Tips & Tricks
WAKING PIE DOUGH: Here are a few simple tips for making the perfect pie dough:
Use cold butter and shortening. When mixing the Hour and fats together you want the fats to break down into small pieces but not totally disappear.
This will be much easier to achieve if you make sure the fats are cold.
Use ice-cold water.
Don't overmix the dough. When you stop, you should still be able to see a few small lumps of fat and your dough should have a marbled appearance throughout. That's the secret to a flaky result!
BAKING A PIE Here are a few simple tips for baking the perfect pie:
When baking pies, always position your oven rack in the middle of the oven.
Baking times may vary depending on your oven, the depth of your pie plate, and whether you're using disposable aluminum pie plates or glass ceramic ones.
All of our recipes are tested using glass pie plates, but even if that's what you're using too, you should use our baking times as a guideline only. Getting the perfect pie is really about checking the pastry during baking for the right colour. For a blind-baked shell, it should be a light golden brown; for covered and lattice-top pies, it should be a medium to darker golden brown.
Make sure that you are generous with the egg wash when you brush it on before baking. This will give your pie an attractive top that's even, golden, and shiny.
The same goes for the sugar: sprinkle it on generously and it will caramelize beautifully.
Place pies directly on the oven rack for baking rather than on a tray. If you're concerned about dripping, place a piece of aluminum foil on the rack below.
Be careful not to overfill pies that require blind-baked shells so that the filling doesn't boil over.
