Baking How To: Pie Crust
Yes, it’s the long awaited pie crust tutorial. As I’ve mentioned numerous times before, making pie crust is not as hard as it seems. You just have to take a few easy precautions and then that’s it. It involves no technique or even skill really. I almost considered not writing this post because I feared once everyone knew how easy it actually is they will be less impressed by my culinary creations. For once, my generosity outweighed my vanity, so here it goes:
You will need for a two crust pie:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water (approximately)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
One of the most important things to know and remember is that the shortening has to be cold. You don’t want to use room temp shortening, you just don’t…trust me. Also, you can use butter instead of shortening but it won’t be as flaky and it won’t be as rich. Another reason I am reluctant about giving out my recipe is because people always get on my case for using shortening. They say the word with such contempt and disdain as though I reached into Pandora’s box myself to get it. Listen, if you want me to compare the ingredients of a pie crust with that of any cake, cookie, or brownie I certainly will but then you will have to apply your haughty, anti-shortening sentiments to nearly every dessert in existence. So either get off your health-obsessed high horse or limit yourself to fruit plates the rest of your life, but either way, let bakers bake how they want and keep your uninformed opinions to yourself.
1. So with shortening ready and waiting in the fridge, combine the flour and salt. I like to make the crust a bit sweeter, so I add about a teaspoon of sugar, but it is really up to you. It tastes just as good without. I just stir it with a fork since that is what you will be using in the next step.
2. Cut the shortening in. You can use a pastry blender if you’re fancy or just fingers if you’re not. I like to use a fork. What exactly do I mean by ‘cutting’ it in, you ask? Make a motion as though you were very quickly chopping something as you smoosh the shortening bits in.
Cut the shortening in until it gets crumbly, very much like the texture of cornmeal. Like so:
3. After having cold shortening, the following is the second most important thing to remember. Be sure to use ice cold water and only add by the tablespoonful.
When I listed the ingredients above, I only gave an approximate amount of water to use because it is difficult to say how much water will be needed. The amount of water you use will depend on the dryness of the flour, the climate, etc…, which is why I recommend doing it only by the tablespoonful. You only want to wet it enough to make a workable dough. Making it too wet will make it sticky and difficult to work with and the final texture after baking will be soggy and thin. Be sure to move the dough around as you add water so that you get a dry bit of the mixture and you’re not exposing one area to too much water. The end result will look like so:
4. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before using it, it will be much easier to work with. When you are ready to roll it out, flour your work area and rolling pin, but do so sparingly. Using too much flour will make the crust hard. I like to roll the bottom crust a bit thicker since it will be soaking up some of the juices from the fruit filling. You will want it to be a bit bigger than the actual dish you are using so that you can pinch/trim the edges. It of course does not have to be a perfect circle since you will be doing something with the overhang anyway.
5. Transfer it to your pie plate and you are done. Notice that I didn’t leave any overhang: I decided to do a cobbler crust on this pie so I adjusted the size I rolled it out to but you should definitely leave some overhang if you are making a 2-crust pie (not to boast…well yes, I’m totally boasting…but I have made enough pies to eyeball perfectly circular & measured crusts). Some people like to fold the dough in half and place it but I just like to slip my arms underneath and carefully put it in.
If all of that is too much to handle, at least take away these things:
- Use cold ingredients
- Add water by the tablespoonful
- Do not add too much flour to your rolling pin or work surface
This eventually became a blueberry peach pie with a cobbler crust, post to come later…
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