How to prevent crust "dome" in pie?

[Dan & Janet Schalk]

I made apple pie a couple of days ago. The top crust of the pie baked into
a "dome". I assume this is because I started with a heaping pile of apple
filling that cooked down as the pie baked. I want the top crust to lower
with the apple filling though. Any tips or hints are appreciated.

Dan

[Joan Ross]

>Dan
well there could be several reasons:
the pastry recipe itself could be a firm one, that is a durable crust
and not as fragile and flakey as other types and with little
shrinkage.

don't use baking powder in the crust ( sometimes a bit is added)

the slashes were not deep enough in the top crust to let out moisture

the top crust was "painted' with egg yolk or whatever preventage some
shrinkage

the apples were too soft and falttened sooner than the crust could
"mold" on the apples.

The baking temp could have been to high causing the crust to puff up
too soon etc.

For other reasons etc you may want to check out my pie primer:
http://www.pipeline.com/~rosskat/wizzk.htm
good luck

Joan

--
Joan Ross of
The Ross Family Homepage: baking primers, food photos, recipes,
culinary advice at: http://www.pipeline.com/~rosskat/
New: Apple Strudel primer online

[Jeff]

On Wed, 18 Nov 1998 23:49:29 -0800, "Dan & Janet Schalk"
<dsc...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>I made apple pie a couple of days ago. The top crust of the pie baked into
>a "dome". I assume this is because I started with a heaping pile of apple
>filling that cooked down as the pie baked. I want the top crust to lower
>with the apple filling though. Any tips or hints are appreciated.
>
>Dan
>

Try patting down the top crust onto the apple filling gently; I find
that this minimizes the "doming" effect and the crust actually bakes
down w/ the apples. Make steam vents by slashing the top crust in
several places. Use a baking apple like Granny smiths' that will not
shrink too much during the baking, thus leaving gaps in your pie.
Also, experiment w/ slicing the apples to a uniform size of 3/4 inch
and see how it works. I find apple slices of this size shrinks less
than when I slice them very thinly and they retain some of their
texture without becoming overly soft.

Jeff

[Martha DeHart]

In my experience the variety of apple you use is far and away the
biggest factor. Use only those types that remain firm and keep their
shape when cooked -- Granny Smith or Mutsu (Crispin is the new
"American" name, I think) are both extremely reliable; I've never
gotten the hollow dome syndrome with either one. You may need to
experiment with other cooking/baking varieties available in your area
to see which ones work best. If you're in the northeast US, try the
variety called 20 Ounce; they also work great.

Note, though, that an apple listed as a cooking variety isn't
necessarily a good pie apple. Gravenstein comes to mind as an example.
It makes wonderful applesauce -- including inside your pie crust ;)