Why Won't My Pie Crust Brown?

By Addie

QUESTION: I am a few months into German living and had to figure out something to do with the fruit my neighbors keep lavishing upon me so I've turned to making pie. I'm using random butter and type 405 flour. Pie crust has always seemed tricky to me, but I've had good success here, except the things don't brown on top. I took a little bit of the dough scraps and cooked them for 20-30 minutes at 190C and they turned into rocks, but still completely pale. Does anyone know why this might be?

Ingredients

• Reply 1: Do you use an egg wash or a little bit of creme brushed on top? That could help it turn the golden (but shiny) brown color you're after.
• It's also really important (in my experience) when making your crust that the butter is VERY cold when you make the crust, and that you let the crust chill for at least 4 hours before rolling it back out to put into your pie plate.
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• Reply 2: I agree. Chilled pastry makes a big difference, also to the texture of the cooked pie case, and I routinely use a little milk brushed on the top of my pies which gives a nice golden browning (not shiny).
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• Reply 3: Beat an egg and apply to the pastry as a wash. Put the whole thang into the fridge to chill for a while, 30 minutes say, then apply another coat of eggwash. Super crispy caramelised goodness guaranteed.

Preparation

Step 1

Reply 4: I disagree. I am an expert at making pastries and you do not need to chill the pastry before you roll it out!!

I always make my pies in one go. Just make sure that you use the proper mixture of flour, salt, sugar, and shortening. Also you need to make sure that you "cut" the shortening and other ingredients together until they are pea size. Do not over-do it or it will come out bad.

Next, throw down some flour and roll that sucker out on the table. If you don't use enough, the crust will stick to the table. But if you use too much, the dough will become to dry and it will crack and tear. Sometimes you can use a little bit of water to fix this. (and I mean a LITTLE).
Here is a trick I learned from my mother, put down a piece of wax paper, larger than the pie crust, put flour on that and then roll out the crust. It will be super easy to pull the crust off the table and it will be easy to transfer to the pie container without ripping the crust.

Next, fill it with your favorite fruits and throw in some sugar. Now roll out another pie crust and throw it on top. Take some cold butter from the fridge and put it in a cup, melt the butter, then brush it over the top of the pie crust. Finally, sprinkle sugar over the butter glaze.

Before you throw it in the oven, make sure it is preheated. Another trick, if the edges of your pie crust are getting too brown or burnt. Get out some foil and crimp it over the edges. This will reflect the rays and allow you to continue to cook the pie without burning your edges.