Effie Pearls Pie Crust 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.

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.

RUTH'S GRANDMA'S PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, shortening, sugar, and salt. Blend together with a pastry cutter until crumbly.
• In a small bowl, mix egg with water. Blend into flour mixture. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

MINNIE PEARL'S ANY KIND FRUIT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Sift together, the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Add milk and vanilla and mix until smooth.
• Melt butter in an 8 or 9 inch pie pan in preheated oven.Then remove.
• Pour batter in pie pan, but do not mix.
• Top with sweetened fruit and sprinkle remaining sugar over the top.
• Bake in the center of oven for 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45-50 minutes until pie bubbles and crust is brown.
• Serve with cream, ice cream or plain.

EXTRA-FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In a measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the water and vinegar; set aside.
• Gently toss the butter in the flour mixture until coated, then use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour. (You should have pieces of butter that range from sandy patches to pea-size chunks, with some larger bits as well.)
• Drizzle in about half of the ice water mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems dry, add a little more ice water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. The dough will still look a bit shaggy at this point. If you grab a small piece of dough and press it slightly with your hand, it should mostly hold together.
• Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and gather it together into a tight mound. Using the heel of your hand, smear the dough a little at a time, pushing it away from you and working your way down the mass of dough to create flat layers of flour and butter. Gather the dough back together with a bench scraper, layering the clumps of dough on top of one another.
• Repeat the process once or twice more; the dough should still have some big pieces of butter visible.
• Cut the dough in half. Shape each piece into a disk and flatten it. Wrap the disks in plastic and put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight, to rest.
• The dough can be stored for 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer. If making the dough in advance to freeze: Roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper, then carefully roll it up in the parchment. Write the date on the parchment and pop into the freezer to firm up, about 30 minutes. Then wrap the crust securely in plastic wrap. Defrost the dough in the refrigerator overnight or thaw it on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before using.)
• Use the dough for double-crust pie recipes or cut it into disks to prepare Berry Hand Pies.

EFFIE PEARL'S PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Stir together the flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
• Add lard and cut into the flour with a pastry blender until the lard is completely incorporated into the dry mixture and it becomes pebbly.
• Add the water and egg mixture and stir until a dough forms, making sure to incorporate all the flour/lard mixture in the bottom of the bowl.
• Gather into a large ball, roll into a long log and cut into 4 or 5 pieces, depending upon size of pie plate.
• Flatten each piece into a disc about 8 inches in diameter. Wrap each disc tightly in wax paper, then put into freezer bag.
• NOTE: crusts can be frozen for several months. To use, remove and let thaw in the fridge. Crusts should be cold when rolled out.