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pies
Soggy bottom crust: Could be one of several
things. Check out your pie pan. Glass, dark metal and dull-metal pans absorb
heat and produce a crisp, golden-brown crust. Filling leakage could also cause
a soggy crust. Patch any cracks with a pastry scrap and with a little water so
it stays in place. Also make sure your oven temperature is accurate. If the
temperature is too low the crust won't brown properly. After baking, cool your
pie on a wire rack. Allowing the air to circulate under the pie prevents the
crust from becoming soggy.
Pie crust burns around the edges: To prevent
overbrowning of the fluted edge of your pie, make a shield by cutting a strip
of aluminum foil 2 inches wide and 3 inches longer than the diameter of your
pie pan. When the crust begins to brown, place the foil over the pie, gently
curving the foil to cover the fluted edge.
Pastry is crumbly and hard to roll: Measure your
ingredients carefully. Too much shortening makes the pastry crumbly. Add more
water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Tough pastry: Use a pastry blender to cut in the
shortening until well mixed and the mixture resembles small peas. It's the tiny
pockets of fat encased in flour that make a pie crust crisp. Use less flour
when rolling out the pastry since too much flour and too much water makes
pastry tough.
Custard pie doesn't set: Pie is probably
underbaked or has not chilled properly to set. A custard pie is done if the
liquid area in the center of the pie is smaller than a quarter. Allow no-bake
refrigerated pies to chill in refrigerator as long as recipe specifies before
serving.
Crust shrinks: Roll the pastry to an even
thickness and don't stretch pastry when transferring it to pie pan.
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