As a tribute to The Pioneer Woman and her Cooking Blog, I made an attempt to demonstrate how to make a tasty pie crust. Why would I do this you ask?? For one, because I know how much most people are scared to make pie from scratch - mostly because of the crust. I actually enjoy making pie crust. Maybe because as a kid we used to make pies all of the time. Especially at Thanksgiving. It was always the tradition for the girls to get together and make the pies. We always made so many that we would eat them for days, but that was our favorite part. And for another, I had to make 4 pies to take to the Stake Pioneer Day Celebration at the park. So, in an attempt to calm the fears that many of you have, here is a photo by photo demo on making a tasty and pretty pie crust.
In a large mixing bowl, measure out 5 cups of Flour, 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder, and 1 teaspoon of Salt. Sift it together with the pastry cutter.
Add 2 1/2 cups of Crisco (don't ask me why, but the actual "Crisco" seems to work better than the generic brands). Work that in real well with the pastry cutter.
It should be crumbly, yet slightly moist.
In a measuring cup, beat 1 Egg. Then add 1 Tablespoon of Vinegar and Cold Water to make 1 cup. (isn't that the cutest little wire whisk you've ever seen. I don't remember where I found it, but it's a fun little kitchen gadget.)
Add the liquid to the flour mixture, and toss/mix around with a fork. Mix it up evenly, but be careful not to over mix it. The more you mix it, the tougher your crust will be.
Shape into balls of dough - makes 4 or 5 (depending on the size of your pie plates.
Mine were kind of big - I got a little carried away . . .Now the fun part - rolling it out.
Start by sprinkling flour on your canvas/pastry cloth/counter top/whatever you want.
Shape your ball of dough into a disk shape and place it on the canvas. Then sprinkle on some more flour.
Let the rolling begin.
Just keep rolling, gently, in all directions, to make a nice big circle.
Like this one :)See, that was easy, wasn't it . . . . now you just have to somehow get it into that pie plate.
Use your rolling pin and canvas to l ift the dough (gently roll it up around the rolling pin).
Slide the pie plate under, unroll the dough, and voila, there it is.
Now you just need to trim off the excess dough. Leave about 1/2" hanging over the pan.{you can re-use the scraps if you must, but only once! - after that make crust-o's (you know, roll out the dough, smother it with cinnamon and sugar, roll it up and slice it like a cinnamon roll, and bake on a cookie sheet)}
Fold under the remaining overhang and press gently.
There are a hundred ways to flute the edge of your pie. I was unable to demonstrate my method because I use two hands and I couldn't figure out a place to set the camera to use the timer. Sorry. But I use my thumb on my left hand on the inside of the crust, and my index finger and thumb of my right hand on the outside of the crust and just gently push them together with the dough in between . . . . does that make any sense at all?? Just come over and I'll give you a demonstration. That would be so much easier than trying to explain it!
Now take a fork and start pricking it EVERYWHERE. The air needs to escape, or you will have big air bubbles in the crust.
Get the edges too!
Now bake in the center rack of the oven at 425 for about 15 minutes (you want them slightly golden brown) just keep checking them.
The leftover balls of dough can be refridgerated for a day or two before used, or you can freeze them for up to 2 months. Just thaw them out in the fridge the morning or day before you want to use them.
There you have it. Now that wasn't so bad, was it? And it is definitely worth the extra effort to make it yourself. This is a very light and flaky recipe.
This pie just so happened to be a Fresh Peach Pie. YUMMMMMM!!!!
Now, if you are making a baked pie, like say Rhubarb, you need to stop with the crust, right BEFORE you stab it to death with the fork. Pour your Rhubarb (or whatever) filling in, then bake as directed.
Can we say YUMMMMMMMMM again?? I know Rhubarb is one of those pies you either love or hate. I happen to be a lover of rhubarb. If you aren't I have a fabulous recipe for Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie that you might want to try. I took one to my neighbors and they came back saying it was the best pie ever - and they didn't think they liked rhubarb before that one.
There you go . . . This is how I spent my day today. I know, baking again. But I did it early this morning before it got too hot. Then I left the house after I got it all nice and warm. The car has GREAT air conditioning in it!!
I'll have to post the recipes for the peach and rhubarb pies in another Recipe Post.
Until then . . . . .
