Is butter or shortening better for pie crust?

Table of Contents:

1. Is butter or shortening better for pie crust?
2. How do you blind bake a crust?
3. Should you poke holes in bottom of pie crust?
4. How do I keep my bottom crust from getting soggy?
5. Do I need to blind bake my pie crust?
6. What happens if you don't pre bake pie crust?
7. Do you pre bake store bought pie crust?
8. Why is the bottom of my pastry soggy?
9. Can you blind bake without weights?
10. How do you blind bake pastry without baking beans?
11. What can you use if you don't have pie weights?
12. What can I use if I don't have baking beans?
13. Can I use rice instead of pie weights?
14. What are the best pie weights?
15. How do you keep pumpkin pie crust from getting soggy?
16. Can I use rice instead of baking beans?
17. Do you always have to blind bake pastry?
18. What beans for blind baking?
19. Can I use pennies as pie weights?
20. How do you weigh down a pie crust with beans?
21. What can I weigh my pastry down with?
22. Can you blind bake without parchment paper?
23. How do you bake one pie crust without it shrinking?

Is butter or shortening better for pie crust?

The pros: Butter has the best flavor and it forms light, lofty, flaky layers in pie crust. ... The cons: Butter can be harder to work with than lard or shortening because of its lower melting point, so the dough temperature has to be just right. If it gets too warm, it will be too soft to handle and will tear easily.

How do you blind bake a crust?

1. Bake with weights in the center.

1. Place your crust in the pan, and crimp the edge. ...
2. Add pie weights, dry rice, dried beans or (as I've done here) dry wheat berries, enough to fill the pan 2/3 full. ...
3. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the pie from the oven, and lift out the paper and weights.

Should you poke holes in bottom of pie crust?

Be sure not to make the holes too big, as they should be large enough to. Roll out your pie dough. After you've rolled out the dough, you can prick holes into it so that the steam escapes while it's baking.

How do I keep my bottom crust from getting soggy?

Prevent a Soggy Bottom Pie Crust

1. Bake it Blind.
2. Choose a Rack.
3. Brush the Bottom.
4. Use a Cookie Sheet.
5. Make a Thicker Crust.
6. Add a Layer.
7. Fill It While It's Hot.

Do I need to blind bake my pie crust?

Blind baking means you partially or fully bake the crust before adding any filling (no blindfold required!). This helps ensure your crust is completely baked, so you won't wind up with a soggy-bottom pie. ... Using weights while blind baking will help prevent the bottom from puffing up and the sides from slumping down.

What happens if you don't pre bake pie crust?

Pre-baking also prevents you from ending up with undercooked shells or undercooked fillings. For no-bake pie recipes, you definitely need to pre-bake, or else you'll wind up with an all-around goopy bite. Other items that include a pastry crust, like galettes, don't always need to be pre-baked.

Do you pre bake store bought pie crust?

Pre-Baking a Store-Bought Crust Most instructions will have you defrost the crust, prick the bottom of the crust all over with the tines of a fork, and bake at 375°F to 450°F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Why is the bottom of my pastry soggy?

The gluten in the flour gives pastry its texture, while fat offers flavour. If the fat melts before a strong gluten structure has formed, the pastry will end up soggy. Overly moist fillings can also contribute to a soggy bottom as the liquid will drop to the bottom of the pie and ooze into the pastry.

Can you blind bake without weights?

2. Use some sort of pie weights to weigh down the pastry. Pie weights are what a lot of bakers and chefs use to blind bake pie crusts, but you can definitely blind bake a pie crust without weights.

How do you blind bake pastry without baking beans?

A large bag of rice is often inexpensive to invest in and can easily fill in a large pie crust area without problems. These medium-size pieces can cover a relatively large area with just a handful of them. Lentils are a colorful option and can easily be poured into the pie crust as a weight to keep the crust firm.

What can you use if you don't have pie weights?

What to Use If You Don't Have Pie Weights

• If you're blind-baking and don't have pie weights, try using:
• ① Dried beans: Set parchment paper or foil on top of the dough, then fill 'er up with dried beans.
• ② Rice kernels: Use parchment paper or foil here, too, plus rice.

What can I use if I don't have baking beans?

Pie-weights are available as ceramic or metal beads, but rice, dried peas, lentils, beans or other pulses can be used instead. When using this method for a fully baked crust, the weights are removed before the pre-baking is complete in order to achieve a browned crust.

Can I use rice instead of pie weights?

Blind baking a pie crust calls for filling the bottom crust with pie weights to keep the pastry from puffing up in the oven. ... Instead, check your pantry for dried beans or uncooked rice—both will work just as well as pie weights.

What are the best pie weights?

Best Pie Weights

• Most Natural. Mrs. Anderson's Baking Ceramic Pie Crust Weights. ...
• Best Edge. ProtectorWebake Mini Silicone Pie Shield 4-Pack. Mini Silicone Pie Shields. ...
• Multiple Pies. R&M International 2723 Ceramic Pie Weights. Ceramic Pie Weights. ...
• Most Heat Resistant. ROCKSHEAT Ceramic Pie Weights. Heat Resistant Ceramic Pie Weights.

How do you keep pumpkin pie crust from getting soggy?

Keeping the crust crisp is the biggest challenge when making a pumpkin pie. Too often the crust is soggy. Two things work against you: Pouring liquid filling onto unbaked pie dough almost guarantees a soggy bottom; over-baking the custard filling causes the proteins in the milk and eggs to denature and exude water.

Can I use rice instead of baking beans?

Baking beans can be regular dried beans or you can also use rice. Once the rice or beans have been used for baking then they are not really edible, but they can be cooled, stored in an airtight container and used time and time again for baking blind.

Do you always have to blind bake pastry?

To prevent them becoming soggy, shortcrust pastry cases need to be partially cooked before adding moist fillings. This process, known as blind baking, which seals the surface and results in a crisp pastry case.

What beans for blind baking?

If you have dried beans in your pantry, these can come in handy as pie weights, too. The type doesn't matter, so use chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, even lentils. After using them a couple times, retire them as pie weights and turn them into dinner.

Can I use pennies as pie weights?

Left to their own devices, pie crusts will bubble, puff, crater, and become misshapen while blind baking in the oven. While bakers can use dried beans, raw rice, pennies, and granulated sugar as pie weights, we like to use the best product designed specifically for the job: pie weights.

How do you weigh down a pie crust with beans?

Blind baking pie crusts should be so simple: line crimped, chilled pastry with parchment or foil, fill with dried beans to weigh it down, and bake until crisp. This works out okay most of the time, but for truly crisp crusts with no puffy spots, reach for the sugar.

What can I weigh my pastry down with?

Alternatives to Pie Weights

• 1 – Dried Beans, Rice, Popcorn. You may already have heard of “baking beans,” which are simply dried beans used as makeshift pie weights. ...
• 2 – Steel Balls or Other Metal Objects. ...
• 3 – Metal Chain. ...
• 4 – Sugar. ...
• 5 – Another Pie Form.

Can you blind bake without parchment paper?

If you need to use parchment to blind-bake a pie crust or to steam food in the oven, aluminum foil will work in a pinch. However, you need to make your foil packet double-thick for steaming unless you're using heavy-duty foil. Regular foil will tear too easily and release the steam you need for cooking.

How do you bake one pie crust without it shrinking?

How To Keep Pie Crust From Shrinking

1. Don't forget to give pie crust time to “rest” ...
2. Poke holes and use pie weights in the bottom of the crust if pre-baking. ...
3. Avoid glass pans if possible. ...
4. Don't overwork the dough. ...
5. Don't stretch the dough to fit the pie pan. ...
6. Leave a little room around the edges.