shrinking pie crust

I'm making a single crust pie and the recipe says to bake the crust for 10 minutes before filling to avoid it getting soggy under the fruit filling. Crust is in the oven (with foil lining and pie weights per the instructions) but it is shrinking and now only comes about halfway up with side of the pie plate. I figure there's nothing I can do to fix it now, but any idea what went wrong so it doesn't happen again?

gina_berthold
  • 3061 views
  • 3 Comments

3 Comments

CarlaCooks
CarlaCooks August 19, 2011
I second boulangere. After you've placed and docked the dough in the pie pan, pop it in the frige for 30 minutes. I always use rice as pie weights (a layer of tin foil or parchment paper between the dough and rice, of course). Good luck!
 
boulangere
boulangere August 18, 2011
Docking will certainly help. I'm concerned that you may simply have overworked the dough. If you're a little too aggressive with it, the gluten in the flour overdevelops. Too, the dough should be rested in sort of a large hockey puck shape for a half hour after it's been made, and then again for a half hour before baking. The 2 rest periods let the gluten fall back into a zen-like, relaxed state. Without them, the gluten is too strong, and tightens up in the heat of the oven creating the incredible shrinking pie crust.
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 August 18, 2011
Did you "dock" the crust. Poke holes in the bottom, and along the side. That helps keep it flat.

For the weights, Some say use beans...but I use foil and a jar of pennies for the weight.

Yes, some crust will always shrink. But docking it, and heavy weights keep it a bit more secure.
 
Recommended by Food52

Popular on Food52