Pie Pastry How To And Tips

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup lard or 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or 1/2 cup combination of shortening and butter, chilled
• 3 tablespoons ice water

Recipe

• 1 sift together the flour and salt; sift again. cut in the shortening or lard with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. add ice water a tablespoon at a time (approximately 3 tablespoons in all), stirring the dough around the bowl with a fork. as soon as it is moist enough to gather into a ball, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. handle the dough as little as possible. roll half of the pastry dough out on a floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. the pastry should be about 1 1/2 inches larger than the the pie plate. repeat with the other half of dough for a double crust pie, or freeze the remaining dough for a future pie. makes enough for a double crust for a 9- or 10-inch pie, or two single crusts.
• 2 my note: i trusted this one and had a wonderful result. the juices from the filling didn't even make the crust soggy. like some potpie do.
• 3 * if recipe calls for a pre-baked crust, prick the pie shell with a fork and bake in a preheated 350*f. oven for about 3 minutes; remove from the oven and prick some more if the crust is puffing up. return to the oven and bake 5 minutes longer. place on a wire rack to cool, then fill as recipe directs.
• 4 * for best results, refrigerate all ingredients prior to making the dough - even the flour.
• 5 *use pastry flour or all-purpose. bread flour has too much gluten to make a tender crust, and cake flour is too soft to give the proper body.
• 6 *lard and shortening produce the most tender crusts. you may use half lard or shortening and half butter if you want the buttery flavor.
• 7 *the pockets of fat make the flakiness in the crust. use a pastry blender or 2 knives to cut in fat. dough should still have some pea-size pieces. handle as little as possible with your hands.
• 8 *all liquids should be ice-cold.
• 9 *for a flakier crust, substitute ice cold sour cream or heavy cream for the water.
• 10 *sugar in a pastry dough sweetens and tenderizes.
• 11 *blend liquid in just until the dough begins to hold together. overworking toughens the dough.
• 12 *chill the dough for 30 minutes for easier rolling.
• 13 *to prevent a soggy crust, refrigerate for 15 minutes before filling or seal by brushing with slightly beaten egg , then refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• 14 *setting the pie pan on a metal baking sheet during baking also helps prevent soggy crusts.
• 15 *enhance the flavor of your dough by adding spices such as nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon.
• 16 *meringue won't "weep" if you blend a teaspoon of cornstarch into the sugar before beating it into the egg whites.
• 17 *sprinkle toasted ground nuts or fine cookie crumbs over the dough and gently press them in before filling or baking.
• 18 ** how to freeze pie crust dough **
• 19 take some of the work out of making pie by making your pie crusts ahead and freezing them. here's how:.
• 20 option 1:.
• 21 1. make up the dough for your pie crust, following the instructions in the recipe that you've chosen.
• 22 2. then, form the dough into a ball; and place it in a freezer bag, or wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. label and date it.
• 23 note: if your pie crust recipe makes more than one crust, divide the dough into individual pie amounts before freezing.
• 24 4. store your dough in the freezer for up to three months.
• 25 to use: thaw your pie dough in the fridge overnight. then, roll it out as usual.
• 26 option 2:.
• 27 1. make your dough; roll it out; and form your crust in a pie plate.
• 28 2. then, stick the whole thing – pie plate and all – in a freezer bag.
• 29 to use: thaw your pie crust in the refrigerator overnight, and proceed with your pie recipe; or use your crust frozen, and simply add a couple minutes to the normal bake time.
• 30 tips: keep a couple pie crusts in the freezer at all times for easy last-minute desserts.
• 31 think about making your pie filling ahead, too.
• 32 make your pie crusts in disposable pie plates, so you can make a bunch at once (this will also make them easy to stack in the freezer).
• 33 *and practice! every time you make a pie crust from scratch, it will get easier. soon it will take only a few minutes - less time than letting a refrigerated crust soften at room temperature. and the cost savings are really tremendous. have fun experimenting!