If you happened to read our last blog post, we re-introduced Master Baker Cindy from the Rockford Shed. In our Easy As Pie e-Book, she provided tips on how to make the best pie crust, which will come in handy for the upcoming holidays! If you don’t have time to bake or you simply just don’t want to (we totally get it), make sure to order a made-from-scratch pie from the Machine Shed!

What tips are there for making good dough?
In order to make good dough, you will want to mix it only until it’s wet. You want to make sure not to over mix the dough—overworking the dough will cause the crust to get tough. Make sure to handle it as little as possible. Rework the dough only a second time and throw away the left overs. To make a flaky crust, you will want to make sure there are small pea-sized pieces of shortening left in the dough.

What makes a pie crust soggy?
If the pie crust is soggy, it usually means the pie was made too far ahead of time, or the pie filling was still hot when filling the crust. Make sure to always let the pie filling cool to room temperature before filling the crust.

Why do pie crusts stick to the pan?
If the pie crusts stick to the pan, the pan was either wet or wasn’t cleaned properly. Another way that happens is from having holes in the pie crust.

Why does a pie fall down when served?
There are different reasons that may cause a pie to fall down—one being that the bottom crust may have been too thick. Another is that there were large chunks of shortening left in the pie dough. A pie could also fall down when served if it wasn’t baked long enough or if the top crust wasn’t completely sealed to the bottom crust.

What makes a crust hard?
A crust can turn out hard if the margarine or butter is too hot when making the dough.

What makes a crust dry and crumbly?
The crust can turn out dry and crumbly when there was not enough butter or margarine added. Another reason could be that the crust was not pressed firmly into the pie pan, or it could have been under baked.