Throughout the holiday seasons, you may be baking multiple pies in the oven. This is difficult to control in a convection oven, so you may need some good tips and tricks.
Successfully baking multiple pies requires a lot of patience, and organization. It can be overwhelming when you have to bake multiple pies, and not many people know that you can bake two pies at the same time. Let’s find out more about this, and go through some good tips and tricks.
Is It Okay To Bake Two Pies At The Same Time?
Even though you may not be used to it, it is actually okay to bake multiple pies in the oven at once. Whether this is two or four pies, you can do it. However, it is important to know that the more pies in the oven, the lower the temperature decreases.
How Should You Bake Two Pies At The Same Time?
This is because there is more in the oven, and the hot air cannot comfortably reach all areas. For this reason, it is often recommended to leave the pies in the oven for slightly longer, as this will fix the cooking temperature. With an increase in cooking time, they will cook evenly on the same oven temperature.
Different Pie Recipes And Cooking Temperatures
There are hundreds of different recipes for dessert pies in the world, with some of the most popular being pumpkin pie, blueberry pie, cherry pie, apple pie, and lemon meringue pie.
Although these are all dessert pies, they do not cook at the same temperature. They all need the most consistent temperature in order to completely cook. This is a crucial process in the pie baking process, making sure the crust is completely cooked.
You can actually bake two pies in the oven at the same time, and remove one of the pies before you move the other. You can do this in a convection oven/conventional oven, and if you kept the pie on the middle rack.
You could easily fit more than two pies in the oven, with different timers for the ones on the middle rack than the ones on the bottom rack.
Which Oven Racks Should I Use?
When baking multiple pies, it is crucial to know that your pies are on the right shelves. If you put the pie crusts on the wrong shelves, there is a risk that they will bake unevenly. The heat should circulate around pies evenly, making sure they are fully cooked.
You want to get a flaky and buttery crust, with a cooked, solid middle. Try to place as many pies on the bottom rack, on baking sheets.
If the pies are on the bottom rack, you can cook the pies simultaneously. The same temp would circulate around the oven, and cook multiple pies evenly. If the pies are on the bottom rack of the oven, they are also less likely to be burnt in the process.
If you are baking pies on the top rack, you are likely to burn the top and side, and the middle will be undercooked.
Putting the pies higher up in the oven will decrease the bake time, but will probably burn the tops of your pies. You could also use the middle of the oven on a lower temperature, ensuring an even cook.
Using A Conventional Oven To Bake Multiple Pies Simultaneously
If you are using a conventional oven, you should probably cook the pies on the bottom rack, ensuring they are evenly cooked. If your pie is a filled pie, you also run the risk of burning the top of the pie, which will usually have a higher sugar content.
A conventional oven works by heating the oven temperature to the temperature you desire. The heat will flow around the interior of the oven, but certain things may cook unevenly in the oven.
The oven rack of the oven should be somewhere in the middle, meaning the temperature will evenly heat up the oven, and circulate around.
What Kind Of Pans?
The best pans for baking multiple pies simultaneously will be either disposable pans, or a special pie pan. A pie pan is designed for pies, meaning they will allow a more even bake to the pie crusts. You could also used aluminum steel pans or Pyrex pans.
Issues That May Arise From Baking Multiple Pies
When baking multiple pies at once, there are several issues that may arise. Most of these issues will be related to the baking temperature, the baking time, the desired temperature, the flavors, and the recipes used.
You may know that if something is sat next to something with another flavor, it will start tasting like this. In an oven, this is less likely to happen, because the hot air is cooking the pie crusts.
You can definitely bake many different pies in the same oven, but you cannot bake them at different temperatures. Baking two pies or more is never easy, as the additional pie can be affected by the others.
It is important to be patient when baking multiple pies, because they will need longer to cook, especially if you’re using more than one rack.
For example, if you are baking pecan pies, pumpkin pies, or blueberry pies, they will need different times and different temperatures. The more pies in the oven, the more you will have to control the temperature, and keep an eye on the pies.
You may need to put one pie in the oven before another pie, allowing them all to cook evenly. The second pie may need longer than the first pie, as every single pie is different. To bake pies in a convection oven is difficult, and you require patience.
Final Thoughts
If you regularly bake pies, you will probably only bake one pie at the baking time. However, you can bake multiple pies in the same oven rack, at the same baking temperature.
Whether you’re baking an apple pie or a pumpkin pie, delicious pies can be difficult to master. With this guide, you now know how you can bake multiple pies at once.
