Been watching the Great British Baking Show and HAD to request the ARC for PIE ACADEMY. That gorgeous cover made me gasp!

I did have download problems, but saw stunning color photos and read more at Storey Publishing’s website. What a fantastic book for making every pie imaginable, from lovely classics like apple or lemon meringue, to mouthwatering Triple-Layer Pumpkin-Chocolate or Dense Cherry-Almond Coffeecake Pie. My head is spinning with all the choices.

The tricky how-tos of pie crusts, with step by step instructions, suggestions for tools, decorating tips, and recipes for 255 scrumptious fillings make this a must for any baker. Kitchen, here I come!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 27 Oct 2020

Thanks to the author, Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#PieAcademy #NetGalley

This is a definitive, step-by-step guide to making beautiful and delicious pies. Starting with a variety of pie crusts, from basic to unusual combinations, and then moving on to just about every type of pie there is. There is even an entire chapter dedicated to my favorite, the apple pie. The photography is stunning and it only makes me wish there were more photos in the book. My favorite cookbooks feature pictures with every recipe (or at least most of the recipes). A great book to add to any bakers’ shelf!

Thank you to Storey Publishing and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**

If I could give half stars, this would rate a 4.5/5 stars.

I've never been the best at baking, and the tips included in this book have helped to fix a lot of the problems that I've had over the years. The step by step instructions were instrumental in getting everything right. The troubleshooting guide will definitely be bookmarked for future use!

I tried out several of the recipes, but my favorite dough recipe is the "Old-Fashioned Shortening Pie Dough" just like my grandmother used to use. As far as the filling recipes, I mixed up several of the fillings, but the stand outs were the "Blackberry Silk Pie", "Dense Cherry-Almond Coffeecake Pie" and the "Ultimate Four-Cherry Pie". I still have several recipes to try, and I don't think I could ever try them all, but these were absolutely amazing!

Gorgeous photographs make this a book for anyone who loves to cook as well as anyone who appreciates food photography!

Overall, I understand that the book was meant to focus on dessert pies, but I think a huge opportunity was missed to throw in a chapter with savory pie fillings. That addition would have given this a solid five out of five.

Pie Academy is pretty much everything you would want in a book about the subject: discussions on pie plates, tools, techniques; a wide selection of recipes; and plenty of beautiful photographs of the finished product. The author combines old and new, traditional and experimental to provide a wide range of fail safe pies.

The first part of the book is all about the making of a pie: pins, pans, blenders, flour, fats, fillings, and then a step-by-step tutorial on making the pie crust. The second section of the book covers the wide variety of pie crusts and fillings: doughs, berries, fruits, apple variations, fall classics like pumpkin and cranberry, pecan, custards, small pies like turnovers, chiffons, creams, brownie pies, rice pieces, and then toppings sauces and meringues.

I appreciate that we had a wide selection of pie presentations - different techniques to weave, blend, decorate, or otherwise present your pieces in a fancy way. The end of the book has a short trouble shooting section - really invaluable for understanding why your pie or pie crust went wrong and how to fix it. Nearly every recipe has a photograph.

A large section is devoted to pie crust - and getting that tricky part correct. From the consistency of the blended fat/butter to various ways to roll out the dough and get a smooth but not mushy crush. I know that when I started making crust, cookbooks never explained that the butter had to be cold and so I ended up with a lot of mushy and flat crusts as a result. I wish the author had gone into more detailed troubleshooting in this regard - getting the crust right is a challenge until you understand what you are doing. But this is the only nitpick in an an otherwise thorough and beautifully presented cookbook. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

So many pies, so little time. MAKE the time, make a pie (or two or three or four) and savor a slice! This book has so much great information and will have you baking like a pro in no time! From cream pies to fruit pies and some you have never have thought of before, there is something for every taste, every celebration, and every day of month. Me? I’m lookin forward to working on my crust designs and making some pie pops instead of the overdone cake pop. YUMMMMM!

I was SO hungry after reading through this book and am now determined to begin making a pie this weekend!

The recipes are clear and seem very straightforward to follow, with plenty of tips and troubleshooting ideas for common pie-making problems throughout. I would have loved a few more pictures but otherwise, will continue to use this book again and again as I begin making tasty and delicious pies!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this is the pie BIBLE! Anything you need to know about making pies, it’s in here.

I made my first fruit pie for aaaaaaages last week and it was okay but it was clear there was some refinement needed. Then, as I was browsing for books, I stumbled upon Ken Haedrich’s Pie Academy book. Sometimes when you want to learn about making a certain baked good, you end up with several different books covering different aspects of the process. No need here, this book covers pastry, toppings, equipment and fillings as well as helpful hints and tips along the way to help you perfect your pie game.

Being based in the UK, the conversion chart at the back was particularly useful as we don’t measure in cups here.

There are so many recipes in here that I can’t wait to try out!

I've tried downloading this on my computer, on my phone, using the NetGalley app and none of them work. It's a bummer, I would have loved to try some of the pies. Pie crust is my nemesis and maybe someday I'll figure it out. I rated it based on how much I wanted to try it.

I was not able to complete downloading this and therefore cannot really review it. The sugggested contents makes it a book I would love to have in our library system.

I feel like the working title for this book could have been "pie making for dummies" because it is the perfect option for newbies to pie making! If you've never done your own pie crust, the instructions are clear and thorough and provides so much information on the tools, dishes, and ingredients needed to make a homemade pie!

Pie Academy is great for all skill levels! And there are seemingly endless recipe options included. Bonus points that chess pies (my fave) got a section all to themselves!! My only critique, and it is extremely minor, is that I wish that there were a few recipes that took me by surprise! I thought Ken's diction and writing style were approachable and knowledgeable and I really enjoyed my advance copy from Net Galley. Looking forward to trying a few of the recipes, especially some of the nut pies for Thanksgiving!

This book is GORGEOUS….I drooled over every page (thank goodness I didn’t short circuit my computer while reading). The Pie Academy is loaded with an amazing array of pie crusts and pie recipes ranging from the classics to the exotic. All with detailed instructions, photos and tips.

That being said, I’m what you call a quick, no muss no fuss cook and baker (at least that is my goal when I enter the kitchen). No huge kitchen-aid on my counter, if I can’t do the prep in just a few minutes, my attention span has exhausted, and I may not make it to the finish line. So, although most of what I make comes out tasty, you won’t find me using my hands for anything that cannot be done or prepared in a Magimix or bread machine. My food-processor and microwave cookbooks are my kitchen bibles – and I know my scriptures by heart.

I did learn a few pie-crust tricks and the trials were fool-proof. There is no lard in my larder (except that first syllable) so we contented ourselves with butter crusts. Adding a little cornstarch and/or vinegar made for the most delicious and flaky crusts I’ve ever eaten. No sugar in the crust, also good advice (so much for my mom’s recipe). If you don’t mix meat and dairy, serve a different dessert after meat, since margarine is something that doesn’t belong in anyone’s kitchen. I can’t speak for the hydrogenated vegetable shortenings since I don’t use them. So, a butter crust recipe was my standard, but now the sky (or Pie Academy) is the limit.

Pie Academy includes a number of different pie-crust recipes for sweet and savory pies. There are numerous photo illustrations of the different pie-crust techniques and textures. This book is not heavy on the “best and only” equipment, which I like. If you become a pie afficionado, you can add equipment in the future. But at the very least, you should have a rolling pin and pie plates. If you don’t have a pin, you should probably buy one of the two suggested. I use the tapered single piece French-style pin. I’ve had it for years and it’s great. Haedrich also discusses surfaces for rolling out dough. My counter tops are marble and I don’t have any problem with the dough sticking as I roll out my pie pastries on a lightly floured surface. I think temperature is a bit tricky. If the dough is too chilled it is harder to roll out and cracks a bit around the edges. You can trim but the less you mess with pie crust the better it comes out. If it is not chilled enough it might be sticky and alter the balance or texture of the fat mixture. Haedrich provides very helpful explanations and tips for all his recipes, so you can’t go wrong if you follow his advice.

Blind baking the bottom shell is a bit of a pain in the neck; if you don’t weigh down the shell the bottom may puff in spots and the sides will droop down while baking. Haedrich describes techniques and equipment to prevent that. I just prick the bottom and let the sides droop a little but, then, I will make the pie in anything and any shape; sometimes it is not a pretty sight (although tasty), so you should follow the author’s advice.

There are beautiful descriptions and photos demonstrating the various finishing techniques along the edges of the pie shells and top crusts. My edges will never come out as pretty as Haedrich’s. I trim where long and press on where short, then I just pinch close or lightly flour a thin tined fork and press along the edges. Fiddling around making lattice tops, braided edges, shapes, or peek-a-boo top crusts, etc., is just not for me (no sitzfleisch), but if you are not always in a hurry to flee the kitchen, you may take the time and succeed with these beautiful techniques.

So now the “good” stuff. Fillings…there are beautiful mouthwatering recipes for fillings galore and I am going to try at least half of them – but not those that I already have in my repertoire because I can see without trying that I love mine more (especially the lemon meringue pie). Haedrich’s Granny Smith Apple Pie filling is virtually identical to my double crusted apple pie filling (although I combine brown and white sugar and generally use flour instead of cornstarch in the filling). What Haedrich calls cream pies I think of as custard pies – my absolute favorites. I employ a completely different method (remember I told you I am a microwave maven). It does not take less time, but it feels like less steps and almost no work at all. Liquid and dry ingredients are whisked in a large microwave Pyrex and heated to thickened, occasionally removed and lightly whisked to break up any lumps that might form. Once thickened you whisk a little hot mixture into the eggs before pouring and whisking eggs into the main “cream” filling, back in the micro for another minute or two and then whisk in the butter chunks until melted with a little of your extract/other additions (flavored chips/coconut/etc.). The custard/cream filling comes out smooth and perfect every time and I have never had a skin form on top. I do not refrigerate to cool but let cool on counter and then pour into shell and put whipped cream, meringue, or other relevant topping to taste. I refrigerate when completed. Although Haedrich refrigerates his lemon meringue pie, I do not. It does not need to be refrigerated, certainly not on the day of baking, and it is usually gone the same day, immediately after dinner. I also don’t plan on trying the Swiss meringue. It is so easy to make a delicious fluffy meringue and it takes about two minutes to bake and uniformly brown on a very high heat. By the way, if you don’t have lemon (my lemon tree is a little lame this year), I opened a tin of pineapple, threw it into the Magimix and blended, then added the dry ingredients, made the thickened mixture in the microwave, added eggs then butter, cooled and topped with the meringue…it made an excellent substitute for lemon meringue pie last weekend.

Haedrich’s fruit pies are beauties. I will try one or two of the more creative crusts with some of the more exotic recipes, probably next weekend with either Creamy-Maple Yogurt Pie (with my Bread Machine homemade yogurt), Mango & Pineapple Pie with Candied Ginger, or Watermelon Rind Pie (!)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for this ARC of this beautiful book, Pie Academy. I LOVE IT!

It’s always time for pie! Whether it’s Blueberry-Pineapple Piña Colada, Triple-Layer Pumpkin-Chocolate, Ricotta Pie with Toasted Almonds, or a Classic Lemon Meringue, Ken Haedrich, dean of The Pie Academy, dishes up a pie for every craving. Discover recipes for all types of crusts and pastry, including gluten-free, whole wheat, and extra-flaky. Learn about the best tools and gadgets to make dough and fillings. Step-by-step instructions with photos make it easy for bakers of all levels. From the perfect apple pie to adorable mini-pies, from finger pies and slab pies to regional favorites like Indiana Buttermilk Pie or New Hampshire Raspberry and Red Currant Pie, there’s something for every taste and every occasion. Bakers will learn all the details that make for great pie, including how to create decorative crusts featuring cut-outs and dough designs; whether to use table salt or kosher salt; and helpful tips and tricks for baking each particular pie perfectly.

So many pies. Haedrich's instructions are easy to follow and the photography is beautiful. I got hungry reading this and now am trying to find time to make at least a couple of them.

I want to BUY this book. Ken Haedrich has written a warm, friendly book that sticks to the facts of how to make a pie. There is not long history give on pie making, thank heavens...he just gets on with the business of teaching us what to do.

For the first time I'm not overwhelmed and filled with dread over making a pie. He makes it seem relatively simple. Pictures are front loaded at the book in the instructional part. I wish that there were photos of the actual pies that were made. I want to see if my final product looks like it is supposed to. But even without, I am ready to get started!

This is huge compilation has every sweet pie I've ever heard of, and so many more I hadn't! Hadrich gives a comprehensive introduction, including what tools are necessary and which tools to skip. One chapter walks the reader through the complete pie-making process. I'm not a pie novice, but I learned some new tricks I can't wait to try from that chapter.

And the recipes! There's a chapter devoted solely to variations on the apple pie that has some mouth-wateringly intriguing recipes. And I can't wait to try all of the pumpkin variations. I've always wondered whether Ranier cherries would make a good pie, and, lo and behold, Haedrich includes a recipe for Ranier cherry pie!

I look forward to adding this book to my kitchen bookshelf and baking from it for years to come!

Rating 3.5 stars

Pie Academy is a cookery book of sweet pies, includes 25 dough mixtures and 225 pie fillings

At the beginning there are plenty of instructions and photographs on how to make the dough, either by hand or using a mixer. There are plenty of fillings to choose from; there are 11 sections of pies, and a section of sauces to make. In addition there is a chapter on troubleshooting.

There is limited photographs of the pies themselves alongside their recipes. Plus all the recipes have measurements in imperial, with sticks of butter (is that the same as a block of 250g in the UK?) and cups for other ingredients, however there is a basic conversion chart at the rear.

I really learn a lot from this cookery book on the making of the dough, to how to blind bake it - never seen a recipe suggest it be baked on different shelves before, and the different ways the author makes the lids gives me lots of ideas for my own pie making. However the lack of photographs for the pies themselves and only having imperial measurements, lets it down for me.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

I am DETERMINED to try a whole bunch of these. Honestly, this was a truly incredible collection! It has absolutely gorgeous and stunning pictures that made me SO HUNGRY IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!

There's a whole bunch of different types of pies for every pie lover out there! It's a great collection for both amateur bakers (like myself) and experienced bakers to try out some new recipes. I highly recommend picking this book up. It's everything I expected and more. Especially since it has some background into the supplies and types of flowers and fillings you need! I love explanations!

Four out of five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and StoreyPublishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This is a delightful book. Pie Academy has taught me much about the art of pie making. In fact, I just finished baking one - Washington State Granny Smith Apple Pie - and my husband told me it was the best apple crumble he’s even had. The how-to portion of the book is detailed and crystal clear. I’ve never rolled and fluted a better pie shell. There is a much larger selection of recipes than I’d have expected. The trouble shooting section at the back helped me nail my persistent challenges (cracking crust, uneven shape, etc). So glad to have gotten a copy of this book. Highly recommend.

Pie Academy is a comprehensive, detailed book full of baking techniques, pie stories and delicious pie recipes. I'm a home baker and my shelves are full of cookbooks, but I would gladly add this to my collection. The author shares his knowledge in a friendly way with humor and makes pie making approachable. I've always wondered the difference between butter, shortening and lard made crusts, and I like that this book gives you the different recipe options and a compromise of using a mixture. Besides the multitude of crust recipes, there is a plethora of pie filling recipes from berries, fruit, apple, fall classics, nuts, custard, mini pies, ice box pies and ice cream pies. However, there aren't any savory recipes, but the large amount of sweet pie recipes more than makes up for that. The classics are covered like Wild Blueberry Lattice-Top Pie, or Maple Pumpkin Pie, but there are also unique recipes like Paper Bag Apple Pie, or The Original Ritz Mock Apple Pie, or Watermelon Rind Pie for the more adventuresome baker.
To do a complete review, I baked the iconic Washington State Granny Smith Apple Pie with a Single-crust pie dough made from mainly butter and some lard and Oatmeal crumb. I also made the Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Pie with the same crust and Cornmeal Streusel. The crust was very flaky and you could see the buttery layers. Both types of pies were delicious with the thickened fruit juices and the right amount of sweetness. I'm already looking forward to make the All Pear Pie with Maple and Candied Ginger or the Coconut Buttermilk Pie in the future. The only problem will be a growing waistline!
Thank you to Netgalley and Storey Publishing for the pleasure of allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own.

A really great book on everything you want to know about pies!

It is a definite must have with great recipes and I like how it starts from the beginning, covering every aspect of pie-making.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

You can see for yourself that Ken Haedrich is a “pie genius,” when you look at his impressive cookbook, Pie Academy: Master the Perfect Crust and 255 Amazing Fillings, with Fruits, Nuts, Creams, Custards, Ice Cream, and More; Expert Techniques for Making Fabulous Pies from Scratch . It seems there is nothing that isn’t included here, and having already tried some of the recipes, have learned that everything is as it seems, and that these are recipes that actually work.

Haedrich has obviously set out to teach every baker out there, whether beginner or advanced, that they can not only make pie, but can make excellent, mouthwatering pie. His recipes are easy-to-follow, and give bakers all of the information needed. He has also included excellent photographs of many of the pies that we all will want to bake. Not only are there fruit pies, but also cream pies, specialty pies, and variations so that everyone can use their imagination and come up with even more that is included in the book.

Of course, Haedrich has included all of the basics, so that serious pie students can master the art of pie. He covers equipment and techniques and includes excellent step-by-step instructions. The crust chapter is amazing; never would anyone imagine that there are this many crusts to line a pie pan. Once you master crusts, you can mix and match with fillings to make probably hundreds of great pies. However, the subsequent chapters are equally amazing and cover everything you ever wanted to know about pie, varieties of pie, and new ideas for pie.

This is not a book that features one pie with a favorite fruit such as apple, rather there are at least a dozen varieties of apple pie alone – some slab pies to feed a crowd, some with caramel, and others with streusel and other toppings. He has even included the classic original Ritz Cracker Apple pie. It goes on with other fillings and varieties.

This is an excellent cookbook, and is highly recommended for anyone who wants to be a perfect pie maker.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.