Classic Pie Crust Food

CLASSIC CRISCO PIE CRUST

Steps:

• BLEND flour and salt in medium mixing bowl.
• CUT chilled shortening into 1/2-inch cubes. Cut in chilled shortening cubes into flour mixture, using a pastry blender, in an up and down chopping motion, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pea-sized pieces remaining.
• SPRINKLE half the maximum recommended amount of ice cold water over the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl to the top, distributing moisture evenly into flour. Press chunks down to bottom of bowl with fork. Add more water by the tablespoon, until dough is moist enough to hold together when pressed together.
• Test dough for proper moistness by squeezing a marble-sized ball of dough in your hand. If it holds together firmly, do not add any additional water. If the dough crumbles, add more water by the tablespoonful, until dough is moist enough to form a smooth ball when pressed together.
• SHAPE dough into a ball for single pie crust. Divide dough in two for double crust or double deep dish crust, one ball slightly larger than the other. Flatten ball(s) into 1/2-inch thick round disk(s).
• For ease in rolling, wrap dough in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
• ROLL dough (larger ball of dough for double crust pie) from center outward with steady pressure on a lightly floured work surface (or between two sheets of wax or parchment paper) into a circle 2-inches wider than pie plate for the bottom crust. Transfer dough to pie plate by loosely rolling around rolling pin. Center the rolling pin over the pie plate, and then unroll, easing dough into pie plate.
• For a SINGLE pie crust, trim edges of dough leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold edge under. Flute dough as desired. Bake according to specific recipe directions.
• For a DOUBLE pie crust, roll larger disk for bottom crust, trimming edges of dough even with outer edge of pie plate. Fill unbaked pie crust according to recipe directions. Roll out smaller dough disk. Transfer dough carefully onto filled pie. Trim edges of dough leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold top edge under bottom crust. Press edges together to seal and flute as desired. Cut slits in top crust or prick with fork to vent steam. Bake according to specific recipe directions.
• Two Methods for Pre-baking Pie Crusts (Cream Pies):.
• Pre-baking without weights: Thoroughly prick bottom and sides of unbaked pie dough with fork (50 times) to prevent it from blistering or rising. Bake crust in lower third of oven, at 425°F, 10-12 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown.
• Pre-baking with weights: Thoroughly prick bottom and sides of unbaked pie dough with fork (50 times) to prevent it from blistering or rising. Chill or freeze for 30 minutes. Line pie dough snugly with foil or parchment paper. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Reduce oven to 350°F Bake 5-10 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown.

CARLA'S CLASSIC PIE DOUGH

Steps:

• Dissolve the sugar and salt in 1/3 cup water and chill until cold.
• Pulse the flour and butter in a stand mixer until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-size pieces. Add the water all at once and mix until the dough almost forms a ball. Divide the dough in half and flatten into two disks.
• Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days. You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.

CLASSIC CHICKEN POTPIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water); do not overmix.
• Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight (or freeze, up to 1 month).
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion and carrots and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add flour and stir to coat vegetables.
• Slowly add broth, whisking constantly until sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in peas. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in chicken and parsley. Pour filling into a 2-quart baking dish.
• On a floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Place dough over dish and fold overhang inward while pinching to crimp edge. Cut vents in dough. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling around edge, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

BASIC PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a food processor, briefly pulse flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Dont overmix.
• Turn dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over dough; press to shape into a 1-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
• On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll dough to a 14-inch round with a floured rolling pin. Wrap dough around rolling pin, discarding paper; unroll over a 9-inch pie plate (opposite). Gently fit into bottom and up sides of plate (do not stretch dough).
• Using kitchen shears, trim dough to a 1-inch overhang. Fold under itself to form a rim, and press to seal. Using thumb and forefinger, crimp rim of crust. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day.

CLASSIC LARD TWO-CRUST PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the lard with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending gently with a fork or pastry blender until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans the sides of the bowl. Divide the dough in half and shape flattened rounds. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

CLASSIC CRISCO PIE CRUST

Steps:

• 1. Blend flour and slat in mixing bowl. Cut cubed chilled shortening into flour mixture using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining. SPRINKLE half the maximum amount of ice water over flour mixture; mix gently with a fork. Add more water by the Tablespoon, mixing until dough holds together. DIVIDE dough into two with one ball slightly larger than the other. Flatten dough into 1/2 inch thick round disks, wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 30 minutes. PLACE larger disk of dough on lightly floured surface. With floured rolling pin, roll dough outward from center into circle 2-inches wider than pie plate. Ease bottom crust into pie plate and trim evenly around plate. Fill unbaked pie crust according to recipe directions. ROLL top pie crust; lift onto filled pie. Trim dough with 3/4-inch overhang; fold top edge under bottom crust. Press edges together and flute. Cut slits in top crust. BAKE pie according to recipe directions.

HOW TO MAKE A LATTICE PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Make sure to start with a chilled pie crust. It should have at least 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling it out. Let it sit at room temperature for a couple minutes to soften before rolling. For tons of details on how to make the best pie crust and roll it out successfully, check out my post for How to Make Flaky Pie Crust.
• Roll out your first pie crust into about a 13 inch circle and lay it in an ungreased 9 inch pie plate. with the edges hanging over the edge. Stick your pie pan in the fridge or freezer if there is any time lag before the next step.
• Fill 'er up. Fill your crust with COLD pie filling, mounding it in the middle. Your lattice is going to be so much easier to form if your filling is cold or frozen. (Room temperature filling at the very least.) A lattice is basically impossible to do with warm pie filling, because it will melt the butter in your crust and make it fall apart. Place your filled pie in the fridge or freezer if there is any time lag before the next step.
• Dust a work space with flour. I highly recommend rolling out the lattice on a pastry cloth or on parchment paper. That way it is easy to transfer the whole thing to the fridge or freezer if it gets warm and soft.
• Roll out your second pie crust into a circle that is about 10 inches across. You want this one to be rolled out thicker than the first one. First of all, you don't need to worry about making it big enough to go up the sides of the pie plate (it's just laying flat across the top) and second, thick strips are much easier to maneuver in a lattice situation than thin wimpy strips. Keep em sturdy; don't roll out too thin.
• Cut into strips. Use a pizza cutter that you've rolled in flour to slice the pie dough into even strips. You can make the strips as wide or as thin as you want; if you are a beginner, you might want to make thick strips to simplify your life. I made my strips about 1 and 1/4 inches wide.
• Remember, if at ANY point your pie dough starts to get soft, stick the whole thing back in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. I lift up my entire pastry cloth and transfer the whole thing to the freezer.
• Weave your lattice. Take every other strip of pie dough and lay it across your pie with a little space in between each one. See photos. Peel back every other strip that is on your pie, all the way to the edge.
• Lay an edge piece of dough perpendicular to the others, tucked up right against the edge. See photos! Replace the peeled back strips of dough to lay flat on top of the pie.
• Take the strips that are underneath, and peel them back. Lay down your next strip of dough. Replace the peeled back strips.
• Continue until the pie is completely weaved. I know this is hard to understand without a visual, so be sure to check the photos in the post! Remember, if at ANY point your pie dough becomes soft, toss all of it in the fridge or freezer. If you have a strip that tears, use a tiny bit of ice water to patch it with your fingers.
• Fold up the edges. You can trim any super long pieces of lattice that are hanging over the edge if you like, but I usually just leave them and incorporate them into the crust. For lattice pies, I like to fold the edges up and over onto themselves. It might look cracked and wimpy. That's ok. Pretend it is play dough and just mold it back into a smooth edge.
• Crimp the edge. Use your fingers to crimp the edge of your pie crust. I like to use 3 fingers (many people use their knuckles) to make a curved edge. See photos!
• Refrigerate or freeze the whole pie to make sure that the pie dough goes into the oven completely cold. That's what makes for a flaky crust!
• Don't forget to brush the top of your pie with egg or milk (or a mixture of both, my favorite) and sprinkle with granulated or raw sugar before putting it in the oven. This will make your pie nice and brown.
• Halfway through your bake time, add a tin foil pie shield on the edges of your pie to protect the edges from burning. See my flaky pie crust post for all the details.

CLASSIC BUTTER PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed., Shape dough into a disk for a single-crust pie; for a double-crust pie, divide dough in 2 with 1 piece slightly larger than the other. Shape into 2 disks. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. , For a single-crust pie: Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Fill or bake according to recipe directions., For a double-crust pie: Add filling to pie. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Bake according to recipe directions.

CLASSIC CHEESECAKE WITH PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F if using a silver 9-inch springform pan (or to 325°F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan). Beat butter and 1/3 cup sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Blend in 1 of the eggs, 1/2 tsp. of the lemon peel and 1 tsp. of the lemon juice. Add 1 cup flour; mix well. Reserve 3/4 cup of the dough; cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Press remaining dough firmly onto bottom of springform pan. Bake 10 minutes; cool. Press reserved dough 2 inches up side of pan. Increase oven temperature to 450°F (or to 425°F if using a dark nonstick pan).
• Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. flour, remaining 1 tsp. lemon peel and remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add remaining 3 eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until blended after each addition. Blend in milk; pour into crust.
• Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250°F (or to 225°F for a dark nonstick pan); continue baking 40 minutes. Run small knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

CLASSIC PIE CRUST, IDIOT PROOF STEP-BY-STEP PHOTO TUTORIAL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
• Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse briefly to combine.
• Add the butter and shortening; pulse just until coarse crumbs form, about 30 seconds.
• Add the lemon juice and water.
• Pulse just until moist crumbs form.
• Turn the dough onto a work surface and gently shape it into two equal disks about 4 or 5 inches (10-12 cm) in diameter.
• Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day (can freeze).
• Elaborating on the original recipe I adopted -- Take one of the two disks and roll it out.
• Place into a lightly greased (I use cooking spray) pie dish, I also carefully roll the pastry around the rolling pin and then "unroll" it into the dish, it's less likely to break this way.
• I take an egg and separate the yolk from the white -- and using a pastry brush, I "paint"the pastry base with some of the egg yolk. Don't use it all because you will need some of it to paint the lid of the pie too.
• This will make a seal and help prevent the bottom of the pie from becoming soggy when the wet filling is added. (Please note: in the photo series one of the small dishes contains the egg white -- it's not used in this recipe as we only need the yoke) Then add your pie filling -- mine in the photo demo is meat, yours could be vegetable or fruit etc --.
• Now roll out your second disk of dough and carefully place this on top of your pie.(I dampen the top edge of the base with a very small amount of water to help join the two layers before laying on my pastry "lid") and then I use a fork to push the edges together.
• After trimming the excess pastry from around the edges, I gather up the pastry scraps and roll them out -- cutting some "leaves" to decorate the top.I wet the bottom of these decorations with a tiny amount of water and then place them on top of the pie.
• Then I add a tablespoon of water to the last of the egg yolk and gently "paint" the whole top of the pie. Lastly, use the fork to poke some holes around the pastry to let the steam out. Put into the oven and bake according to the instructions for the recipe you are making.
• In the demonstration photo series I made Australian Meat Pie(recipe #21726) and there is a precooked filling, so *that* recipe called for the first 15 minutes on 220°C (425°F) and then 180°C (350°F) for 25 minutes or until golden brown -- DO be aware that different fillings require different cooking times and temperatures and adjust accordingly. Et Voila ! and so EASY !

CLASSIC PIE CRUST

Steps:

• 1. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening; pulse the machine on and off until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• 2. With the machine running, trickle in 4 tablespoons of ice water through the feed tube, until the dough just gathers together. (If the dough seems dry, add up to 1 tablespoon more of ice water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time.) Divide the dough in half, forming each half into a thick disk. Wrap each disk in plastic; refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill.
• 3. Remove half the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface or between 2 sheets of wax paper to form a circle about 1/8-inch thick and 2 inches larger than the pie plate. (Work quickly, as the dough can become sticky.) With the help of a spatula, gently transfer the dough to a pie plate, pressing it lightly into the plate to fit. If the dough should tear, just press it together gently. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. If making a single-crust pie, turn the edge under and flute it decoratively.
• 4. Repeat for a top crust or for another bottom crust. The circle for a top crust should be 9 inches for an 8-inch pie and 10 inches for a 9-inch pie.
• 5. Follow the individual pie recipes for filling and baking.

CLASSIC CRISCO® PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Spoon flour into measuring cup and level. Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in CRISCO® All-Vegetable Shortening or CRISCO® Stick using pastry blender (or 2 knives) until all flour is blended in to form pea-size chunks. Sprinkle with water, one tablespoon at a time. Toss lightly with fork until dough will form ball.
• Divide dough in half. Press between hands to form two 5 to 6-inch pancakes. Flour dough lightly. Peel off top sheet for bottom crust. Transfer bottom crust to pie plate. Remove other sheet and press pastry to fit. Trim edge even with pie plate.
• Add desired filling to unbaked pie crust. Remove top sheet from top crust. Lift top crust onto filled pie. Remove other sheet. Trim to 1/2-inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold top edge under bottom crust. Flute. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake according to specific recipe instructions.