The Frozen Pie Crusts That Pastry Cooks Swear By

Until you’re knowledgeable pastry chef, you most likely make simply a few pies a 12 months — at most. As we head into peak pie-baking season, we talked to individuals who bake lots of of pies every year, and so they advised us concerning the packaged pie crusts they advocate for these moments when time is tight and the strain is on.

Pastry chef Zac Younger, a “pastry pundit” on Meals Community and proprietor of Sprinkletown Donuts & Ice Cream in Mashantucket, Connecticut, put it this fashion: ”Pie crusts are really the supporting actress of pastry, by which I imply {that a} sensible one can steal the present however a awful one can typically go unnoticed if the star — the filling — is superb. Utilizing premade pie crusts is one much less factor so that you can fear about particularly when vacation entertaining, and it’s a cheat that can most frequently go unnoticed.”

Sara Might, operations supervisor of Bloomsday in Philadelphia, provided absolution of the culinary selection: “If the choice is between using frozen pie crust or not having pie — well, that’s not much of a choice at all, is it?”

Milk Road’s senior recipe developer, Rose Hattabaugh, summed it up: “Using a shortcut to make your life easier is never a bad idea.”

Lots of the pastry cooks we spoke with inspired everybody to attempt a from-scratch model, which may also be made upfront and frozen. However you’re already studying this story, so their pleas are most likely falling on deaf ears.

With that PSA out of the way in which, the clear winner and most continuously named model was from Bronx-based Dufour Pastry Kitchens, which promotes itself as “the chef’s secret source” for frozen conventional puff pastry, vegan puff pastry, pâte brisée shells (conventional pastry) and pâte sucrée (sweetened pie dough).

Pastry chef Rochelle Cooper defined why: “Not only is it a women-owned business, but the quality is right up there with what professional kitchens would use.”

Hattabaugh can be a fan. “I don’t often buy premade pie crusts, but I did have a glut of apples recently, and I picked up Dufour for an apple pie. I didn’t realize until I got home that I had actually chosen their vegan/dairy-free version. It was flaky, more like layers of phyllo dough, but it was tasty. It was a treat to have a warm pie coming out of the oven on a Monday night, so for convenience, it was a win.”

Extra love for Dufour got here from pastry chef Becky Pendola of Chicago’s Advantage Restaurant. “They use great quality ingredients, and the crusts are nice and flaky,” she stated. “I suggest folding your crust over once and rolling it out slightly more, and you’re all set for sweet or savory pies.”

For those who’d prefer to attempt Dufour Pastry Kitchens’ frozen, ready-to-bake merchandise, you should buy them instantly from most Entire Meals shops and at many specialty supermarkets, connoisseur retailers and pure meals shops. (Verify for close by shops right here). Merchandise additionally will be shipped instantly by way of in a single day service, with shipments made weekly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Name 800-439-1282 for extra details about distributors in your space or to rearrange for direct cargo.

TV persona and chef Andrew Zimmern, host of “Field to Fire” on the Out of doors Channel, was adamant that “it’s a complete waste of time to use store-bought pie crusts from a supermarket, but if you’re buying from a bakery, that’s another matter.” He stated, “I only use Dufour puff pastry or, in a dire emergency, I use the Three Babes [Bakeshop] brand.”

Might recommended an outdated favourite: “Perhaps this is a nostalgic thing for me, but I enjoy Pillsbury’s frozen pie crust. I come from a big pie-making family, and my mom is no slouch when it comes to homemade pie crusts. But she’s also a wise woman who knows how to pick her battles and didn’t hesitate to reach for any frozen Pillsbury product when we were growing up. Pillsbury’s frozen crusts are delicious, have a nice texture, are reliably easy to work with and are generally easy to find in any supermarket.”

Pastry chef Pichet Ong, writer of “The Sweet Spot” cookbook and pastry chef of Hiraya Café and Kayu in Washington, D.C., lately tried a frozen pie crust that exceeded expectations. “I went over to someone’s house, and they asked me to make pie on the fly,” he recalled. “I used the Happy Belly Pie Crust that they already had. It was buttery, tender and easy to use.” Completely satisfied Stomach is Amazon’s personal label home model, and the crusts can be found to order by Amazon Recent.

Pastry chef Pemi Kanavos is an enormous fan of Dealer Joe’s model. “It has the perfect texture and flavor — a little sweet, just the right amount of salty, and it actually tastes like butter. You can see those flaky layers, and they just melt in your mouth.”

Chef Tolu Eros from Ile in Los Angeles had an alternative choice: “I like Marie Callender’s pastry pie shells because they’re preservative-free, have no artificial flavors or colors and are reasonably priced.”

Chef Yoonjung Oh of Hive Hospitality heads proper to a different fashionable grocery retailer model. “I think Kroger pie crust is a great option,” she stated. “Their crusts are consistently flaky, they have a good flavor and the color is great.”

Lisa Steele, host of PBS’ ”Welcome to My Farm,” can be a fan of Pillsbury (“good old Pillsbury — just unroll them and you’re done”) and Marie Callender (“the best for deep-dish-style crusts”).

Chef Avery Ruzicka of San Francisco’s Manresa Bread skips the frozen pie crust altogether and reaches for one thing else. “I prefer Pepperidge Farm puff pastry instead,” she stated. “Puff pastry has a higher quantity of butter compared to your typical pie dough, which is why it makes for a more flavorful store-bought option.

“You come much closer to creating the buttery amazing flaky crumb and butter-forward flavor of great homemade pie dough, with the ease of a store purchase.”

For those who’re within the freezer aisle proper now, make sure to observe the following pointers for selecting the perfect frozen pie crust. “Look for a simple list of ingredients, and make sure whatever you buy contains butter,” stated pastry chef Caroline Schiff. Ruzicka added, “The simpler the ingredients, the better the flavor.”

Ong agreed, including these watch-outs, and in addition stated, “Don’t buy anything with palm oil, stabilizers or food coloring, none of which would be found in a proper pie crust recipe.”

Kanavos had this procuring recommendation: “Inspect those crusts in their own pans before buying, and don’t put them in the bottom of your shopping cart. Frozen pie crust can crack easily.”

As soon as the crusts are in your freezer, don’t neglect them, she cautioned: “Check expiration dates and use within a reasonable time frame. Also remember to keep your crusts sealed and away from any strong odors in the freezer. Nobody wants their pie tasting like last week’s garlic dip.”

“When using a frozen crust, make sure it’s completely defrosted before you start to work with it,” Might suggested. “The best way to do this is to put it in the fridge overnight.” She additionally recommended sustaining a wholesome respect for the dough. “Pie dough, whether homemade or purchased, is a sensitive creature and must be treated like the princess she is,” she stated.

“The crust is very finicky when it gets too warm, so don’t try to speed up the process by leaving it out at room temperature or, God forbid, using the microwave, which will leave you with a frustrating mess,” Might stated. “If dough starts to get tacky or sticky as you’re working with it, put it back in the fridge to chill out for five to 10 minutes. This will help to relax both the gluten in the dough and your frazzled mental state.”

Cooks burdened the significance of putting your pie pan on a baking sheet, making it simpler to maneuver out and in of the oven and keep away from filling spills. The place you place that sheet makes a distinction, too, Ong stated: “I like pies that have a well-baked bottom crust, so I bake on the bottom rack of the oven, on a baking stone, for even cooking.”

The cooks additionally had suggestions to enhance style and texture: “Frozen crusts tend to dry out, so brush it with some melted butter before adding the filling,” stated Curtis Stone, Michelin-starred chef of Los Angeles’ Gwen Butcher Store & Restaurant and The Pie Room, and decide on ”Crime Scene Kitchen.” “That simple trick will help the crust retain moisture.”

Steele stated the key is all within the presentation. “Make a lattice crust with the packaged dough, make a braid to go around the edge or do some fancy crimping. No one will ever suspect your crust isn’t homemade.”

“If you’re using a refrigerated brand like Pillsbury, a personalized crimp along the edges will make it look more homemade,” Hattabaugh stated. “You can cut out small shapes on the top to vent your pie and place the dough from those cuts onto the dough or around the edges, using water to seal them. I use a set of small leaf cutters for fall pies. Small hearts or circles work well, too.”

“For double-crust pies, add small pieces of butter under the crust for extra flavor,” she added. “It’s a good way to add more buttery flavor to frozen crusts, which don’t usually contain much actual butter.”

Many recipes recommend brushing the crusts with a overwhelmed egg, however Hattabaugh brushes her crusts with heavy cream or half-and-half as a substitute.

Her suggestion can be the popular technique for Kierin Baldwin, chef-instructor of pastry and baking arts on the Institute of Culinary Training’s New York Metropolis campus, who defined why: “To bake properly, a pie should be in the oven for about an hour. If you egg wash your pie and then bake it properly, your egg wash will start to burn long before the pie is baked through, leaving you with a choice to either bake the egg wash the right amount and underbake your crust, or burn the egg wash and properly bake the crust.

“Washing with heavy cream promotes browning of the crust itself.”

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