Q: When making a pie, why do we put a tablespoon of butter on top of the fruit before the top crust? I have asked the butter question of other bakers, only to get no answer. Also, can you explain how to cut apples for apple pie? Mine are either too soft or not done.
— Carole Howell, Columbus
A: Dotting the top of a fruit pie filling with butter is an old habit but one that is called for in only about half of the pie recipes out there.
Some maintain that the butter is for taste; others claim that it helps the filling set up, particularly when using flour as a thickener.
The most likely theory, however, is that the butter was intended to melt and form a barrier between the filling and the crust that would prevent the filling from bubbling through air vents in the crust and spilling over. As anyone who has ever used butter in a pie filling can attest, this method often doesn’t work.
The butter isn’t necessary, but continue to use it if you enjoy the flavor; it shouldn’t make a difference in how your pie filling turns out.
As far as slicing apples, you want them to be sliced (not cubed) about an eighth- to a quarter-inch thick.
Any thinner, and they can turn to mush; any thicker, and they might remain too hard.
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