# Tart crust but that's not the problem



## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

I'm using a nine inch tart pan with a removable bottom made by Fat Daddios and using a the recipe listed here:
http://www.food.com/recipe/rich-tart-crust-297071

Following the directions, I blind bake (with weights) at 425F for 12 minutes, remove foil and weights and finish baking at 350F for 15-20 minutes, a bit longer than called for in the recipe. Here's why.

I can see/hear the butter fat bubbling and figured that baking a bit longer will 'dry' the crust as it were. However, once baked, there's a bit of smoke from the fat residue that's accumulated on the oven floor. My oven was clean to start with and now there's some of the butter fat that leaked and dripped from the tart pan. And this was in spite of a piece of foil placed on a separate rack to catch any drippings. Easy Off oven cleaner, here I come.

Am I baking the crust too long? Should the baking time be shortened so as to prevent the fat from leaking out?


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Couple things I see here. I can only assume from what you describe.

Upon reading the recipe, your symptoms sound like you didn't chill the finished pie crust enough before baking it.

Over working the dough can make it tough and mealy.

And two, you may have had a small tear in the crust so the butter could leak out.

When you prick the dough, those holes usually close up but if there is a tear, that might be the problem.

Always remember that recipes are guidelines.

Many people read a recipe like it is written in stone, without taking into consideration their oven, the method, temperature of ingredients.

All these things can make a recipe turn out different.

When a recipe calls for a certain temperature for a certain length of time,

you can not just set the oven and walk away thinking that when the timer goes off, everything will be correct. 

I believe with practice you will make the perfect pie crust.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Nope, no tears; just holes where the dough was pricked with a wooden matchstick.  Just after mixing and prior to rolling into a round-flat, the dough (wrapped in plastic wrap) was placed into the fridge for 15 minutes and then placed into the freezer for another 15 minutes.  Once rolled out flat the dough was unrolled into the frozen tart mold, then the entire setup was placed back into the freezer for another 30 minutes prior to blind baking.  And there were no visible tears in the dough at that time.

But I'm wondering if the leakage stems from an excess of fat?  Thanks again.


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