From Scratch to Scrumptious

Welcome to the Month of Pies! With fresh fruit abounding in the summer I am dedicating the month of July to pies.

What does every pie need? A delicious pie crust! For a truly great pie, you must have a superb pie crust.

Let me paint a picture of how good this pie crust is: It was Thanksgiving (another prime pie time), and I was pregnant with my 5th child. I was tired. I cheated on the desserts I was bringing by buying store-bought pie crusts instead of making them from scratch.

The fillings of the pies were homemade and as tasty as always. When I served them, my father-in-law made a big deal out of how delicious his pie was and then said, “But this isn’t your usual pie crust, is it?”

I had been found out! On the one hand, I was bummed. My pies weren’t as good as usual because I was tired and I used a shortcut. On the other hand, that means that this pie crust recipe is so good that you can taste all of it’s glory even when it’s filled with the tastiest fillings!

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill bland crust who’s only job is to hold the good part of the pie. This pie crust is in the running for the best-part-of-the-pie award!

Check out the list of ingredients below for the secret ingredient! Learn to roll your pie crust into a perfect circle! Stop your pie crust from shrinking with a Second Rest! Read the Bake section to find out how I almost set my childhood kitchen on fire and how you can avoid the same mistake!

Flour: all-purpose flour. Measure by gently spooning flour into the measuring cups and leveling off the top. Alternatively, measure by weight.

Salt

Butter-flavored shortening: Here’s the secret ingredient! Working with shortening means that your pie crust will be easy to roll out, even straight from the fridge. With butter-flavoring, you still get all the flavor of butter!

Not familiar with butter-flavored shortening? Look for the Crisco in a yellow packaging.

Can you substitute with regular shortening? Yes, but you will get a blander pie crust.

Want other recipes that use butter-flavored shortening? Check these out: Dangerously Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies, Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies.

Cold Water: Just enough to make the pie crust come together.

First, combine the flour and salt. Then, cut in the magic ingredient: butter-flavored shortening. I recommend using a pastry cutter for this task, but you can get by using two knives if you don’t have one.

Once your mixture looks like coarse crumbs or smallish peas, slowly add the water. Add about half to 3/4 of the full amount and mix it up. You may not need as much as the recipe calls for.

You want to use just enough water for the mixture to come together when you press it against the sides of the bowl. The exception for this rule is if you have a runny pie filling, like a fruit pie, err on the side of adding more water. A wetter pie crust is less likely to have any cracks in the crust when you roll it out.

Separate the dough into two halves, form into discs and wrap in plastic. Place the dough in the fridge overnight or for 4 hours if you must have pie today! If you’re really pressed for time, you can shorten the first resting period to 30 minutes.

This resting phase allows the gluten to relax. After a rest, the crust rolls out easily. You don’t want to fight your pie crust to force it into a nice thin round.

I have found that the easiest way to roll out and transfer pie crust is to use waxed paper. Cut a piece that is a bit bigger than your pie plate.

With a damp cloth, wipe your counter. A damp counter will stick to waxed paper and keep it in place.

Go crazy dusting the waxed paper with flour. Place your disc of dough in the center and flour the top well.

This is the secret for rolling your pie crust into a perfect circle without cracked edges: Roll the dough starting from the middle each time, and stop an inch away from the edge of the dough.

If you roll all the way to the edge, you will get cracking.

Imaging your pie crust is a clock. Roll in the following pattern for a perfect circle:

• Middle to 12:00, middle to 6:00
• Middle to 9:00, middle to 3:00
• Middle to 10:30, middle to 4:30
• Middle to 1:30, middle to 7:30

Repeat this rolling pattern until your crust in about 2 inches (or more) larger than your pie plate.

Did you read the section above? Then you already have your pie crust rolled into a perfect circle on a piece of waxed paper! In my opinion, this is a much easier way than rolling your pie crust around a rolling pin.

Dust any remaining flour off the edges of the waxed paper. Using one hand on each side of the paper, flip the crust over your pie plate and center it the best you can. (It should stick to your waxed paper, allowing you to adjust the placement.)

When you’re satisfied with the placement, carefully peel the paper away from the back of the pie crust.

Gently lift the edges of the crust to lower it down into the pie plate towards the center.

Repeat the same rolling process for the top crust using floured waxed paper. Don’t forget to dampen your counter so the waxed paper stays put.

After rolling your second perfect circle, place the plastic wrap that had previously been around your pie crust disc over the top of it. Slip a flat baking sheet underneath the waxed paper and move the crust to the fridge for the second resting period.

Watch for an upcoming post on the easiest way to make a lattice top.

Place your rolled out pie crust in the fridge again for another 30 minutes. This step is important! This step stops your pie crust from shrinking when you bake!

If you bake immediately after rolling, the gluten is tight and will contract when heated, causing shrinking. Allow the gluten to relax in the fridge.

If you are only resting for 30 minutes, you do not have to cover your pie crust. If you plan on waiting longer, you’ll want to cover the crust with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

Fill the bottom pie crust with your favorite filling. Slightly dampen the edge of the bottom crust. Flip your top crust on the waxed paper over the pie plate. Center the crust and carefully peel off the waxed paper. Pinch edges to seal.

Cut crust edges to about 1″ past the edge of the pie plate. Lightly dampen the underside of the overhanging crust. Fold edges underneath and pinch lightly to seal.

Cut slits in your pie crust top to vent steam.

Now you can decorate the edges any way you choose. Food 52 has an awesome article about making beautiful pie crusts edges: How to Make Bakery-Worthy Pie Crust Designs.

I like to keep things simple. My favorite way to finish the edges is with a classic finger crimp.

Using the pointer finger and thumb of one hand, stabilize the outside edge of the crust in an upright position. Using the pointer finger of your other hand, push from the inside edge in between your other finger and thumb to make a zig-zag shape.

Continue all the way around your crust, overlapping zig-zags until you complete the round.

Preheat the oven. Place your pie on a cookie sheet to catch any drips that bubble over the edge. Here’s why:

When I was 17, my friend gave me apples from her tree. I baked 2 pies: one for my family and one for hers. I stayed up late to finish baking (we’re talking 11:00 at night, so my whole family was asleep by this point).

I made the mistake of putting the pies directly on the oven rack. My oven started smoking, so I opened it to see what had happened.

My apple filling had bubbled out and dripped onto the heating element of my oven. There was a fire in the bottom of my oven!

I was pretty shocked, so I turned off the oven and closed the door to buy myself some time to think. Thank goodness that was the right thing to do! There wasn’t enough oxygen in the oven to keep the fire burning, so it put itself out.

Luckily, I didn’t burn down my house, and I was able to finish baking the pies. I’m not sure if I ever told my parents about that one…

Long story short: put your pie on a baking sheet, preferably one with short sides. Don’t catch your kitchen on fire.