When we think of pie, we always picture biting through a nice, flaky crust with a soft, moist texture oozing with filling. There are certain methods to arrive at that outcome. But when you want to make deep-dish pies or those which could hold its own, it would be best to go with the hot water crust pie.
Hot water crust is most certainly crisp—even more so than traditional pie dough. But its texture is more crumbly than flaky and while it isn’t (and shouldn’t be!) tough, it lacks the tenderness of pie dough. But this lack of tenderness has its benefits—namely, it aids in the structure of the baked dough.
Pies made with hot water crust, on the other hand, are meant to be unmolded. It’s quite dramatic and yields some very impressive pies.
Hot water crust pies yield other benefits when you want to make specific pies. Food52 gives us a list comparing hot water crust pies with traditional pies as well as a recipe on how to make one.
(Image credit: Mark Weinberg)