FOOD NEWS
The Important Step To Remember When Baking Pies With Frozen Fruit
By Alexander Billet
As preferable as it can be to use fresh fruit when making pie, it's difficult to deny the convenience of frozen fruit — just be ready to lengthen your baking time.
A frozen fruit pie will be dense and have a nice jam-like consistency, but unless you've fully thawed your fruit, it will need to be in the oven longer.
For example, a berry pie using fresh fruit will need to be baked for 45 minutes, while a pie using its frozen counterpart will require something closer to 55 minutes.
Frozen fruit can turn to water quicker than when using fresh fruits, which can also cause your crust to get very soggy.
Ensure your crust has a little extra butter or fat to withstand the liquid from the frozen fruit. You can also add a tablespoon of shortening, making the dough easier to roll out.
Pre-bake your pie crust before filling it for about five to seven minutes at 350 degrees. This should be just before the crust browns in the oven or starts to feel dry.
These precautions, combined with the extra bit of time spent in the oven, will stop the excess liquid from soaking into the crust and make it extra flaky and crispy.