Asbury Cafe Pie Party Handbook

What’s a pie party?

People often question how the Asbury Cafe manages to make so many pies. One way involves what we call pie parties. A small group of individuals maybe a Sunday School class, an organizational group, church members, or just a few friends that get together to collectively make pies. Six to eight people can produce 50 or more pies in an afternoon or evening. Pies are frozen unbaked and prepared the day before use at the cafe.

This handbook provides basic instructions for organizing and holding a successful pie party. Special thanks to our pie makers and bakers who compiled these notes over many years of experience.

First Things First

• Always coordinate your pie party with your Pie Coordinator.
• Be sure the check the Health Restrictions For Pies before making any pies.
• Check the Pie Quality Standards and Suggested Pie Types List for recommendations.
• Think cleanliness. One piece of hair can ruin a customer's day as well as ours.

What You Need!

Ingredients

Equipment *

* Individuals should label personal items before use.

Production Setup

The diagram below shows an example setup for assembly line production. Here are some tips for efficient work setup as well:

• Arrange individual areas or stations for each task and distribute workers to each area.
• Place fruit preparation in or near kitchen area. You will need to repeatably wash bowls, measure ingredients, and utilize kitchen utensils, etc.
• Place dough-mixing area near kitchen. This area will get dirtier than other areas.
• Cover the tables with disposable paper table clothes. For the Dough Mixing table, write the recipe on the tablecloth for easy preparation.
• Place the tables for Dough Preparation, Dough Rolling, and Pie Closing stations on 6" concrete blocks laid on their sides. This will raise the standard folding tables found in most churches to a much more comfortable working level.
• For the Dough Rolling stations, use commercial-type wide freezer paper under the rolling areas. It makes for a very nice and inexpensive rolling surface.
• Place tables so items move in a continuous flow from one table to the next while keeping the Pie Filling station near the Fruit Preparation Area.

Pie Crust Recipes

Party Pie Crust (from Crisco can, doubled)

4 cups All Purpose Flour 2 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 cups Crisco Shortening 3/4 cup Cold Water

Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Mix well, cutting in shortening with pastry blender until it forms a crumb texture. Add cold water all at once and mix into a single loose ball. Divide into 6 portions for rolling.

 

Moist Pie Crust

5 lbs All Purpose Flour 2 Tbsp. Salt 3 lbs Shortening

3 cups Cold Water 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour for rolling

Combine flour and salt in a very large bowl. Mix well. With pastry blender cut in shortening until evenly distributed. Mixture will resemble cornmeal in texture. Add cold water all at once and mix lightly until flour absorbs all the water and resembles putty. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle a little flour over the top and mix until dough barely clings together in the bowl. Divide into 20 portions and place in a large bowl covered with a damp dishtowel until rolled. Makes 10 double-crusted pies.

Freezer Pie Crust

4 cups All Purpose Flour 2 tsp. Salt 1 Tbsp. Sugar 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder 1 3/4 cups Shortening

1 beaten egg 1 Tbsp. Vinegar 3/4 cups Water 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour

Mix together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in shortening. Mix in separate bowl: egg, vinegar, water, and flour. Add second mixture to first and mix with fork. Chill 15 minutes and then form 5 balls. Each ball makes a single crust. Store in freezer until needed.

Fruit Pie Fillings

Use this chart to make fruit fillings. Mix together the flour and sugar then add fruit and stir until fruit is coated with the sugar mixture. Include syrup mixture with fruit when filling pie shells (it’s the thickener). Flour and cornstarch are not interchangeable. One tablespoon of cornstarch equals two tablespoons of flour. Always mix thickening agent with sugar before adding to fruit. Cornstarch gives a clearer and prettier filling, especially in cherry and berry pies.

If using frozen fruit (especially blackberry, blueberry, cherry, peach, raspberry, or rhubarb pies), use fruit before completely thawed, while still icy. It is best to only make as many pies of one type at a time (i.e. from a single batch of fruit), generally 8-10, as can be made and completed before the fruit melts completely. Frozen fruit requires additional thickening - we reccommend doubling the thickening per the table below.

Be generous with filling.

The following table suggests some combinations for mixed fruits. Apricots generally don't go well with other fruits, except as noted. Please, no more than two fruits per pie, as they don't sell.

Finishing The Pies

1. Place crust in bottom of pie pan.
2. Trim edge leaving 3/4" extra over rim of pan.
3. Add ample filling, including the syrup - it's the thickener (if too watery, some of the liquid may need to be drained). Remember some fruits cook down a lot, especially if still partially frozen.
4. Add a couple small dabs of butter.
5. Wet outer edge of bottom crust for a better seal.
6. Place second crust on top and trim to bottom crust.
7. Press the two crusts together between your fingers to seal and fold under the bottom crust. Poorly sealed pies boil over and stick to the pan and may not be usable.
8. Decorate the edge. Pinch between your fingers to create a fluted edge or press lightly against pan edge with a fork to create a petal edge.
9. Sprinkle top of pie with sugar or cinnamon and sugar mixture.
10. Vent pie for later cooking. As a backup to labeling, the venting can be patterned to designate the kind of pie. Use the following standard codes for identification.
    

    A - Apple AP - Apricot BK - Blackberry B - Blueberry C - Cherry N - Nectarine	P - Peach PL - Plum R - Raspberry RH - Rhubarb SR - Sour Cream Raisin
    B / P - Combinations, e.g. Blueberry-Peach

11. Place in LABELED Ziploc bag and freeze. See Pie Labeling instructions for details.

Pie Labeling

All pies must be labeled for identification and Health Department traceability. Labeling should include the following information as shown on the sample label below:

Type of pie (large as possible). Name of individual or group who prepared the pie. Date of preparation. Name of individual or group who baked the pie. Date pie was baked. 2-letter church designation code. Notation for nuts and/or coconut ingredients. Reserved area for 3/4" date color dot	PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY OTHERS MUST READ THIS INFORMATION
	PLEASE ASK YOUR PIE COORDINATOR FOR YOUR CHURCH ID CODE

When labeling combination pie types, such as blueberry-peach, we ask that the "berry" always be named first for consistency. Thus blueberry-peach is preferred over peach-blueberry.

What "To Do" With The Pies?

Pie parties can produce lots of pies. Make sure the pies have a home ahead of time and always coordinate your efforts with your pie coordinator.

• Best Thing To Do! Take the pies home.
• Another Thing To Do! Freeze pies in the church freezers. Hand out at later time.
• Necessary Thing To Do! Make prior arrangements with persons who have large capacity freezers.

Be sure to have persons taking pies home account for them on the inventory sign-up or baking sign-up sheets. Keep an accurate inventory by type and count to report to your pie coordinator.

Freezing Unbaked Pies

• Seal pies in Ziploc bags before freezing.
• Place into freezer as quickly as possible after finishing to avoid excessive water absorption and deterioration of the crust.
• Be sure to keep pies level, otherwise juice will drain into the bag or settle on the surface.
• Don't stack pies on top of each other until completely frozen.
• Unfrozen pies can be very flexible. Minimize handling of the pies before freezing and always use two hands to avoid tearing the crust.
• Follow the instructions for baking frozen pies when preparing.

Baking Frozen Pies

• Preheat your oven to 450 F.
• Remove the frozen pies from their bags. If juice has leaked onto surface and frozen, try to remove before baking. It will melt and burn the top.
• Cut vent holes in the upper crusts. Cover the edges with strips of foil or an inverted pie tin with the center cut out.
• Place the frozen pies on the lowest shelf your oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 375F. Then bake 40 minutes.
• Remove the strips of foil from the edges and continue baking, until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes more. When baking more than one pie at a time, it will take longer, almost 15 minutes more per pie. Keep checking every 5 minutes until you know what your oven will do. It's also a good idea to rotate the pies when baking more than one. An under-cooked pie cannot be sold at the cafe. Don’t let your efforts go to waste. Juicy pies take longer to cook and cause soggy crusts if they are not cooked thoroughly.
• All pies must be placed in resealable plastic bags (i.e. Ziploc) for transport to the cafe and storage there. Let your pies COOL COMPLETELY before putting them into baggies. DO NOT seal the bag unless the pie is room temperature and DO NOT store in sealed bags overnight, just cover with towel; otherwise, your pies will develop soggy crusts. If delivering pies to the church the night before, bag them for transport, but then if possible remove them from the bags while stored overnight. Bags trap in moisture overnight, even if not sealed.

THIS IS OUR GREATEST SOURCE OF WASTED PIES!

Pie Quality Standards

All pies for the cafe should be made in ~1¹/₂" ** deep, 9" round, disposable aluminum pie tins. The cafe will not assume responsibility for return of personal pie pans. Pie pans are available free from the cafe for pie party use.

** Deep pie tins may be hard to locate, contact your Pie Coordinator for assistance. Shallow tins, ~1¹/₈", may be used for some pies of thicker filling such as Raspberry.

Quality Control

We request to have a Quality Control individual at ALL pie parties. Contact the Pie Coordinator about having someone attend your party and/or receiving training to be a quality checker.

NO Store Bought Pies

The Asbury Cafe serves homemade pie. We advertise this and have built our reputation on it. Therefore, we do NOT accept store bought pies for use at the cafe.

Suggested Pie Types

Everyone has their favorite kind of pie! Unfortunately, everyone does not appreciate all the possible varieties and some simply don’t sell. Traditional fruit types sell well as do many mixed-fruits. We recommend making pies from the list below. Please note types that DO NOT SELL.

Please DO NOT make alcoholic flavored pies (i.e. Rum, Bourbon, etc. even if non-alcoholic type flavoring). As a church-based organization these pies do not reflect well on our image and just create controversy. They likely will not be sold.

Please check with your Pie Coordinator when making a large number of a particular type of pie to avoid over production and uneven distribution.

Health Restrictions On Pies

All pies sold at the cafe must adhere to these health department guidelines. No exceptions!

• All pies must be double-crusted or self-sealing, such as a Pecan pie.
• NO open-face fruit pies, NO custard pies, NO cream pies, and NO pies requiring refrigeration can be accepted.
• All pies must be placed in resealable plastic bags (i.e. Ziploc) for transport to the cafe and storage there. DO NOT seal warm pies! DO NOT seal overnight, just cover with towel. If delivering pies to the church the night before, bag them for transport, but then if possible remove them from the bags while stored overnight. Bags trap in moisture overnight, even if not sealed.
• All pies must be labeled for type and origin according to defined guidelines.
• ALL pies must be "DOTTED" with the proper color coding for the day. This will be done at the churches where and when pies are picked up. NOTE: Therefore, all pies must be collected at the designated churches. Please DO NOT deliver pies directly to the cafe.
• Pies should NOT be baked more than 24 hours before use and should be kept covered (from open air) and cool (but not refrigerated) until delivery to the cafe. DO NOT store where subject to flies and/or spoilage due to heat.

Tips and Tricks

• If a pie spills over in your oven, just sprinkle salt on the spill (not on the pie), and continue baking. The salt will keep the spill from smoking and smelling like burnt sugar and make it easier to clean up later.
• Use cut or damaged pie tins as covers when baking to prevent burning the edges of the crust. Cut out the center and invert over the top of the pie to cover edges while baking.
• A top crust browns nicely and tastes good if brushed with milk and sprinkled with sugar just prior to baking. Not recommended for frozen pies because the increased cooking time will tend to burn the crust.
• Placing pies on a cooking sheet to bake will help bake the bottom crust (and help catch spills).
• To help prevent soggy bottoms, precook the bottom crust before filling - 3-5 minutes at 350 degrees should do it.
• Wet the top edge of the bottom crust before joining to the top crust. It helps seal the crusts together.
• Place a piece of uncooked Mostaccioli (pencil sized 1" hollow tubes) in the top while baking to keep an open vent hole and limit pies from boiling over.
• When making crusts for holiday meals, add a few drops of food coloring to the water and you'll have a tinted pie crust.

Last Updated: Saturday, September 14, 2002