Pies are for the Birds

Or is it the other way around…Discovering a love for Pie Birds and other baking tools.

This weekend, my parents are hosting a Thanksgiving in the Mountains dinner for many of our mountain biking friends. I’ve ridden with my dad and his friends since I was a kid and now I’m blessed to be able to call their friends, mine as well. For this dinner, I wanted to make something to help my mom out and she said dessert. I’m all in! So I’m baking a pumpkin and cherry pie…only the dough from scratch since I’m pressed for time. The pumpkin was a no brainer, but I wanted to make the cherry to test out my pie bird!

What’s a pie bird?

Essentially these are little chimneys that are put into the center of a pie that has a full crust to allow the pie to ventilate steam while baking. It preserves the crust keeping it from bubbling, or sinking in the middle of the pie. All kinds of these chimneys have been used throughout the history of pies, but the little black birds have become iconic thanks to the nursery rhyme “Song of a Sixpence” whose lyrics include “Four and twenty black birds baked in a pie” which is said to be a reference to these little pie chimneys.

Thus bakers have been using little black bird shaped pie birds for centuries and I think they’re just too cute. Having had birds as pets, they’re kind of a mini obsession for me.

Aside from Pie Birds What Other Baking Tools Have I Discovered?

My little bird shaped ceramic pie chimney aside, I’m really getting into some other baking tools. Before, when my mother in law was moving she offered me a pastry blender or pastry knife. At the time I didn’t know what it was or how you were supposed to use it – and we were living in an apartment with limited space left for more baking supplies, so I declined it. Now I’m wishing I hadn’t.

A good Pastry Blender is worth its weight…and then some. These odd looking little kitchen gadgets are a big help when trying to blend butter in your pastry doughs. For these pies, I couldn’t find one on hand so I had to use, well my hands. You can bet your pie bird I’m going to be hunting down a pastry blender in the future!