blog-special
Fresh Fixins: Lauren Bolden of Pie Bar
Posted on September 4, 2025 9:31 AM
It’s time to step up your pie game with Georgia Grown ingredients from Certified Farm Markets, and Lauren Bolden of Pie Bar knows just how to help get you started. She loves using Georgia Grown ingredients in the pies she crafts for Pie Bar, which she and her husband, Cody, opened in 2015.
Growing up in Waynesboro, Lauren said she never realized how much local produce her family ate from neighboring farms until she came to work at the Georgia State Capitol.
“When farmers would visit, they’d bring gifts of fresh produce, which the staff got to share. It inspired me to recognize what an abundance our state has,” she said. “At that job, we were constantly celebrating a birthday. People were already baking cakes and so I decided to do pie instead. I made a coconut cream pie, and it was just the right type of encouragement at the right time. The feedback made me feel good and confident in wanting to learn more about baking, so I dove in and focused on pie.”
Lauren was 25 at the time, and after a few seasons of selling pie at local farmers’ markets, she and Cody quit their jobs and opened Pie Bar in Woodstock. Since then, they’ve opened a Pie Bar in Marietta, and an off-site kitchen where the pies are baked. Currently, they have 20-30 team members serving pies, all of which are dreamed up by Lauren.
For this issue of Georgia Farm Bureau Neighbors magazine, Lauren is sharing her recipes for Bourbon Pecan Pie and Baked Lemon Meringue Pie.
“Pecan pie is a classic. It’s such a simple pie in form to make. But what makes ours special is that we use Georgia Grown Pearson Farm pecans. The splash of bourbon enhances the already delicious flavors of the pie,” Lauren said, adding that this recipe is perfect for novice bakers.
As for the Baked Lemon Meringue, it’s a great step-up recipe for bakers looking to try something a little more challenging.
“We got a lot of requests for lemon meringue pie, but it’s a tricky one to nail consistently. We tried eight different versions to get the lemon custard filling just right. In the end, we chose a Swiss meringue instead of a traditional meringue, which creates a more marshmallowy cloud on top,” she said. “To me, it’s the combination of the two that result in something bright and tart and citrusy.”
Aside from some perennial favorites, Lauren said what she serves at Pie Bar and what she bakes at home often vary by the season, more specifically, by what is in season.
“At Pie Bar, it’s important to source especially our blueberries, pecans and peaches from Georgia Grown farms. Not just because I know the product will be amazing, but also because when people purchase our pies made with these Georgia Grown ingredients, people are not only supporting us, they are also supporting Georgia’s farmers.”
Lauren suggests that if novice bakers are interested in exploring new recipes or baking more, but don’t quite know where to start, they should visit the Georgia Grown website, check out the calendar and see what’s in season.
“Start there and build off of that,” she said. “Find ways to incorporate fresh, seasonal ingredients in your life. For me, that’s in pies.”
Pie Bar’s Bourbon Pecan Pie
All Butter Pie Dough
Note: This makes enough for two pie doughs. You can freeze the one you do not use or bake a second pie.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup cold water
Bourbon Pecan Filling
1 cup light corn syrup, Karo Brand preferred
1 cup sugar
Pinch of course kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon bourbon or whiskey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Pinch of course kosher salt
1 1/2 cups Georgia-grown pecan halves
Directions
Make the Pie Dough
Mix together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
Add cold, cubed butter. Using fingers or a pastry blender, “cut in” butter with flour until your butter pieces are approximately “pea sized.” Tip: It is a good idea for some butter pieces to be slightly larger than pea sized, some slightly smaller than pea sized, and some pea sized. This variation will give you a super flaky crust.
Once the butter is the correct size, place the mixture in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes. This will get your butter cold again, which helps make a flaky crust.
After a minimum of 30 minutes, remove the mixture from the refrigerator. Add the cold water to the mixture a few tablespoons at a time, quickly mixing the ingredients together with your hands. Continue to do this until the dough comes together but is not so wet that it is sticky. Note: This should be approximately 8 to 12 tablespoons of water. Do not add all of the water at once.
Make two even sized dough balls. Wrap in plastic wrap, press into a disk shape, and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 2 hours before rolling.
Note: This needs to be done ahead of time to allow the dough time to rest. Once your dough has rested and you have rolled it out, place it in a 9” pie pan, and keep it refrigerated while mixing your filling. If you are rolling it out a couple of days before you need it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator.
Mix the Pie Filling
Combine the light corn syrup, sugar, coarse kosher salt, vanilla extract, bourbon/whiskey and melted butter in a large bowl. Slowly mix with a whisk until combined. It is important to not incorporate a lot of air into this pie filling. Mix with a whisk by hand or on the lowest setting on your stand mixer. Avoid using an electric hand mixer.
Add the lightly beaten eggs. Slowly mix with a whisk until combined.
Add the pecans into the mixture. Stir with a spatula until combined. Set aside.
Assemble and Bake
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator. Place the pie shell on a baking sheet and par-bake the crust by lining the crust with parchment paper and fill it to the brim with pie weights (or dried beans).
Bake the weighted pie for 25 minutes on the bottom rack. Remove the weighted pie from the oven. Carefully remove the pie weights (or beans) as well as the parchment paper.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Pour the pie filling into par-baked pie crust. Return to oven for 30 minutes.
Rotate pie and bake for an additional 30 minutes. If the filling is set (no longer wobbly when you gently shake the baking sheet), remove the pie from the oven. If the pie is still wobbly, return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until set.
Once the pie is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool on the counter.
Once cooled, this pie will last in the refrigerator for up to seven days. This pie is fantastic served with vanilla ice cream!
Pie Bar’s Baked Lemon Meringue Pie
Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups (1 sleeve) graham crackers, finely ground
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Lemon Filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Lemon zest from 3 medium lemons
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ounces honey
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 large egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
5 ounces lemon juice (use the zested lemons)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
6 ounces heavy cream
Toasted Meringue Topping
3 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Make the Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grind graham crackers in a food processor until fine. Add in light brown sugar and salt. Mix until well blended.
Slowly pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients in the food processor. Pulse the food processor while adding the butter. The graham cracker mixture should resemble wet sand.
Spray a 9-inch pie pan with non-stick spray. Add approximately half of the graham mixture to the pan to begin with. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, firmly and evenly press the graham mixture to the sides and bottom of the pan, adding more graham and butter mixture until the pie pan is completed.
Place the graham cracker crust on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes or until you can smell the graham baking. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Mix the Pie Filling
Combine the sugar, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl. Mix with a whisk until combined. It is important to not incorporate a lot of air into this pie filling. Mix with a whisk by hand or on the lowest setting on your stand mixer. Avoid using an electric hand mixer.
Add cooled and melted butter. Mix with a whisk until combined.
Add honey. Mix with a whisk until combined.
Add lightly beaten eggs and the egg yolks. Mix with a whisk until combined.
Add lemon juice and lemon extract. Mix with a whisk until combined.
Add heavy cream. Mix gently until combined with a spatula to ensure no additional air is incorporated.
Bake the Pie Filling
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Gently pour the pie filling into the baked graham cracker pie crust. Be very careful transferring this pie to the oven. This filling is wet and likes to spill.
Bake the pie for 30 minutes. If the filling is set after 30 minutes, remove the pie from the oven. If the pie is still wobbly in the center, return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until set.
Once the pie is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool on the counter for up to two hours. Once cooled, refrigerate the pie for a minimum of two additional hours.
Make the Meringue
Gather all ingredients and allow egg whites to come to room temperature, about one hour.
In a sauce pot, combine sugar, water and salt over medium-high heat. Use a candy thermometer to track temperature and bring the liquid to 240 degrees. This is called “soft ball stage” on your candy thermometer.
In a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), add room temperature egg whites and sprinkle over cream of tartar. On medium speed, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar for several minutes until soft peaks form.
Add vanilla extract and quickly whisk to incorporate.
Once the sugar mixture is at 240 degrees, drizzle the sugar mixture into the egg whites with the machine still running at medium speed. Once all the sugar mixture has been poured in, increase the mixer speed to high. Keep whipping until stiff peaks form. The sugar mixture will be extremely hot. Use great caution!
Once the meringue has cooled slightly, top lemon pie using a spatula and form either a swirl or small peaks.
Place pie on the top rack of your oven with the broiler set to high. Keep the oven door open and carefully rotate the pie while allowing the broiler to add color and toastyness to the meringue. Remove the pie from the oven once it reaches the level of toasted you prefer.
Keep the pie refrigerated for up to seven days. Serve cold and enjoy!
Read more about Pie Bar and find their locations at OrderPieBar.com.