricks, advice needed.

[torakris]

I have a quiche with a perfect crust in the oven as I type.

I follow the cook's Illustrated method of after rolling out the dough and placing it in the pan, you refrigerate it for 40 minutes and then freeze it for 20 minutes. Bake (with weights, no pricking necessary) at 190C (375F) for 17 minutes, remove the weights and bake an additional 9 minutes for partially baked and 15 minutes for a fully baked.

I use this method with 100% butter shells and with butter/shortening mix shells and it comes out perfect every time.

[reenicake]

try using pastry flour (or 2 parts ap flour and 1 part cake), and omit the baking powder -- this will reduce the puffing/rising. But the freezing is a good solution,

especially if you can bake at a higher temp.

[srhcb]

If you're in a hurry, put another properly sized, lightly greased pie pan inside the crust and bake them upside down. You can take the second pan out and turn the crust over for the last 10 minutes or so if you want it to brown more.

SB (Gravity is your friend)

[RMR]

Be careful not to stretch the dough when placing it in the pan. Ease it in very gently.

[tim]

Also:

Bake with beans to the top.

Use lower protein flour or replace some flour with pastry flour.

Add 1 tsp. vinegar / cup of flour.

Dock the crust before baking.

After carefully fitting (not stretching) the dough, roll the top edge under itself. Flute, almost hooking the dough over the outside edge of the pan.

Ceramic weights have more mass than beans and may also help.

Good luck,

Tim