Options for thickening your favorite pies

 

January 21, 2021

Metro Graphics Photo

Bakers strive to make the perfect pie filling with a variety of thickening agents.

The holidays aren't the only time for pie. A homemade pie can be a delicious treat any time of year. One ingredient that may be overlooked is the thickener that transforms the filling from a runny mess into that sought-after, sliceable filling that allows you to serve a picture-perfect slice of pie. Every recipe is different when it calls for a thickening agent. Some recipes thicken with flour, others call for cornstarch, and some use the addition of tapioca. What's the difference between each, and what will work best for your pie recipe?

Regardless of choice, all of these thickeners essentially work the same way. Once the thickener is heated, the starches will bond with the liquid in the filling and a more stable structure starts to form. The difference between these three thickeners, is not only how they look and taste, but also how they work with different types of filling and how long they hold their structure after being cooked.


Flour

You will add flour a teaspoon at a time, and you will end up using twice the amount as you would cornstarch to achieve the same thickening effects. Not everyone will have cornstarch in their baking cupboards, making flour an easy second option. Adding a teaspoon at a time and combining with the rest of the ingredients completely, is a crucial step in the process. Adding too much flour into your filling will result in a pasty looking pie filling, with a distinct flour taste. Because of this reason, while you may only have flour in your cupboards, using this particular thickener in your pie recipe works best when you are baking a pie with fruits that contain less juice, or are naturally high in pectin, which is a naturally occurring thickener that can be found in apples and blueberries.


Sanders County Ledger canvas prints

Cornstarch

Derived from corn and will do the job quicker than flour. When you use cornstarch as a thickener, the filling comes out with a smoother texture, without any real change to the filling's appearance. Again, you must add in cornstarch slowly, and completely combine with the filling, otherwise too much will give you a slimy texture. When cornstarch is combined with any acidic ingredients, such as lemon juice, the texture begins to break down over time. This isn't a problem if your pie will be eaten up in one day, but it would be best to use a different thickener if you plan on having leftovers, or if you are freezing your pie.

Tapioca

It's not just for pudding. This old-school ingredient is still popular to this day. When you use tapioca as a thickener, you get a stable and clear filling, giving you the perfect dessert. Tapioca can come in several different forms, but the one you want for your pie is instant tapioca, or quick-cooking tapioca. Any pie filling with tapioca needs to sit for 15 minutes to properly absorb and thicken before going into the crust. Tapioca can be substituted for cornstarch in a one-to-one ratio.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 02/17/2024 05:09