How to make a Perfect Pie

How to make a Perfect Pie

Pie making is a skill. Some people take a long time to make a pie, and others not so long. Today, I will share some tips and the basic process of making a pie. Now, the title is a little misleading because I have yet to make a perfect pie. I don’t know anyone who has made a perfect pie, an extremely well-made pie, yes, but not perfect. Simply because nothing can be perfect. 

In this post, I will share some helpful tips and the basic steps of making an almost perfect pie. Hopefully, after this, you will be able to make one successfully! 

What is a pie?

A pie is either a savory or sweet dish, usually with a pastry crust and filling. So think apple pie and chicken pot pie. I also count tarts, think quiche, as pies, but technically they are their own thing. There are dishes, like cheeseburger pie, that aren’t technically pie, but we call them pies for some reason. 

While looking things up for this post, I found this very interesting article about shepherd’s pie. It originally was a pie with a pastry, which I find interesting. I might just have to try that one day! I’ll link the article here. 

Why make a pie?

Pies are some of the best things to make. You can do so many varieties, and it can feed several people! They aren’t usually overly sweet like cakes. You can make a basic pie or fancy it with flavors, spices, and decorations. In the end, pies are pretty easy to make. The hardest part of a basic pie is probably rolling out and fluting (pinching the bottom edge crust to the top, sealing it tight) the dough. The filling is super easy, though, usually just some fruit, a bit of sugar, or making lots of eggs and milk. Again, so many varieties!

When is the best time to make a pie?

Anytime! Why wait till the holidays come around? There’s a pie for each season. There are even two national pie days; the second is “Pi Day.” But that’s a perfect day for making a pie! The real national pie day is January 23rd, so mark your calendars! 

When did I start baking pies?

I first started helping my mom bake pies for Thanksgiving. We usually had the day before Thanksgiving off from school for “Pie making day” to help out. I would usually peel the apples and cut them up. I didn’t start making the dough till later. I remember one Thanksgiving, my mom wanted to buy all store-bought crusts, but I was at a point where I could make the whole pie. So that Thanksgiving, I made all the pies except the coconut custard, which my brother made. On Pi Day, I try to make pies for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. It’s a fun thing to do once a year! So far this year, I’ve been making quite a few pies. I’ve recently really enjoyed making them more than usual. It’s for sure an art, and I want to master it someday. 

How to make a pie:

Okay, here are the four basic steps!

1. Make the dough. I love to use this recipe; it has never failed me! I like to add a little cinnamon to my dough for apple and blueberry pies! You make the dough first so it can chill. You can also make it a couple of days ahead of time, but make sure you take it out of the fridge so it can soften. Here in NC, it doesn’t take long to soften. But when I was in PA it took a while.

2.  Make the filling. Cut your apples, wash your blueberries or make a quiche filling. For any pie, I like to make the filling and have it done. If the dough has been in the fridge for a while, I will take it out when I start the filling. For fruit fillings, I like to let the fruit sit and let its juice seep out a bit.

3. Roll out the dough and make it pretty. Rolling out the dough can be a little tricky, now that I think of it. The house can’t be too hot, or the butter will start softening too much. The dough pretty much has to be at the right temperature to roll out nicely and not stick. Getting the dough into a circle is also pretty hard; I have yet to do that; it’s usually a wide oval. When I get the bottom crust in, I will snip off some dough from the longer side and add to the short side. I like to say I’m doing surgery on the dough cause that’s the closest I’ll ever go to doing “surgery,” ha. Add the top crust on top and seal both crusts by pinching them together. This is called fluting the pie. 

4. Baking time! Bake your pie till golden brown. Most pie’s temperature will be at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes, depending on the pie. While it’s cooking, your house will start smelling amazing. 

Some Tips:

• Use cold butter. This is the most basic tip about pie making. Everyone is saying it for a reason. I don’t know if making a pie crust with soft butter is even possible. I’ve wanted to try frozen butter to see if there is any difference. My kitchen is pretty warm, and the crust gets pretty soft by the time I finish making it. 

• Use a cookie sheet with edges under your pies. If they drip or overflow, it’ll be much easier to clean! 
• Make your dough ahead of time. Especially for first time pie bakers, it’ll be easier for you to go slower and not do all the steps in one day. 

• If your dough rips while putting it in the pie plate, do a bit of surgery to patch it up.

• Taste your dough before chilling it. You’ll want to know if it needs more salt before the next steps! A good crust is a half of what makes a good pie.

Notes:

• Here is the best all-butter pie crust recipe

• Here is the link to the shepherd’s pie article

That is all, go bake a pie! When you do, let me know! I would love to hear all about it!

~Becky 🙂