Enjoy a Slice of Education
There are numerous math, science, and life lessons that go into the prepping, measuring, and baking of your pie. Here are a few ways to get your family as excited about education as they are about the pie you’re cooking up:
Math Fun
It’s important to cut each pie piece just right so no one gets a tastier slice than anyone else! Since a pie is circular in shape, and a full circle is 360°, what angle would each slice be if it was cut into 6, 8, or 10 pieces? Tip: Divide 360 by the number of slices you need.
Answers:
6 pieces = 60°
8 pieces = 45°
10 pieces = 36°
Baking Science Fun
Believe it or not, fat plays a very important role in your pie crust’s texture and flavor. There are also several different types of fat that can be used to cook up different results:
Butter gives great flavor and provides tenderness, but can easily melt and make dough a bit harder to roll out.
Shortening also gives a flaky crust, is easy to roll out, and provides structure to your crimping, but isn’t always the best flavor.
Lard, or rendered pig fat, gives a very tender crust and is easy to work with, but is not widely used.
Spelling Fun
While your special Pi Day pie is in the oven, set a separate timer to 3 minutes and 14 seconds and see who can make the longest list of words that begin with “pi.” Whoever gets the most gets the first slice!