Prevent a Soggy Bottom Pie Crust with These Pro Tips (2024)

FAQs

Prevent a Soggy Bottom Pie Crust with These Pro Tips? ›

Blind Bake the Crust

This tip comes from Dorie, who says: “Brushing the prebaked bottom crust with beaten egg white before filling your pie is helpful, as is brushing it with melted chocolate — both make good raincoats, one more flavorful than the other.” PJ particularly recommends using melted chocolate when making pecan pie for a candy- ...

After adding the dough to the pie plate, he sprinkles another heaping teaspoon of crumbs on top of the dough before adding the filling. These crumbs act as a second moisture, absorbing every last bit of moisture from the crust. Say it with us: crisp, golden and perfectly flaky crust.

We suspect the soggy bottom is being caused by juices from the apples in the pie, rather than the shortcrust recipe itself. Even with semolina in the bottom of the pie, to soak up the juices, there is still a risk that the juices will seep into the base.

Brushing on egg white will lead to a paler baked good with a very good shine. An egg white only egg wash is useful for brushing on the bottom of blind-baked pie crusts to create a watertight barrier between the filling and the crust. Or it can be used to help sugar adhere to pastry.

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

Partially bake a pie crust if your crust needs longer in the oven than the pie filling, such as brownie pie or quiche. And if you want an extra-crisp pie crust for your apple pie, you can partially blind bake the crust before adding the filling.

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.

Pre baking your pie crust is the easiest way to guarantee a crispy pie crust with no soggy bottoms. Yes, even underneath a juicy fruit or custardy cream filling!

The best way to thicken runny apple pie filling before baking it is to add some cornstarch, tapioca starch, or flour to your mix. To fix a runny pie that's already been baked, simply let it cool to see if it will congeal naturally. If not, you can stick it back in the oven for a bit longer.

How do you fix a wet pie crust? ›

That's right; All you have to do is pop your too-wet dough in the fridge and let it chill for a few hours. At that point, your pastry should be good to go — or, at least, better than it was.

Choose the Right Rack in the Oven

Which rack you use in the oven can help ensure a crisp crust. Baking the pie on a lower rack will concentrate heat on the bottom of the pie and help the crust crisp.

The most common way to ward off a soggy pie crust is by a process called blind baking. Blind baking means you pre-bake the crust (sometimes covered with parchment or foil and weighed down with pie weights to prevent the crust from bubbling up) so that it sets and crisps up before you add any wet filling.

An egg wash is not necessary when blind baking, though if you want to add some shine to the edges of the pie, you can brush the crust with egg wash after removing the pie weights and before returning the pie to the oven to finish baking.

When apples are cooked, this pectin breaks down, and the apples turn mushy. However, there are ways to control this pectin breakdown, helping you to ensure that your apple slices are tender, but still hold their shape in the pie.

Tough pie crusts are typically the result of working the dough too much (again, gluten). You don't need to make sure it's a perfectly uniform ball. “As long as the dough is mostly holding together, you don't need to spend a lot of time kneading it,” Susan Reid wrote for King Arthur Baking.

Lower the oven temperature: Lowering the oven temperature can also help to prevent the edges from drying out and browning too quickly. Use a pie crust cover: These are specifically designed to cover the edges of your pie, protecting them from over-browning.

Adding cornstarch to the fruit filling and brushing the inner crust with egg white ensures a perfectly crisp bottom.