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Acing the perfect crust on your homemade pies, crusts and even choux pastries can be quite tough. And we can’t all be Blake Lively who can get the perfect golden crunch on her pie crust. However, some chef-backed hacks can help you find the perfect pie crust recipe. One of the biggest challenges while making a crust at home is setting it right without getting it too tough.
Toughness in a pie crust often comes from overworking the dough or adding too much water. When the dough is overmixed, gluten strands develop excessively, resulting in a crust that is hard and chewy rather than tender and delicate. The key is to mix the dough just until it comes together and to add the water sparingly—just enough to hold the dough without making it too wet or soggy.
A common hack is blind baking (pre-baking the crust), using a baking stone or metal pie pan for better heat conduction, and ensuring the filling is not overly wet. Some bakers also brush the crust with egg wash or sprinkle it with a thin layer of flour, sugar, or breadcrumbs to create a barrier that prevents the filling's moisture from soaking into the crust. However, if you want to take no chances, try the three-level baking technique which quite a few expert bakers trust.
Grant Crilly, the James Beard Award-winning chef has a nifty three-stage baking tip for those who want the perfect browning crust. Crilly recommends starting by baking your pie at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes to set the crust. Then, lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking until the filling is firm—this could take around 45 minutes for a coconut custard pie or over an hour for a Dutch apple pie, depending on the type of filling.
Finally, increase the temperature back to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 10 minutes to give the crust a final sear. When making pie crust, it's crucial to ensure all your ingredients are cold, including the butter, water, and even the flour. This means chilling everything beforehand. After mixing the dough, chill it again before rolling it out and placing it in the pie pan.
Using cold ingredients helps keep the butter solid until the crust is in the oven, where it will melt and form little pockets that create delicious, flaky layers. Before baking, you can also brush on a wash to boost the Maillard reaction in the crust, enhancing its colour and flavour. The Maillard reaction, which occurs between amino acids and reducing sugars, is responsible for the browning and the development of complex flavours and aromas in the crust.
