Nature Science

SCIENCE MAKES PIE A PIECE OF CAKE

Those of us who bake have had to learn a little bit of science -- some basics about certain chemical reactions, temperatures, and such. Today, as part of our Beautiful Pie week, we take a deeper look at the science of pie and how we can leverage our knowledge to make a first prize winner.

Amy Rowat is committed to working with science to perfect the eating experience, particularly, the joy of pie.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, Rowat founded Science & Food, an organization that teaches, using food to engage undergraduate students in science. Her program hosts a series of events that feature esteemed chefs and scientists, including Alice Waters, Christina Tosi, and Zoe Nathan. They highlight the role of science in foods that we eat.

Rowat breaks it down to the molecular level. Students learn how interactions between molecules, temperature, acidity, and salt content affect the flavor and texture of food.

She runs a bake-off, in which students make apple pies. They experiment with ingredients, techniques, and temperature. And, as a bonus, they get to eat their results. Here are some of their key insights that you can apply in your kitchen:

1. Manage your steam situation.

Go ahead and vent! it will keep you and your pie from exploding. :)

2. Keep it juicy.

If you want juicy fruits, keep the pieces larger, and pat them down into place for fewer air pockets in the filling.

3. Cool pie is better than hot pie

Give the juices a chance to set up so they don’t run all over your plate.

4. Use the water in your butter.

Lower butterfat butter means higher water content. The tiny fat-encapsulated water droplets turn into pockets of steam as the pie bakes, to create air pockets which make the crust flaky.

5. Wash with egg for a darker, more delicious pie crust.

Thanks to the Maillard reaction (the chemical reaction that occurs between amino acids, which comprise proteins, and sugar molecules like lactose), brushing your crust with egg-and-cream wash will give you great caramelization for extra color and flavor.

6. Turn up the heat!

Maillard reactions happen faster at higher temperatures. Keep your oven hot (375F or so) to brown your pie that extra bit more. Another strategy is to start off at 400F, then turn down the temperature to 350F.

7. Bake your pie in parts.

This is an old trick but it works like a charm. Blind-bake the bottom crust so it doesn’t get soggy when the fruit filling settles in. Sometimes, for deep dish pot pies, we like to bake the top crust separately then carefully place it on top once the main pie is done. It keeps things flaky and crispy, like we like it.

8. Go for extra texture.

If you like tender and flaky, go with very cold butter, in both small and large chunks. To achieve this:

Divide your butter in half: cut one half into small cubes, and keep the remaining half in stick form. Place both halves in the freezer to ensure they are very cold.
Work the stick of very cold butter into your flour by grating it in with a coarse grater. Work in thoroughly with your hands until the mixture has the texture of a coarse sand.
Add the remaining half of your butter in cubes and work in with your hands until the largest pieces are about the size of peas. The theory here is that completely coating the flour in oil helps create a more “tender” crust.

9. Go low protein with a dash of spirit.

If you like tender and flaky, go with low gluten flour. Cake flour works well. If you substitute ice-cold vodka for some of the ice cold water in your crust recipe, it will further inhibit the gluten and deliver more flake.

10. Almond extract tastes great in a fruit pie.

We knew about it in cherry pie, but turns out it can enhance many fruits.