Recipe Box: Mini Pies in Cast Iron Skillets - Lauren Conrad (2024)

FAQs

Can you bake pies in a cast iron skillet? ›

Your crust will come out baked evenly with cast iron. Your pie wedges will also be gratifyingly deep. The cast iron skillet comes in at a 2-inch depth while a glass pie plate are just over an inch deep. Your deep dish pie will reign supreme at the holiday table.

Using cast iron means that the pan heats up quickly and retains a consistent temperature throughout baking. Which all adds up to beautifully baked bottom crusts (with no hint of sog). In short, ditch the pie plate and use a cast iron skillet instead.

Many other fillings can be used for stovetop pie. Over the summer, I used fresh berries with some vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon, which worked very well. Or maybe you just want to fill your crust with nutella. that's alright too.

Before you bake, make sure to coat your cast iron with nonstick spray. Use a pastry brush to get the oil into the corners or sidewalls of your pan. We recommend using silicone brushes when you're spreading oil on hot, preheated cookware.

Line with the parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling right to the bottom of the crimps. Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and beans.

Butter is excellent for cooking, adding to gravies, and even frying if you control the heat to medium-low. But it is not a good choice for seasoning cast iron cookware first time. Butter has a high smoke point. If you season the cast iron pots with butter, they will burn out too soon.

Cast iron is at home on the stovetop and in the oven. The only limitation is finding enough fruit to make a 15 inch cobbler. That said, a 10.25 inch skillet will accommodate most pie crust recipes. Just make sure you have enough dough to cover the bottom and sides.

A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom. (Using metal is crucial: Glass or ceramic pans don't transfer heat as efficiently, so they can be accomplices to a sad, soggy bottom.)

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

Do you grease bottom of pie pan before you put crust in? ›

Spraying your pie pan with cooking spray or greasing the pan might change the texture of the bottom of the crust, so if you're not going to remove the whole pie from the dish before serving and it doesn't have a sticky, messy filling, it's more than okay to refrain from greasing the pan.

A cast iron skillet can be used for baking or as a casserole dish for your potatoes au gratin. I've also used a cast iron pan for biscuits, cakes, sticky buns, upside-down cakes, and giant cookies.

It Holds Heat & Makes Things More Foolproof

This reason is why bakers should love it too. Cast iron's ability to retain heat ensures the upside-down cake you're baking will be tender and evenly cooked without burning the sugary glaze, and your giant chocolate chip cookie is gooey throughout with nice chewy edges.

Can You Put Cast-Iron in the Oven? Yes, this is one of the big draws of cast-iron cooking. It is just fine to go from stove to oven or boiler.