Soggy pie crust for crostata

Thank you all for your ideas! I do toss the fruit with the sugar and let it drain awhile, then cook the juices down practically to a gel before returning them to the fruit. I never thought of using the pizza stone (although it lives in the oven permanently) or pre-heating the pan - those ideas definitely sound like winners. I was googling around and found several places that suggest brushing the base with egg white before putting the fruit in; since I just use an egg yolk to brush the folded over dough on the crostata, that sounds worth trying, too, and I always have bread crumbs to sprinkle. A friend suggested a bit of tapioca in the fruit mix. So, next weekend, I'll load up on peaches at the farmers market and will report back on the results!

I agree with the dual temperature bake. I preheat the oven to 375F, put the pan in while its heating, then quickly slide the crostata on the pan. Cook until the pastry begins to brown then turn the temp down to 325F until its *fully* done. That means you lift the crostata with a spatula and check the color on the base. I also drain the fruit of most of its excess liquid before I place it on the crust. Unfortunately, I can't really give you an amount to leave in...it really just depends on so many factors. You don't want any liquid soaking into the crust before it sets, but you also don't want a dry filling. Keep going and I know you'll get it!

I had this problem until I tried baking on a preheated pizza stone sprinkled with a little cornmeal. A cast iron flat skilletwould work for small crostadas. The dough needs to be cold before placing on the stone and sometimes need to decrease my oven temp halfway through baking. Good luck!

A couple of tricks I've learned: one, be sure there are no cracks or weak spots in your crust - most of my soggy crusts have come from filling leaking through. Two, be sure the bottom of your cookie sheet/pan/whatever you're using to hold your crostata, has space underneath for air and heat to circulate. Mostly, if you're using a dish or pan on top of a cookie sheet to contain spills, get a pie lift, rack, or some such. It will allow the bottom to crisp up better and quicker and help eliminate sogginess.

Typically fillings for crostati/galettes are "drier" than pie fillings. If you macerate your fruit or have juicy ingredients (tomatoes, etc), drain off excess liquid and reserve it. You can reduce it separately to use as a sauce for serving along side the pastry. You can also lightly dust the inside surface of the pastry with semolina flour (or even all purpose flour) prior to filling to help absorb liquid released during baking. Finally, make sure your filling is room temp or—preferably—refrigerated before filling the pastry. Warm filling will cause the fat in the crust to melt too soon and lead to a dense, chewy crust.

A layer of almond paste on the bottom of you pie will help, or more economically: a layer of bread or biscuit crumbs underneath your (fruit) filling.
Happy baking!