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| PIE CRUST PRIMER (COOKING SCHOOL) | |
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Single 9-inch Crust: 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, butter, or lard (any combination) 3 tablespoons ice water Two Crust 8-9 inch Pie: 2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 3/4 cup vegetable shortening, butter, or lard (any combination) 5 tbsp. ice water Two Crust 10 inch Pie: 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour 1 1/4 tsp. salt 1 cup vegetable shortening, butter, or lard (any combination) 7-8 tablespoons ice water Preparation By Hand: In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut cold (shortening, butter, lard) into the flour using a pastry blender or a large fork, or two butter knives. Beginner Tips: You can use your clean hands to mix in the butter/shortening; hold your hands under cold water for 30 seconds, then dry. Mix gently and quickly until small particles of butter/shortening are the size of small walnuts or peas. If butter begins to melt, refrigerate the bowl for 10 minutes and continue to blend. Sprinkle some of the ice water, a few drops at a time over the flour/shortening mixture. Toss with a fork as you add more of the water. Mix lightly until it begins to form a ball. I keep my ice water in a metal cup with a few cubes of ice in it. Put the cubes into a measuring cup, then add water to get the correct measurement*. It helps also, to chill bowls and other utensils before using as this keeps the butter/shortening from melting into the flour. It's important not to over-mix pie crust to prevent having a tough crust. It isn't necessary to mix in every last bit of flour; leaving some of it behind in the bowl is OK, as long as you can roll out the crust lightly. Food Processor Instructions: Add shortening, butter, lard (or any combination of the three to measure) to the food processor bowl. Add flour and sprinkle with salt. Using the pulse function, pulse 3 to 5 times (or 2-3 seconds) until dough forms a ball. Remove and follow instructions for hand formed crust. Tip: If your pie crusts tend to be tough, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice, vinegar or ascorbic acid (Vitamin C powder) to the ice water before measuring. Press the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a thick 6 inch pancake shape. The dough may be slightly ragged, but that is better than a smooth mass which indicates that it might have been over-mixed. Lightly dust a clean surface with flour, and dust the rolling pin. Press the dough down in a sort of tic-tac-toe grid, then roll it outwards from the center into a 8 or 9 inch circle (place the upside-down pie tin on the rolled out crust and draw a line about 1/2-1 inch out from the edge with a knife). Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. To Prevent Sticking To The Work Surface: It helps to turn the crust frequently 1/4 circle around to keep it free from the rolling surface and to check to see if more flour is needed on the rolling area. Don't add too much flour, though, as it will make the final product dry and prone to cracking. Another way to prevent the crust from sticking is to roll on a silicone sheet or place wax paper above and below (useful while starting out). Yet another method for rolling out dough is to use two 12-inch rounds of unbleached canvas fabric, washed and dried, then dusted lightly with flour. The canvas can be reused over and over and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer. As a beginner, you may go through several of these methods, but with experience you will likely end up with a large flour-dusted wooden board as the preferred choice of a work surface for pie making. A marble surface works well, too, but I prefer a wooden tavolini board because I use it also for hand kneading bread dough and making pasta. Fold the pie crust lightly into a wedge/pizza shape (once in half, then in half again). Place into a pie tin with the point in the middle, and unfold in the pan, loosely shaping the crust to the pan, but do not press it into place. Another method of transferring the crust to the pan is to simply drape it over the rolling pin and unroll it onto the pie dish by rolling the pin out from under it. Flute the edges as desired by pinching between your thumb and forefinger to form small points or curves. If the recipe you are using calls for an unbaked pie crust, you're ready to follow the recipe at this point. If your recipe requires a pre-baked shell, heat the oven to 425°F. Using a fork, make holes evenly across the bottom and sides to prevent air pockets from forming during the baking (or fill the bottom of the pie with dry beans which may be re-used). This will help keep the pie crust flat. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pie is lightly golden brown. Note: Recipe may be doubled. A Note on Measurements: Measurements are subjective and with experience, you will learn to judge how much water/flour you need to add in order to achieve the right consistency for the dough you are working with on any given day. Conditions such as the age and quality of the flour and the storage and atmospheric conditions affect the humidity level in the flour and each day may bring a different level of moisture absorption which the flour is capable of. (This is why professional bakers use scales for consistency because weighing the flour takes into account the moisture content.) If the dough seems excessively dry, add a few drops of water; if too moist, add a teaspoon of flour at a time. Be careful not to overwork the dough as you adjust consistency, use just enough to roll out. Don't worry if the dough cracks as you place it, an ice water moistened finger can patch the seam together easily. Don't be discouraged by your first results at pie-making from scratch. Hopefully these tips will be helpful and practice makes perfect! Happy Baking! Submitted by: CM | |
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