Hi Robert! It sounds like the splits might be from the pie crust drying out in those areas specifically. This can be due to too much direct heat bearing down on these spots and shielding the pie with a pie shield or aluminum foil could help prevent this. More likely, these dry parts came from the mixing step. The flour in the dough is keen to absorb any loose liquid and if the water being added is not added specifically one tablespoon at a time to the driest parts of the mix mixture, the wetter spots can continue to absorb more of the water being added causing other parts to remain dry during the mixing, chilling, rolling and baking process. Shielding the dough from drying out and making sure the water gets evenly mixed into the dry ingredients will be your best bet to avoid the splitting. Happy baking!

• Reply