Plain Pie Pastry Food

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.

NEVER, NEVER FAIL PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together water, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Stir into flour mixture and knead dough briefly, just until smooth. Allow to rest 15 minutes before rolling out. Pastry is easier to work with when chilled. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

PLAIN PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• 1. Measure your ingredients accurately. Too much flour makes pastry tough, too much shortening makes it crumble, and too much water makes it tough!
• 2. Stir together the flour and salt. Then cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If you overwork the mixture, your pastry may not be flaky.
• 3. Add COLD water gradually to the flour mixture, then gentle toss it together just until it's even moist. I use a hand-held pastry blender.
• 4. To roll out dough with little sticking, use a rolling pin with a cotton knit cover and a pastry cloth. I don't do this, but it's good advice. I use a regular wooden rolling pin and a plastic pastry mat from Tupperware. It works fine.
• 5. Remove the pastry from the bowl and roll into a ball. Mash "ball" kind of flat with your hand before you use the rolling pin, keeping the edges round and not ragged. This takes some practice. Make sure your rolling pin and your pastry mat is lightly floured.. Roll pastry to an even thickness. Try not to stretch it as you're transferring it to the pie place. To do this, roll your pastry over your rolling pin and roll it over the pie plate gently.
• 6. Fit pastry into your plate gently. Trim 1/2 to 1" beyond edge; fold under and flute edge by pressing dough with forefinger against wedge made of finger and thumb of other hand. Pierce bottom and sides well with a fork. (If filling and crust are baked together, do not prick...like a cherry pie, etc) For a single crust, bake at 450 for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.
• 7. Use a glass pie plate or dull metal pie pan so the pastry browns evenly. Check that your oven temperature is accurate. If it's too low,and you're making a two-pie crust for a cherry or apple pie, the bottom crust will be soggy.
• 8. For a double crust pie, make two pie crusts by doubling the recipe. For a double crust pie, trim lower crust even with rim of pie plate. Cut slits in top crust. Lift pastry by rolling it over rolling pin; then unroll loosely over well-filled pie. Trim top crust 1/2" beyond edge. Tuck top crust under edge of lower crust. Flute edge of pastry. If edge of crust browns too quickly, fold strip of foil around rim of crust, covering fluted edge. Follow individual pie directions for oven temp.

PLAIN PASTRY PIE SHELL

Steps:

• 1. Sift flour and salt together.
• 2. Cut shortening in flour with 2 knives until fat is broken into pea size.
• 3. Sprinkle water carefully into flour. Blend with fork to make stiff dough.
• 4. Roll on waxed paper and chill.
• 5. When you are ready to use insert into preheated 350 oven for 10 min til browned.
• 6. You can also leave this rolled up in the freezer for weeks on end----So be it by me.

BASIC SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift 225g plain flour into a large bowl, add 100g diced butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in a pinch of salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough.
• Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface.
• Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.

BEST EVER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half, and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Roll out dough on a floured counter. Don't over work it. Use as directed in pie recipe.

PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Rub the lard and butter into the flour with a generous pinch of sea salt until completely combined. Add the beaten egg and 100ml ice-cold water and mix until you have a soft dough. Transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 1 hr, or until needed.
• Divide the pastry into 12 equal pieces and roll out into rounds on a lightly floured surface. Use six of the rounds to line the bottoms of six individual pie dishes, leaving an overhang. Fill the pies with the mixture of your choice, brush the rims with some of the egg yolk, top with the remaining pastry rounds, then trim and crimp the edges. Decorate with the trimmings, if you like. Glaze with more egg yolk, or as indicated in the filling recipe, and chill until you're ready to cook.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 6 with a baking tray inside. Put the pies on the hot tray and bake for 30-35 mins until golden. Leave to rest as directed, then serve in the dishes or turn out onto plates.