Pie Filling Thickener

[Annie's Dish]

I am having an issue with runny pie filling and am confused as to what the best thickener would be. There are many differing opinions such as tapioca, cornstarch and flour. What do you prefer and why?

Thanks!

 

[Mama Mangia]

what kind of a pie is runny - fruit, custard, pecan???

 

[Annie's Dish]

Sorry I should have mentioned that. Pecan.

 

[ChileFarmer]

I would like to see your recipe, I make pecan pie about 1 each week. Haven't had any trouble. CF

 

[Annie's Dish]

I should have mentioned this from the get go. The pie that I am working on is not exactly pecan but a variation. It's an original pie for a contest I want to enter so I don't want to say exactly what it is. Sorry, I know that I am being rather vague that I will probably just have to experiment until I get it right. All part of the fun right?

It does thickens up a good bit after being refrigerated but not to the point I want. I am currently using no thickener.

 

[shipscook]

The thickener in a pecan pie is the eggs? Are you making it a cream or custard pie? If you are changing it that much?? For fruit pies I use tapioca.
For cream pie, I use the cornstarch method on the side of the Argo box. For pumpkin and other custard pies, eggs are the thickener.
Nan

 

[ChileFarmer]

Mt thoughts exactly on the eggs, that is why I wanted to see the recipe. For a 9"deep dish type pie, at least three large eggs. I also like them at room temp. If you are using more than the regular liquid add an egg. CF

 

[Mama Mangia]

if you are making a pecan pie of sort - your egg/sugar/liquid mixture makes your custard - so your egg and sugar to liquid ratio is very important - the egg ratio needs to be heavier so cut back on any liquid (like bourbon, etc) you are using
if you are cooking your filling on the stovetop (some recipes calls for it) then do it slowly over low heat and do not stir or it will be runny

 

[Mama Mangia]

btw - invest in a decent oven thermometer - if your oven is running slowly and not up to temp, your pie will run as well, your filling will not set

 

[Annie's Dish]

It is a liquid and egg mixture that I am having trouble with. I don't see how I could cut the liquid back without cutting back on the taste. I was thinking of adding another egg but afraid of REALLY messing it up.

I think I am going to try tapioca first. Someone gave me the great tip of running it through a food processor so that you don't get the beads. No big deal if this doesn't work since I still have a few weeks to perfect my recipe.

 

[Mama Mangia]

you can also try using larger eggs - if using large switch to jumbo

 

[Annie's Dish]

you can also try using larger eggs - if using large switch to jumbo

That's a good idea. I think I am just going to be experimenting a whole lot until I find the thing that works. My family and coworkers are going to be so sick of pie by the time that I am done!

 

[Mama Mangia]

I don't know what liquid you are using - and I do know that you don't want to compromise the taste - but cutting back on it a bit will help as well and it shouldn't make that big of a difference in the taste.

 

[Annie's Dish]

Just to let you guys know I ended up using a tip from a guy on another forum and it worked like a charm. He told me that he likes to use tapioca as a thickener but runs it through a food processor first. That way you don't get the beads. It worked wonderfully and I am done testing my new recipe surprisingly early! I will post the recipe after the contest on October 9th. Wish me luck!

 

[MsMai]

This might be helpful

Thickener:

Instant Pudding
Add a package of instant pudding to the filling mixture. This will actually improve the flavor of your pie by giving complexity and the gelatin in the pudding will help the filling set up. A good combination is lemon with fruit fillings.

Tapioca
Use tapioca flour, not granules to thicken things up. The tapioca granules take a while to fully hydrate and you could wind up with weird grit in your pie and have the filling still be runny. Instead use tapioca flour or use a blender to pulverize tapioca granules. Read the back of the package to find out how much you should add per cup of fruit. Mix the tapioca with the other filling ingredients and allow it to sit for 15 minutes to dissolve the tapioca before you put the filling in the pie crust.

Corn Starch
You can add corn starch to your pie filling. About 1 teaspoon of cornstarch per cup of filling. 9 inch pies should hold 6 cups of filling. Cornstarch has problems when used in very acidic pies. So try a different option if you are working with citrus.

Flour
I dislike adding flour because it makes the filling cloudy and does nothing for the flavor. However, sometimes it is all you have on hand. Use 2 teaspoons per cup of filling to thicken up your pie. Make sure you use a sieve to sprinkle the flour into the filling or when you mix it you will get clumps of flour. Dumplings don't belong in pie.