Like other types of nerds, pie geeks have their own peculiar shorthand lingo. When they meet, conversations are laced with words like slurry, lattice, crimping and venting — to say nothing of the heated debates about butter vs. lard vs. Crisco.
“Everything’s better with butter,” argues John Hinman. “The only thing in my crust is chilled butter, ice water, AP [all-purpose] flour and salt.”
The first time I met Hinman, he had entered a Denver pie contest I was judging. His flaky crust was excellent; his entry won.
“The real secret is not overmixing it,” he says. “I throw everything in the food processor.”
Hinman knows pie, and so do I.
Hinman has become one of Colorado’s most notable piemakers. His Denver-based Hinman Pie bakery hand-crafts thousands weekly. They are available at local grocers including Lucky’s Market, at the Saturday Boulder and Longmont Farmers Markets, and at Aug. 19’s Lafayette Peach Festival.
I was chief judge at the National Pie Championships and executive director of the National Pie Council.
We agree on a lot. You need to refrigerate dough uncovered for at least a few hours before rolling. You also don’t need perfect-looking fruit: Ask for “seconds” and save some money.
Finally, peach pies need to “age” on the kitchen counter for two to four hours after baking so they reach their full-flavored and sliceable potential.
A pie divided
Colorado orchards supply dozens of peach varieties ranging from suncrests to red globes that change almost weekly until the season ends. They each reveal unique flavor, sweetness and juiciness profiles.
This year has been a good one for Colorado peaches, with a bounty of fresh fruit flowing into local stands and supermarkets. These sweet globes are begging to be tucked inside a pastry.
While I’m a Colorado peach purist — using only the firm and juicy fruits grown in this state — Hinman’s pies are half Colorado, half California.
“I use as many peeled Ella Farms peaches as I can,” he says, “but the local fruit is very juicy.”
Hinman likes to bake in thin aluminum tins. I use glass pans because I can lift it and tell if the bottom is properly baked. In my decades of judging contests, a soggy bottom was a common attribute of losing entries.
My secret is to divide the fruit: I put half the sliced peaches over the bottom crust. After cooking the second half with the other filling ingredients — cornstarch (or powdered tapioca), a little sugar and spices — pour it over the fresh fruit and crown with crust, a lattice or a crumb topping.
Hinman perfected his hand pies working for several years at The Post Brewery in Lafayette when the restaurant first opened.
“You put just enough filling on the crust round and brush the edges with egg wash,” he says. “Then you fork a crimp around the edges to seal them.”
Humble beginnings
For two experts, our first pie memories are embarrassingly commercial. My first was probably a mini blueberry pie from Table Talk Pies, made in Massachusetts.
As for Hinman, he says, “My first pie memory was eating a Hostess Fruit Pie when I was a kid in New York.”
But that experience inspired him to one day achieve baking greatness.
“I really wanted to come up with a better pie than the Hostess or Marie Callender’s pies that were everywhere,” he says. “That’s when I entered that pie contest.”
For Hinman, pie is a healing and spiritual practice as well as a business and a dessert.
“Pies have no sides,” he says. “In this era we’re getting through, the best thing you can do is simply give someone a pie.”
Louisville Homemade Pie Contest
I retired from judging contests three years ago because, frankly, it’s not really healthy to taste 25 pies in a couple of hours.
However, I’m making an exception for my favorite competition: the Louisville Homemade Pie Contest on Sept. 2.
The contest in Memory Square Park had been on hiatus since the pandemic. After I judge the Best of Show pies, attendees can taste the entries and disagree with the judges.
The youth pie makers are precious and give one hope for pie’s survival.
To enter the Louisville Homemade Pie Contest: bit.ly/LouisvillePieBW. Try John Lehndorff’s tested pie crust recipe online at bit.ly/CrustyBW.