Pie Crust?

[KatWrangler]

I have always been afraid to make my own pie crust. LOL  Must be scared it is going to bite me. Something I watched my Mom make hundreds of times.

I have been dying for blueberry pie or peach pie and want to make my own crust.  Any helpful hints?  I was thinking of using the Martha Stewart recipe I found online.

[mommy212]

This is my recipe, it is fabulous- anyone who eats it says it is the best pie crust they ever ate

1 1/8 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tablespoons sugar

8 tbls butter (not crisco or butter-flavored crisco)

3 tbls or so water

1 egg yolk

Mix flour, salt and sugar together. Cut in butter with pastry tool, fork or food processor. Drizzle the water over it and add the egg yolk, mix together by hand until you can forma  pretty stable (not crumbling constantly) ball. Add more water if needed. Roll to desired size. Makes 1 8-10 inch pie crust

[puddle]

This is the easiest pie crust recipe in the world, and it's delicious.  It only works for single crust pies--it doesn't hold  together well enough to roll out.  It's really good too!  Just leave out the sugar for savory pies.  (You can leave it out for sweet pies too.)  I like thick crust, so I usually make 1 1/3 times the recipe.

[ollyoxenfree]

My mother makes wonderful pies. She has the lightest touch with pastry. Mine turns out heavy and tough, so I rarely make pie even though I love it. Especially this time of year when the fruit is so gorgeous. I tend to overwork the dough when I mix it by hand. DH makes a better pie pastry than me, because his hands are strong enough to mix the dough quickly. I found a food processor recipe that works better for me, because the mixing takes seconds. 

Here's the recipe:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold butter, in cubes

1/2 cup cold lard, in cubes

1 egg

1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice

Ice water

In food processor, blend flour and salt. Using on/off switch, cut in butter and lard until mixture is crumbly. There may be a few larger pieces left in the mixture.

In a measuring cup, beat egg until foamy.  Add vinegar and enough ice water to make 2/3 cups liquid. With motor running, add liquid all at once to flour/butter mix in the food processor, just until mixture holds together. Don't let it form a ball.

Remove from food processor. Separate into 2 balls and flatten each into discs, wrapped in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll out dough on floured surface. 

Can be stored in refrigerator for 3 days, but allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling out. 

N.B. I like this recipe because it has no sugar, so it works well with sweet and savoury (meat) pies. 

Good luck with the pie! 

[hildare]

i think most recipes are the same.. the one i use is from the king arthur flour baking book, but they have 1 version online here http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pie-crust-recipe

what i learned from that book (it's a wonderful baking resource-- it goes into methods and the reason why some techniques work) is about flaky crust.

if you want flaky crust, it is more flaky based upon how little you cut in the fat (butter/shortening/lard).  if you want more flake, leave large chunks of fat.  use very cold/ice water.  (i have also read in another book recently but have yet to try it out that vodka chilled will make the crust even more flaky as the vodka evaporates more quickly-- sounds intriguing)

also from the K.A. baking book-- brushing the top with different things (milk or egg white or yellow) as a wash can yield different results in the finished pie.  i think milk is for brown and egg white makes it shiny but i could be wrong on that.

good luck with pie.  yummmmmmm.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by hildare 

  (i have also read in another book recently but have yet to try it out that vodka chilled will make the crust even more flaky as the vodka evaporates more quickly-- sounds intriguing)

I had forgotten that tip - I haven't tried it myself yet but it sounds like it would work. I'm pretty sure it's in Cook's Illustrated. They are pretty reliable. 

And it's a great excuse to go buy vodka (we're out of it right now)! 

[Chicky2]

My recipe is easy to use and flaky and yummy.

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup butter or lard or a mixture

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp sugar (for sweet pies)

1 Tbsp vinegar

1 egg, beaten

2-4 Tbsp ice water

The vinegar makes it.  And the egg helps make it easy to work with.  I've made lots and lots and lots of pies.  One year I sold 80 pies right out of my regular kitchen oven.  I love this recipe.  Don't overwork that dough!  And yes, egg wash makes it shiny.  I like to brush w/milk and sprinkle coarse sugar on top for a pretty finish.

[cat13]

Originally Posted by hildare 

i think most recipes are the same.. the one i use is from the king arthur flour baking book, but they have 1 version online here http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pie-crust-recipe

what i learned from that book (it's a wonderful baking resource-- it goes into methods and the reason why some techniques work) is about flaky crust.

if you want flaky crust, it is more flaky based upon how little you cut in the fat (butter/shortening/lard).  if you want more flake, leave large chunks of fat.  use very cold/ice water.  (i have also read in another book recently but have yet to try it out that vodka chilled will make the crust even more flaky as the vodka evaporates more quickly-- sounds intriguing)

also from the K.A. baking book-- brushing the top with different things (milk or egg white or yellow) as a wash can yield different results in the finished pie.  i think milk is for brown and egg white makes it shiny but i could be wrong on that.

good luck with pie.  yummmmmmm.

This is a great recipe.  Also, King Arthur is the only whole wheat flour I use anymore, because it is almost as light as using white flour. Many times when a recipe says to use 1/2 ww and 1/2 white, I'll add 100% ww and it still tastes light and great.

[puffingirl]

It took me a little while to want to make my own crust, mostly because of the rolling it out part.  I have really bad spatial sense sometimes and getting something rolled out right always frustrated me.  I bought one of those goofy circle bags where you flour the inside, throw the dough in, zip it up and roll out.  It was a very well spent $5. I'm sure I'd get better at rolling it out over time, but this is just easier for me right now.   

[sunnygir1]

I'm surprised that so many people use egg.  My grandmother and mother make wonderful pie crust with flour, butter, and ice water.  Sorry I don't have the proportions handy.  We are gluten-free, so our current pie crust recipe is significantly more complicated. ; )

[2xy]

The egg surprised me, too. I use 2 cups flour, 2/3 cup butter, 1 tsp. salt, and enough ice cold water to make it workable (less than 6 Tbsp). That's for a 2-pastry pie.

[Chicky2]

The egg makes it significantly easier to work with, imo. 

[mommy212]

I love crusts on pies- it is the best part imo! The egg adds richness and flavor