Published on May 7, 2025
Are you ready to make the perfect pie recipe? You can prevent a soggy crust by following these tips.
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The secret of making an impressive pie is to learn how to avoid a soggy crust. Flaky crusts make any pie look great and are delicious. To achieve perfect pie crust, follow these simple steps.
Choose the right pan
The pie plate is the first step. You can use a metal or glass pie plate that has a matte finish. Vintage pie plates are also a good option. The glass heats slowly and evenly, allowing your crust to cook. Its transparent material allows you to easily see your crisp, golden crust. Don’t forget the grease before you use your pie glass.
The metal heats quickly, allowing your crust to cook evenly. However, it is more difficult to monitor the progress of your crust since you cannot see through. Aluminum is the fastest to transfer heat, so we recommend using it for a golden brown color.
Bake Your Crust Blindly
Blind baking involves baking the pie crust partially or completely before you add any filling. It helps the crust to bake evenly, and you can avoid pies with soggy bottoms.
Place the pie dough into a plate, and then flute the edge. Double-thickness aluminum foil is used to line the shell. Fill it with uncooked or dried rice, beans, or pie weights if desired. Weights will prevent the pie crust from expanding, shrinking, or sliding as it bakes. The crust should be baked at 450degF (or equivalent) for 8 minutes. Bake for another 5-6 minutes or until crust is crisp and dry. Remove foil. Remove the beans and let cool on a rack.
Test Kitchen Tip: What fat should you use for your pie crusts? To find out which fat works the best, we tested butter and shortening. Butter is the fat of choice for flaky and delicious pie crusts.
Using an egg wash
After prebaking your crust, use egg wash to brush down the sides and bottom of it. Then, reheat the pie at 400deg (four minutes) for the glaze. The egg wash seals the crust to the filling, ensuring that the crust remains crispy and golden even after adding the filling.
Additional Filler
It is not necessary to do this step. After you have prebaked the crust, and then brushed the surface with an egg wash to prevent it from absorbing the filling, add a dry component such as breadcrumbs or cornflakes that will act as a barrier. This extra filler is great for any type of pie, as it will keep the crust from becoming soggy due to the gooey filling.
Slit the top crust
Cut slits into the top crust of double-crust pies to let steam escape. It will stop moisture from building in the pie, resulting in a soggy bottom crust. There are many ways to decorate pie crusts to allow moisture to vent.
A pie bird is also a good idea. The hollowed center of the pie bird allows steam to escape for maximum ventilation. A pie bird will allow you to bake pie like Grandma.
Use a baking sheet to bake
Bake your pie directly on a metal sheet pan lined with parchment paper. The metal sheet pans absorb the heat, and then transfer it evenly to the bottom. The parchment paper also catches any spilled pie filling, which prevents a sticky mess in your oven.
Finaly, place your pie in the oven’s lowest shelf. Heat will be transferred to the bottom more quickly than the top, resulting in a crispier bottom crust.
