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Pie Crust for Beginners
Nov. 22nd, 2007 02:52 pmIt's undoubtedly too late for this to be of use to anyone today, but it's not as if we aren't allowed to eat pie on the fifth Thursday of November, too. Any day can be improved with pie, although I will say that three pies for ten people would probably be overkill on any occasion but Thanksgiving.
There's a weird mystique to homemade pie crust. There are lots of people who are convinced you need to be Martha Stewart to make it. And certainly, one can be a pie crust virtuoso, baking crusts that are tender, flaky, tasty, and beautiful enough to adorn the cover of Ladies Home Journal, or win a blue ribbon at the State Fair. But a basic pie crust is extremely easy, and IMO a fair amount better than the pre-made ones you can buy at the store.
You need the following ingredients:
flour
salt
shortening
And the following equipment:
a large bowl
a pasty blender
a fork
a butter knife
a liquid measuring cup (or any other kind of cup)
a rolling pin
a pie plate (preferably Pyrex)
the stuff you're going to put in the pie -- apples with sugar and cinnamon, for example.
You will also need:
A clean countertop or tabletop where you can roll the crust out
Before you begin, a pep talk: it is easy to find lots of dire warnings about how you need to handle the pie crust as little as possible, keep all the ingredients ice cold, etc. Pie crust is a lot more resilient than the perfectionists will tell you. You don't want to knead it like bread. But if it all sticks to itself and you yank it off the rolling pin and ball it up in frustration and start the rolling again, you will still have an edible pie crust. Also, while I've heard it will be a prettier and maybe even flakier pie crust if you chill your shortening and use ice water and so on, it will also be harder to work with. Your pie crust will be fine with room temperature ingredients.
How resilient is pie crust? I once accidentally halved the shortening (because I was using butter instead and forgot that a butter stick is half the size of a shortening stick) and it was still edible.
Measure two cups of flour and put it in the big mixing bowl. Measure out 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt and add it to the flour. Stir it around with your pastry blender to blend them together. Then put in 2/3rds of a cup of shortening. I buy shortening sticks to make this easy. This recipe makes both a top and bottom crust (i.e., a double-crust pie). If you're baking a pumpkin pie or pecan pie or something, use 1 c flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/3 c shortening. Or use the same amounts but bake both a pumpkin and a pecan pie. And then invite me over, because I really like both kinds.
Blend the shortening in. You use the pastry blender to cut it into little pieces while mixing it in with the flour, and a knife to scrape it off the pastry blender. You want it to be blended in enough that it looks like you've got crumbs in there, basically. If you don't own a pastry blender, you can do this with two knives, but it's going to be a whole lot of extra work. And you can get a pastry blender for $5 at Target.
Now it's time to add the water. You're supposed to add it a tablespoon at a time, so use a light hand. Pour a little in, and stir it in with your fork. Pour a little more in, and stir it in. The crust will start forming clumps. You want it the crust to be wet enough to stick together well, but not so wet as to make it super sticky. If you think you've got enough water but when you start to squeeze it into a ball it doesn't seem to want to adhere, add a little more. In fact, my worst problem early on was that I tended not to add enough water. If you discover it's gotten too sticky, just mix in some flour.
Squish the pie crust into two roundish clumps. These will be the top and bottom crust.
My mother rolled out between two sheets of waxed paper, and I suspect that results in a prettier crust. But, when I was figuring out how to do this, I didn't have waxed paper on hand, and now I'm not in the habit of using it. Sprinkle flour on the countertop and brush it around to make a floury surface. Put some flour in the palm of your hand and use it to dust the rolling pin. Drop a lump of dough on the counter, pat it down slightly, and sprinkle some flour on top. Then use the rolling pin to roll it out slightly.
I turn my pie crust a lot to keep it from sticking. I roll a little, then carefully pick it up, spread a little more flour on the counter, flip it, turn it 90 degrees, and roll a little more. It gets awkward to flip as it gets larger and thinner, so I just fold it gently back to expose the counter and sprinkle more flour.
If it gets really stuck, get out a spatula and scrape it up, then add flour to the counter or rolling pin. If it starts to tear, overlap the torn edges and roll them together. Turn it regularly to keep it roundish. You're not going for paper-thin, just thin-ish. Pie crust thinness. If you've never eaten a pie, I'm not sure what to tell you.
It's best to roll it out only once, but if you realize you didn't have enough water and it's all falling apart on you and you need to throw it back into the bowl and start over, it will be OK.
When you're ready to transfer it, fold it gently in half and then gently again, move it to the pie plate, and unfold it. If it tears, overlap the torn bits and press them together. It'll be fine.
Put your apples or peaches or cherries or whatever into the bottom crust, then roll out the top crust and transfer it the same way.
Trim the edges if they're too long. Press the edges together and fold them around your thumb to make a traditional fluted edge. Prick holes in the top. Bake -- the baking directions will depend on the pie you're making.
I usually end up with tons of excess pie crust that I sometimes let the girls use to make a mini-pie, which is how I know that rolling it out twice is not the end of the world. You do notice it, but it's not like you're going to break your teeth or anything.
Don't forget the ice cream (or whipped cream or hard sauce, depending on the pie).
Happy Thanksgiving!
There's a weird mystique to homemade pie crust. There are lots of people who are convinced you need to be Martha Stewart to make it. And certainly, one can be a pie crust virtuoso, baking crusts that are tender, flaky, tasty, and beautiful enough to adorn the cover of Ladies Home Journal, or win a blue ribbon at the State Fair. But a basic pie crust is extremely easy, and IMO a fair amount better than the pre-made ones you can buy at the store.
You need the following ingredients:
flour
salt
shortening
And the following equipment:
a large bowl
a pasty blender
a fork
a butter knife
a liquid measuring cup (or any other kind of cup)
a rolling pin
a pie plate (preferably Pyrex)
the stuff you're going to put in the pie -- apples with sugar and cinnamon, for example.
You will also need:
A clean countertop or tabletop where you can roll the crust out
Before you begin, a pep talk: it is easy to find lots of dire warnings about how you need to handle the pie crust as little as possible, keep all the ingredients ice cold, etc. Pie crust is a lot more resilient than the perfectionists will tell you. You don't want to knead it like bread. But if it all sticks to itself and you yank it off the rolling pin and ball it up in frustration and start the rolling again, you will still have an edible pie crust. Also, while I've heard it will be a prettier and maybe even flakier pie crust if you chill your shortening and use ice water and so on, it will also be harder to work with. Your pie crust will be fine with room temperature ingredients.
How resilient is pie crust? I once accidentally halved the shortening (because I was using butter instead and forgot that a butter stick is half the size of a shortening stick) and it was still edible.
Measure two cups of flour and put it in the big mixing bowl. Measure out 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt and add it to the flour. Stir it around with your pastry blender to blend them together. Then put in 2/3rds of a cup of shortening. I buy shortening sticks to make this easy. This recipe makes both a top and bottom crust (i.e., a double-crust pie). If you're baking a pumpkin pie or pecan pie or something, use 1 c flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/3 c shortening. Or use the same amounts but bake both a pumpkin and a pecan pie. And then invite me over, because I really like both kinds.
Blend the shortening in. You use the pastry blender to cut it into little pieces while mixing it in with the flour, and a knife to scrape it off the pastry blender. You want it to be blended in enough that it looks like you've got crumbs in there, basically. If you don't own a pastry blender, you can do this with two knives, but it's going to be a whole lot of extra work. And you can get a pastry blender for $5 at Target.
Now it's time to add the water. You're supposed to add it a tablespoon at a time, so use a light hand. Pour a little in, and stir it in with your fork. Pour a little more in, and stir it in. The crust will start forming clumps. You want it the crust to be wet enough to stick together well, but not so wet as to make it super sticky. If you think you've got enough water but when you start to squeeze it into a ball it doesn't seem to want to adhere, add a little more. In fact, my worst problem early on was that I tended not to add enough water. If you discover it's gotten too sticky, just mix in some flour.
Squish the pie crust into two roundish clumps. These will be the top and bottom crust.
My mother rolled out between two sheets of waxed paper, and I suspect that results in a prettier crust. But, when I was figuring out how to do this, I didn't have waxed paper on hand, and now I'm not in the habit of using it. Sprinkle flour on the countertop and brush it around to make a floury surface. Put some flour in the palm of your hand and use it to dust the rolling pin. Drop a lump of dough on the counter, pat it down slightly, and sprinkle some flour on top. Then use the rolling pin to roll it out slightly.
I turn my pie crust a lot to keep it from sticking. I roll a little, then carefully pick it up, spread a little more flour on the counter, flip it, turn it 90 degrees, and roll a little more. It gets awkward to flip as it gets larger and thinner, so I just fold it gently back to expose the counter and sprinkle more flour.
If it gets really stuck, get out a spatula and scrape it up, then add flour to the counter or rolling pin. If it starts to tear, overlap the torn edges and roll them together. Turn it regularly to keep it roundish. You're not going for paper-thin, just thin-ish. Pie crust thinness. If you've never eaten a pie, I'm not sure what to tell you.
It's best to roll it out only once, but if you realize you didn't have enough water and it's all falling apart on you and you need to throw it back into the bowl and start over, it will be OK.
When you're ready to transfer it, fold it gently in half and then gently again, move it to the pie plate, and unfold it. If it tears, overlap the torn bits and press them together. It'll be fine.
Put your apples or peaches or cherries or whatever into the bottom crust, then roll out the top crust and transfer it the same way.
Trim the edges if they're too long. Press the edges together and fold them around your thumb to make a traditional fluted edge. Prick holes in the top. Bake -- the baking directions will depend on the pie you're making.
I usually end up with tons of excess pie crust that I sometimes let the girls use to make a mini-pie, which is how I know that rolling it out twice is not the end of the world. You do notice it, but it's not like you're going to break your teeth or anything.
Don't forget the ice cream (or whipped cream or hard sauce, depending on the pie).
Happy Thanksgiving!
