This pie class is the perfect way to spend an afternoon before the holidays hit. It was a great way to bond over the season and to prep for the chaos ahead.
Plus Chef Pavla took us from afraid of attempting our own pie crust to truly understanding the saying “as easy as pie”...
The Teacher
Pavla is awesome. There are no other words. She’s exactly what you’d think of if I say she’s like a young central european grandma who knows how to bake and is going to show you how to do it with no fuss, no mess, just correctly. During our class with her she was funny, confident, and not afraid to get her hands dirty and show you how to do it. She had really great tips and tricks. I’m happy to say that after two previous attempts from my madre and grandmother, I am FINALLY not afraid of making pie dough and understand the saying “as easy as pie”!
The Setting
Make it Sweet is a little baking shop in Austin that has everything you could ever need for baking. I’ve heard that if they don’t have something you’re looking for they will order it for you.
The classes are held in a cooking classroom attached to the store. We sat in groups of 4-6 who we worked with throughout the process of making our pies. Each group had our own mixing bowls, standing mixer etc. and made crusts and pie fillings together.
The Class
During the class we made pie crusts, and pumpkin and pecan pie fillings. Pavla’s tips and tricks were real game changers even for someone who has been baking as long as I can remember. For example, she rolled the pie crusts out on floured parchment paper so that when it came time to transfer to the pie pans, it was easy to work with and move without having to fold it or roll it on to the pin etc. She also provided multiple options for decorating crusts.
Although we’ve already adjusted the filling recipes slightly (did you know you can substitute maple syrup 1 for 1 for corn syrup? Talk about a pecan pie game changer), the crust recipe and the tips that Pavla gave us are definitely keepers. Plus the class was so much fun we still reflect back on it during the holiday season.