Basic Pie Crust 101 Recipes

PERFECT PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

EASY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place all ingredients in 9 inch pie pan. Stir together with fork. Pat mixture into bottom and up the sides of the pan. Poke holes in bottom and side of crust.
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Use as directed in favorite pie recipe.

BASIC FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.
• Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
• Roll out dough, and put in a pie plate. Fill with desired filling and bake.

BASIC PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a food processor, briefly pulse flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Dont overmix.
• Turn dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over dough; press to shape into a 1-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
• On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll dough to a 14-inch round with a floured rolling pin. Wrap dough around rolling pin, discarding paper; unroll over a 9-inch pie plate (opposite). Gently fit into bottom and up sides of plate (do not stretch dough).
• Using kitchen shears, trim dough to a 1-inch overhang. Fold under itself to form a rim, and press to seal. Using thumb and forefinger, crimp rim of crust. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day.

PIE CRUST 101

Steps:

• DOUGH: In a large bowl (you can use a food processor, but by hand with a pastry blender works best for flakiness) mix flours, sugar, and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Remove from fridge and add very cold butter and shortening. Mix the lemon juice, egg, and water in a small bowl and slowly add to dry ingredients, mixing by hand, until the dough begins to form a ball. Divide ball in half, flatten to make 2 disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. You can freeze up to 2 months by placing the wrapped discs in a freezer bag. Just be sure and thaw in the refrigerator before using.
• PREP 1 (ROLLING PIN): Take one disk and roll it out larger than your pan onto a lightly floured work surface. Transfer the dough to a pie pan by carefully rolling the pastry around a rolling pin, then gently unrolling it over the pan. If it breaks apart, don't worry. Simply patch any cracks or tears with some dough and press down to seal. It will not show for the bottom crust.
• PREP 2 (PARCHMENT): Lightly flour a disk and place between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the dough from the center to the edges, to make a circular shape larger than your pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and place the pie pan in the center of the dough. Slide your hand under the parchment holding the dough centering your hand to the middle of the pan and flip over. Press the dough into the pan and carefully peel away the parchment.
• BOTTOM ONLY PIE: If pre-baking a bottom crust, brush it with the eggwash and using the tines of a fork, prick the bottom and sides in a few places so that the crust will not bubble up. If not pre-baking, Do Not prick the crust! Just brush the edges with the eggwash and fill with the filling of your choice.
• TOP CRUST PIE: If making a top crust, brush the edges of the bottom crust with the eggwash. If you have a pie bird, place in the center and then add the filling. Use the same method for rolling out the top crust using either prep 1 or prep 2 method (for prep 2 method, slowly flip the dough with parchment over the filling, then gently pull away the parchment paper). Using the backside tines of a fork, gently press the edges together to seal (or you can pinch the edges for a scalloped look).
• Trim excess dough from around the edge and gather up the scraps. Roll it out and cut fruit, leaf, or other designs for the top of the pie. You can use cookie cutters or try out your freehand talent. NOTE: if you have a pie bird, then once you roll out your top dough, place a small 'x' in the center so it will fall over the bird. If your 'x' is too large, simply use the scraps of dough to make a 'skirt' over the bird (see photo).
• If you do not have a pie bird, use a sharp knife tip or kitchen sheers, carefully cut or snip a 1/2" hole in the center of the crust to allow steam to escape. Using the tines of a fork, poke holes around the center hole to resemble a sun and sun ray pattern (you can do it so it will show where to cut the slices). Arrange the dough cut-outs on top (but not over the vent holes). Gently brush the pie crust and decorations with the eggwash.

BASIC PIE CRUST

Steps:

• 1. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and mix together with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture is very coarse - the size of peas. Then add the shortening, and continue blending with fingertips. The mixture should still be very coarse.
• 2. Add 4 tablespoons of the water and toss the mixture together. If the dough does not hold together when gathered in your hand, add a bit more water. Do not overwork the dough. Divide the dough in half and form it into thick disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• 3. Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap it and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface or between two sheets of wax paper to form a circle about 1/8-inch thick and 2 inches larger than the pie plate. Work quickly, as the dough can become sticky. Use a spatula to help lift the dough, and fold it loosely in half and into quarters. Gently transfer it to the pie plate, centering the corner of the dough in the center of the pie plate. Open up the dough and press it lightly into the plate to fit. If the dough should tear, just press it gently together. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. If making a single-crust pie, turn the edge under and flute it decoratively.
• 4. Repeat the rolling process for a top crust or for another bottom crust. The circle of a top crust should be 9 inches for an 8-inch pie and 10 inches for a 9-inch pie.
• 5. Follow the individual pie recipes for filling and baking.

BASIC PIE CRUST 101

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter, until mixture resembles the texture of tiny split peas. Do not use your hands to try and mix it; the heat from your hands will melt the shortening, causing the pastry to be "heavy," not light and fluffy.
• Once the mixture is the right texture,, add the ice water and combine with a fork. It may appear to need more water, it does not. Quickly gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap it with plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Remove dough disk from refrigerator. If stiff and very cold, let stand until dough is cool but soft enough to work with.
• Using a floured rolling pin,roll dough disk on a lightly floured surface from the center out in each direction, forming a 12-inch circle. To transfer dough, carefully roll it around the rolling pin, lift and unroll dough, centering it in an ungreased 9-inch regular or deep-dish pie plate. (or you can fold dough in quarters, then place dough point in center of pie pan and unfold dough, whichever is easiest for you.