Everybody struggles with pie crust. Most are simply afraid to even approach the subject. But, it is really not that hard. And, upon practicing, and becoming at home with a really solid recipe, you will only make pie crust from -as they say, scratch. I got this, can I say, perfect basic recipe from my ex-wife, and mother of my 7 year old sous chef daughter, Madeline. She went to the same culinary school as I, and she was, and is still passionate, to an extreme on all things baking. This is the key word, passion. Pick the brains of those with passion in areas in which you are interested. You’ll be amazed at the wealth of knowledge from which you can draw. I’ve made this one 4 times in the last 2 weeks, and shared it tonight with a room mate. All who have tried it have been stunned, and have made it there own. Put this one down as your go to pie crust. It can be adapted as needed. I like to substitute beer for water when making a savory pot pie, or turnovers for example. You can add herbs as well, or sweeten it with a bit of sugar, or perhaps Agave. Follow these two crucial concepts: (Temperature, and Time) and you will love the results. Here is the basic idea: Remember! Temperature and Time! Are you Following? This takes a while. But, this is what differentiates it from the normal boring, less than flaky concoction.
Ingredients:
***For one 8-9 inch pie (Top And Bottom crusts)
-2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour-(“King Arthur” is a standard bearer.)
-1/2 Tsp Kosher salt-or to taste
-1 Stick Un-Salted Butter (very cold-this is important!!)
-6 Tbls Crisco
-Ice water or Ice cold Beer to bind. Amounts vary as to humidity, etc. Simply add ice cold liquid slowly until you get a workable mass. Don’t be afraid of adding a bit too much liquid as you can correct this by adding flour when you go to roll the dough.
Method and Technique:
-Add flour and salt to large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
-Cut the stick of butter in half length-wise, and then cut each of these halves in half, again length-wise. Now dice the butter into say 1/4 inch dice (large Dice.) Add the cubed butter to the flour.
- Cube the Crisco in the same way, and add to flour mixture.
-Using a fork, or u-shaped pastry cutter, fold in the fats, until you have nice chunks of butter. You don’t want the typical small “Pea Shaped” clumps. Instead, you want slightly bigger pieces. This is part of the trick here. And, following this method you will create awesome steam from the butter, and therefore divine flakiness in the crust. Taste the dough here and add salt to taste. You want to taste of the salt as you taste it in a well made cookie. It is there, and it does not over power. Instead, it accents. Practice, and taste, until you get this right. There is not a perfect amount to be written here. This is where you and your taste buds come in. Use Them!
-Once you are happy with the incorporation of the fats, begin adding the ice cold (Very Important!) liquid of choice. Add a few Tbls at a time slowly incorporating until you reach a workable mass. Pick the dough up in your hands and form it into a ball. Does it seem to crumble, and flake a bit? If so, add more water and fold in gently. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Again, if you have a touch to much liquid, it is OK. You can correct this by adding flour when rolling the dough. Do not panic!
-Once you have the desired texture, cut the dough into equal halves, form into round discs to facilitate rolling. Now you have a disc for the top crust, and a disc for the bottom crust. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill for at least and hour or two until the dough relaxes, and the fats again harden (Crucial-trust me.)
-Now, remove the dough and place between two floured pieces of wax paper (one on the bottom, and one on top of the dough) and roll into crusts. Check for any uneven surfaces, and correct. Form the bottom crust into your pie plate, trim the edges, and let rest at least an hour (again, crucial) Place the top crust, between the layers of wax paper into the fridge and let rest also for at least an hour.
-Now you are ready to fill. You are on your own. This lesson is about the perfect crust. More info pertaining later. Make sure to create vent holes in your crust!!!
-After filling, and topping the pie, cook in a 425 degree oven for ten-15 minutes, then turn heat down to 350 degree until done. The filling should be lightly bubbling out of the vent holes at this point, and the top should be golden and delicious looking. You can add an egg wash to the pie crust before baking if so desired for additional attraction visually.
-Try this, and contact me with any questions. The quest for the perfect Pie Crust comes not without questions, and often failures. Keep the faith…and, the passion!!
-Bon Appetit!
