Nilla Wafer Pie Crust Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Should you Prebake pie crust? ›

You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie. you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking.

Freeze the pie crust.

After you roll out the pie crust, let the dough rest in the refrigerator for thirty minutes. Refrigerating will help the fat in the dough re-solidify and allow the gluten in the dough relax, leading to a flakier pie dough that doesn't shrink.

Each time you add water, use your fingers to squeeze a small chunk together. If it doesn't hold together, you need to add a bit more water.

Line the crust with foil, parchment, or a paper coffee filter. Fill it about two-thirds full with dried beans, uncooked rice (or other uncooked grain berries), pie weights, or granulated sugar. Bake the crust in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes, set on a baking stone or steel if you have one.

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.

The pie dough is overworked from excessive mixing or rolling. Whether you use a food processor, a stand mixer, or your hands to incorporate the ingredients together, overmixing is a common mistake that leads to a chewy crust.

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.

If your recipe doesn't have instructions and you're wondering how long to pre bake the pie, here's what I do: I pre bake the prepped pie crust at 350°F. If the crust is homemade from scratch, I pre bake for 35 minutes. If the crust is store-bought, I pre bake for 30 minutes.

Shortening is better at crumbly crust, butter is better at flaky. But you can get either from both. There are obvious differences in flavor, and butter can give you a very nice chewiness in a crust while still being tender. Butter also tends to shrink and lose shape/detail more when it bakes.

If you don't want to use shortening, try this all-butter pie crust instead. Let's compare: Using all butter creates a lighter-textured crust and this is due to the butter's water content. As the crust bakes, the butter's water converts to steam, lifting up the dough and creating flaky layers.

Can I use butter instead of Crisco in pie crust? ›

Pie Crust Made with Butter vs Shortening

What makes the best pie crust–butter or shortening? Butter of course! A pie crust's flakiness is created by steam produced from the water (remember, butter is 20% water) while it bakes. As well, butter lends a rich flavor to your finished pie crust.

For a richer fix, you can combine flour with butter instead of water. To make this paste, mix two parts flour with one part melted butter and whisk until properly combined. Use this buttery paste to fill in cracks or gaps in the crust the same way you would use the flour-water paste.

Cold fat helps create layers in the crust, resulting in flakiness. Don't Overwork the Dough: Handle the dough gently and avoid overmixing. Overworking the dough can develop gluten and lead to a tough crust. Choose the Right Fat: Butter and shortening both work well.

Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper, place in ziplock or other airtight bag/vessel, and stash in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but ideally 12 to 24 hours or for as long as 3 days. You also can store it in the freezer for as long as 3 months. To parbake or blind bake the pie crust: Heat your oven to 425ºF.

Non-chilled crust is fairly crumbly and less smooth, which makes it harder to roll out and means it may not look as polished. It will brown more quickly and the final product will likely be tougher, heavier, and more doughy – none of those in a bad way. It will likely have a more intense, butter flavor.

It helps create a barrier to prevent the bottom from soaking up the filling. You should pre-bake if the filling for the pie would take less time to cook than the crust like a custard filling, otherwise you would end with cooked filling and undone crust or cooked crust and burnt filling.

Blind baking is really nothing more than letting the pie crust bake for a little while on its own before you add the filling. It's an easy process — especially once you know a few key steps.