23 Sep 4 Different Kinds of Pie
Easy as Pie
We’ve all heard it before. And while it’s still early in my own pie journey, I’m worried they mean eating pies, not baking them. I’m holding out hope though!
I’d had my fill of sweet, frosting-ey cakes the past few weeks so I decided it was time to branch out. The next thing on my list of “Bakes to Bake” was pie, so I dove headfirst into my next internet search – best pie recipes. Boy was that a cluster-(bleep)!
Just deciding what type of crust to start with was making me dizzy. It took some major unraveling, but finally I sorted out the particulars and got back on track towards finding my next recipe. (Stay tuned to read about my Spiral Veggie Tart!) Let me share what I discovered with this easy to follow breakdown to get your own pie-venture off to a solid start.
Pies come in 4 different styles: Classic Pies, Tarts, Quiches, and Galettes. They all have crusts filled with yumminess. Here’s what makes them different.
Let’s start with the OG classic Pie. It’s your traditional apple pie, pecan pie, or even chicken pot pie. A pie can have a top or no top, and strictly speaking it can even have a top with no bottom. Yikes!! Your top can be solid or it can be a lattice (criss-cross) pattern. What defines a pie is the type of dough used for the crust. A pie crust is traditionally made from flour, salt, cold water, and lard or shortening and produces a crisp and flaky crust. The tastiest recipe I found, a friend’s family tradition that has lasted generations, uses good old Crisco and LOTS of it. (No judgements.)
Next up is our Tart. Once again you’ve got the option to go either sweet or savory. Think of a beautiful fruit tart or my personal favorite, a Spiral Veggie Tart. Tarts are always topless (insert ridiculous 19th century joke here) which is the first and most obvious distinction from a traditional pie, but they are also made with a different crust. A tart crust is technically referred to as Shortcrust pastry and is traditionally made from flour, cold water, sugar, and butter and produces a firm and crumbly crust.
So, pie = flaky, tart = crumbly. Sounds like an easy enough distinction.
On to the Quiche. Now there are a lot of differing opinions out there regarding the classification of quiche, but let’s just keep things simple. Quiche is traditionally made with a shortcrust pastry dough and always served topless, thus making it a tart. However, a savory tart is not always a quiche. The important thing to note is that quiche is always made from a custard (egg and milk) base, while a tart can come in many forms.
So a quiche is always a tart, but a tart is not always a quiche. Like squares and rectangles, got it!
Finally, the Galette. The final species in our pie genus is the lesser known galette. A galette is a style of pie which is assembled free-form on a baking sheet. This semi-topless pie is a great go-to choice for first-time bakers since it doesn’t require any special pans or tools. A galette is traditionally made from pie dough since you want it to be crisp, flaky, and less likely to crumble when you slice it.
So - stay with me now - a galette is a pie, a quiche is a tart, but a classic pie and a tart are made from different types of dough.
Whatever you choose to bake, arming yourself with the details helps you choose the right recipe. And as always, it helps you build confidence in the kitchen. Now that you’ve got the various styles down, you can find the perfect recipe to take on your own pie challenge. Happy hunting!
And, as always, I’m on this journey with all you so please fill up the comments section below with any questions and be sure to share the details of your first pie baking experience. See you in the kitchen!