Criscos Pastry Method 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.

ORIGINAL CRISCO PIE CRUST RECIPE FROM THE 1940S

Steps:

• 1. Mix up the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Remove 1/4 cup and put that in a small bowl.
• 2. Cut the Crisco into the flour/salt mixture until it resembles fine crumbs.
• 3. Make a paste of the ice water and the reserved flour/salt mixture. Stir it well with a fork until it is smooth.
• 4. Using a rubber/silicone spatula, scrape the paste onto the flour/salt/Crisco mixture. Mix with a fork, and then gently with your clean hands. Refrigerate for about an hour.
• 5. Dust your work surface with flour. Pat the dough into an evenly thick round, then use a rolling pin and beginning at the center roll outward, turn the dough a quarter turn, roll out again and repeat. Roll evenly until the dough is about 11" in diameter.
• 6. Roll the dough up onto the rolling pin and lay gently into a 9" pie pan. Press gently into the bottom and sides of the pan, allow about a 1" overhang. Turn under the overhang and flute the edges. Using the tines of the fork, prick the bottom and sides of the dough. This helps keep the dough from shrinking while baking. Refrigerate the crust for one hour before baking. This helps give it a flaky texture when baked. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.