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BAKING THE
PLAIN PASTRY MIXTURE
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| As soon as the pie or other
pastry dessert has been prepared, the next step is to bake it. To produce
the best results, the pastry should be baked as quickly as possible; consequently, a hot preheated oven is necessary.
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Baking
Temperature
The baking can be accomplished
most successfully in the case of a single crust baked without the filling
or a pie containing a mixture that does not require long cooking. Otherwise,
the temperature must be sufficiently low to cook the filling so that it
will be palatable, and for this reason the pastry is not baked under entirely
ideal conditions.
The correct temperature for
most pastry is from 400 to 450 degrees F (depend on the brand of the owen).
The oven should be preheated to the full required temperature before we
put pastry in.
The length of time required
for the baking depends entirely on the heat of the oven and the contents
of the pie. It should be remembered, however, that to be properly baked,
the crust should be neither burned nor pale looking when taken from the
oven, but should be a golden brown.
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Partly
Bake The Crust
When the filling of the pie
does not require so much baking as the crust, it is well to bake the crust
partly before putting the filling in. This is particularly advisable in
the case of custard pie, for the custard is put in as an uncooked mixture
and requires the low temperature necessary for solidifying eggs without
causing them to curd.
On the other hand, pies containing
certain kinds of filling must be baked slowly. When this condition exists,
it is advisable to start the baking in a very hot oven, so that the crusts
will have the benefit of the high temperature. Then the heat should be
gradually reduced until the filling will cook and the crust will not burn.
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Prevent
Juice To Cooks Out
Often, especially in the baking
of fresh berry or cherry pie, the juice that forms inside the pie cooks
out. This is a condition that must be overcome if satisfactory pies are
to be the result.
Various means of preventing
it have been suggested, but one of the successful ones consists in rolling
a small piece of paper into a funnel shape, leaving both ends open, and
inserting the small end in one of the openings in the top crust. This arrangement
provides a vent for the steam, and so the juice is less likely to cook
out of the crust while the pie is baking.
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