Perfect Pie Crust
Posted by Danielle Bean in Food on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 6:03 AM
In this week’s Coffee Talk, Carolyn asks a question on a topic near to my heart: Pie Crust.
Is making a good pie crust an innate talent or will I, someday, learn to make one that doesn’t fall apart? The Pillsbury refrigerated ones are just so easy, but like learning to fold a fitted sheet, I’d someday like to make a perfect crust!
Other commenters contributed their recipes and now I can’t help but add my own. I won’t be much help with the fitted sheets, but I can lend a hand when it comes to pie crust.
Here are my pie crust tips:
1. Practice. Pie crust making is not innate; it’s learned. And like most learned things, you get better at it with practice. Only after making the recipe a few times can you tell exactly when the fat is “cut in” to the flour exactly enough and you are ready to add the liquid. Ditto for the rolling out. It takes practice to get the flour-on-the-board ratio just right and the rolling to just the right thickness so it doesn’t tear but neither is it too bulky. I could write paragraphs about it, but it won’t be as helpful as just doing it is.
2. Go cold. Using ice cold water and cold shortening (keep your tub in the fridge) will greatly reduce your stickiness factor and therefore reduce your need for extra flour which tends to toughen the crust. If you have the time, you might want to mix up your pie dough and then wrap and chill it in the fridge for an hour or so before rolling it out. I don’t have one, but I know some lucky ducks who rave about their chilled marble rolling pins and flour boards
3. Be bold. Don’t poke nervously at your pie dough with the rolling pin. Don’t cringe and cower as you lift the pastry from flour board to pie plate. Roll your dough with confidence. You be the boss. If you fuss and poke at the dough too much, you risk developing the flour’s gluten which makes for a tough crust. Get that dough rolled and into your pie plate. Small tears or unevenness can be patched up after the fact. Only the crimped edges will show in the end anyway.
And now for the recipe. This basic dough is from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book
I love that this recipe produces a lot of dough (I’d rather work with extra dough than try to stretch a too-small recipe to fit my pan). I also love that it’s not sweet (I use this for my dessert pies as well as pork pies and other savory dishes). It holds a crimped edge really well so that it not only comes out flaky and delicious every time, but it looks really pretty to boot. And finally, I especially love that this recipe is adaptable to many sizes and numbers. In my own cookbook, I even have the recipe quadrupled in the margins for when I do mega-baking.
Once you’ve mastered this recipe, you can experiment with buttery crusts and fancier recipes ...the sky’s the limit! But if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself coming back to this basic beauty time and time again:
for an 8-inch pie shell
1 cup plus 2 T. flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2-3 T. cold water
for an 8-inch two crust pie
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
5-6 T. cold water
for a 9-inch pie shell
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3-4 T. cold water
for a 9-inch two crust pie
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
6-7 T. cold water
Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl, add the shortening, and work it into the flour with a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips until the mixture resembles fresh bread crumbs. Sprinkle on the water, a tablespoon at a time, stirring lightly with a fork after each addition. Use enough water so that the dough holds together and comes off the sides of the bowl, but not so much that it is sticky. If you wrap it well, you can freeze the dough at this point or store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Happy baking!
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