Pie....Again

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mixfinder

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May 1, 2006
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Recipe for single Pie Crust

1 cup flour

1/2 cup Crisco

1 teaspoon salt

Place in mixer bowl and use paddle to combine on stir or low for just 15 seconds and then STOP.

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Wet Blanket

To the cumbled mixture in the mixer bowl add all at once:

1/4 cup cold water

Turn mixer to low and combine for 5 seconds.  STOP

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Take it Out

Gather dough into a ball and pat into a disc.  Press the disc into flour on both sides. 

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12 inches?????????????

Using light strokes and a master's touch roll the dough from the center to the edges into a 12 inch circle. Use LOTS of flour.

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Use Two Hands to Hold It

Carefully roll the heavily floured pastry onto the rolling pin. Then even more carefully unroll the crust over a pie plate.  Move smoothly (never holler whoa in the middle of a mud hole) to prevent the pastry tearing. Don't worry about the flour.  The recipe is quite short and the flour will be absorbed.

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Press it In

Make sure the crust is seated against the side and bottom of the pan.  Roll the excess pastry into an edge on top of the pie plate.

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Pinch Off Their Little Heads

Use the middle finger of your left hand to hold the edge steady while you gentle crimp the edge using your thumb and forefinger of the right hand pinch away.

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Baking Blind

If baking an empty pie shell for a cream or chiffon filling, prick it all over with a fork.  Place the crust in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

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You Want What in the Middle?

For a two crust pie double the recipe.  Divide the pastry in half and roll as directed for single crust.  Place half the dough in a pie place but do not finish the edge or crimp.  Place desired pie filling in the pie plate and top with the remaining crust.  Roll the remaining top crust a touch smaller than the bottom crust.  Roll the pastry backward over the rolling pin and then unroll the top crust over the pie filling.

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Pressed and Pinched

Gentle press the two crusts together using the edge of your hand.  Roll the two salvage edges together and make a ridge on the edge of the pie plate and then crimp just as you did for the single crust.  Brush the pie with light cream (egg gets burned and leaves an off taste after an hour's baking.)

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First Up then Down

Place the two crust pie in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 45 minutes.

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Cut the Crap and then the Pie

You don't any specialty fats, flour, tools, or wasted time to chill the dough for a dessert as easy as pie

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My only objection to most pie crust, biscuit ad cake/frosting recipes is the use of Crisco. I understand that it is easier to work than butter as it is more stable over a wider range of temperatures, but it adds no flavor and in my case for some reason gives me horrible indigestion - not to mention the greasy coating it leaves in my mouth. I can tell immediately when something is made with the stuff.

I have a friend who eats canned frosting right out of the container - and she sometimes even buys the Wal Mart house brand which isn't even made with shortening - but with meat fats. I can't think of anything more revolting.

I agree that baking with butter is more sensitive as it softens more quickly than shortening, but one just has to be more careful about keeping things chilled and the resulting flavor difference is so worth the effort!!! Besides, buttercream frosting made with shortening isn't exactly buttercream to me.
 
Oh Kelly!

It just ain't fair! If I ever tried to roll out a sheet of pastry that big, it would fall into a million pieces before I got it in the pan, and I even bought a commercial rolling pin that is big enough to roll that up on!!
 
Kelly

Thank you for another great ecipe and the demo of making the crust.

 

Charles

[this post was last edited: 9/10/2011-12:24]
 
Butter is Better

Butter has variable flavor profiles based on the diet and location where animals graze.  Butter is also volatile and begins to change flavor profiles in storage.  Left at room temperature butter can rancidify after a couple weeks. In the early development of food manufacturing in the US flavor profiles were a moving target because of the ever changing flavor profile of butter.  Crisco was originally developed for the food industry as a flavorless and tasteless fat and lard replacement allowing standardized flavor profiles for the food industry.  To make matters worse the fresh flavor of butter has little more taste than Crisco these days with sweet cream butter being the industry standard.  In most cases pie crust is simply a picture frame for the real star, the pie filling so crust flavor profile is not often felt.

ATK created a crust using both Crisco and butter with vodka for a portion of the liquid.  Half the fat in the recipe is Crisco and using the processor its pulverized into the flour coating the gluten and preventing a tough crust.  After transferring the fat/flour mixture to a bowl, frozen bits of grated butter are folded into the flour mixture.  A portion of the liquid in the recipe is vodka which further prevents the formation of gluten strands when tossed with flour, fat and butter.  The crust is flaky and good but just reading the recipe tells you you'll end up with measuring cups, food processor, mixing bowl, grater, fork and spatula to mix the dough which is then chilled before rolling.  See my eyes roll..........it's more work and bother than warranted which justifies heading to the supermarket for pre rolled crust.

Its hard to find sweet, fresh tasting lard in a supermarket.  It helps to know the farmer or at least the butcher to find leaf lard that has not been rendered from boar fat.

[this post was last edited: 9/10/2011-10:51]

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re lard

I have to agree lard makes the best crusts and a lot of things better.  But- lard is getting harder to find, and around here you get basically 2 choices, Armor or an off brand that I don't recall the name of.  I use it once a year for some holiday baking that just does not work with any other shortening.

 

I think the key to a good pie crust is to practice, practice, and then practice more.  Unfortunately in today's world that mean you will be working out much more to get all the "practice" off your belly.  If i have the time and the inclination I use Kelly's recipe, but it's so much easier to just use Pillsbury crusts, they are flaky ever time...
 
You Big Flake

I ate rhubarb pie at a friend's house recently and commented on the great crust which was flaky. Turns out it was Kroger brand pre rolled crusts from QFC. I wouldn't be embarrassed to claim them as my own.
 
So Many Pre-Made Crusts

Of quality can often be had that it is sometimes hard to justify time, effort and cost of making pie crust from scratch.

One usually watches for sales of frozen crusts at local supermarkets and stock up. This way should the mood strike and or a sudden need for a quick desert (or one doesn't wish to bother with the food processor and rolling pin), all one has to do is fill and bake. Will often do this around Thanksgiving when the demand for sweet potato pies is greater than free time allows.

Oh yes, the other good thing about pre-made cursts is not having to bother about getting the pie plate/pan back. You have no idea how many in-family fights and or broken friendships occur over a pie plate gone missing. This is especially true of the older Pyrex and Ecko metal versions. My Ecko cake, pie and cookie sheets do *NOT* leave my kitchen/house period.
 
One Recommends " The Complete Book of Pastry"

By Bernard Clayton ,Jr.

Mine was stashed into my hope chest ages ago (a Doubleday book club purchase, along with "Joy of Cooking"), and hasn't let me down yet.

A good basic to experienced book that takes you through the how,why and so froth of making good pastries and pies. Love his whole wheat pie crust, custard pies and quiche recipes.
 
Pillsbury crust

Everytime I have used them they always sink to the bottom of the pan while baking. I have even tried to put another light tin pan over it until it sets some but it always seems to fall... i have tried putting it back in the fridge to make it very cold before putting in the oven to having it room temp... anyone have any idea why? If I fill the pie with filling it bakes ok but not blind baking....
 
The crust sinking has happened to me a few times too.  I find it happens when the crust is older, I tend to tuck them in the basement fridge and forget them, they really should be in the freezer- I have not had that issue with fresh ones - that I can recall.

 

I too would like the whole whet crust recipe as I'm trying to do more natural foods.
 
I watched Kelly make pie crust for two pies here Mother's Day weekend and it's amazing, it really does take longer to study the pictures and read the instructions than it does for him to start and get it in the pie dish. I really wanted to learn this skill while he was here and I'm glad to have this thread as a study aid now! The process is very fast, I remember my grandmother doing it, just as simple and fast and she knew just how to roll it perfect every time. Practice is right, now I want pie!
 
Whole Wheat

In making pie crust you must use whole wheat pastry flour.  The finer grind allows the dryness of the wheat to autolyze (absorb moisture).  Regular whole wheat flour ends up a conglomoration of fat and granules.  Costco is selling a great unbleached whole wheat all purpose flour in two 10 pound bags bundled.  Flour has tripled in price this past year and at Associated Grocers cash and carry sugar is often cheaper than flour.  Soy based products have quintupled and should be expected to go even higher.  Bacon is hitting $8.00 a pound so I would surmise lard will be more expensive as well.  It chills my blood to watch the weekly jump in prices.  I bought a turkey recently to Barbeque at Peter request.  It was $52.00, $2.70 a pound.  I am filling the freezer with preservable produce that is cheap at road side stands through out the Columbia Basin and Yakima county.  I will continue to shop sales to stock the freezer and plan menus accordingly.
 
Grocery prices

There is proof that people are getting stronger as the years pass by. A hundred years ago, it could take an adult more than one trip to carry in $5 of groceries. Now many 3 year old kids can carry in $5 of groceries with one trip!
 
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