I did a cooking show before cooking shows were cool. You didn’t see it? You would have had to get up by 5:30 Saturday morning to watch me. I never quite made it to prime time.
As part of my job as a county extension agent in Johnson county, I was asked to do a short cooking demonstration on Channel 5. Making the perfect pie crust was my subject.
I practiced many times before that showing, perfecting my technique and my recipe. The same recipe is still the easiest, flakiest and most reliable crust recipe I have. Nothing fancy or difficult.
Pie Crust 101
Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup shortening (i.e. Crisco)
6-9 tablespoons ice cold water
Pinch salt
Directions:
Use fork, pastry cutter or food processor to cut fat into flour.
Flour/fat mixture should be very coarse with some pieces looking like small peas and other pieces resembling thick cut oatmeal
Sprinkle ice cold water over flour mixture and start to compress into a ball. Only use as much water as necessary to make a shaggy ball.
Different ways to roll out a crust abound. This is what works for me.
Use a pastry cloth or plain weave tea towel (not terry cloth).
Sprinkle flour over cloth and work in with your fingers. I also use a special sock on my rolling pin that comes with the pastry cloth. Work flour into it also.
Dump crumbly dough onto floured cloth.
Put your hands underneath the cloth and use the cloth to press the dough together. This keeps your warm hands off the dough so the fat doesn’t melt. Also keeps the sticky dough off your hands.
It should look like this. If dough will not come together, Sprinkle a few drops of water over dough until it will stick together. If dough is too sticky at this point, put more flour on the cloth–not the dough.
Use rolling pin to roll out dough, making strokes starting at the center and going outward at different angles in opposite directions like you are going around a clock. Strive to keep your circle symmetric.
Every little bit, lift up the dough. If it sticks, sprinkle a little more flour on the cloth, not the dough. Do you see a pattern here? Many people end up with so much flour on the dough that the result is dry and tough. Not good!
When you are satisfied your crust is large enough and thin enough, place empty pie plate upside down on top of dough.
Carefully, scoot your hand underneath the pastry cloth and flip the whole mess upside down.
The tea towel will end up on top.
Peel the towel off of the crust. It may stick in a few places. Use a knife to carefully free the dough from the cloth.
Trim crust with cooking scissors or a knife leaving about 1/3-1/2 inch overhang.
Fold overhanging dough up under the edge to make it even with the side of the pie plate.
Variations on borders are numerous. Here I am pulling my fingers in opposite directions to make a ruffled affect. Check a basic cookbook or look online for many other methods or just leave it plain if you are going for the homemade look. Place finished piecrust in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Take a long sheet (about 40 inches) of parchment paper and twist it. Coil the twisted paper to fit inside your unbaked frozen pie shell. No need to stab the crust repeatedly with a fork unless you need therapy for a bad day. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Remove parchment paper but don’t throw it away. It’s reusable.
Use a knife or toothpick to carefully puncture any bubbles (making the smallest incision possible) to let the hot air out and gently press the dough back down against dish. If your pie crust shrinks down into the pan, more than likely you stretched it while rolling out or you neglected to freeze the crust ahead of time. There might be other reasons I’m not aware of but I have personal experience with these.
Note: If you need a fully baked crust for a different recipe, put crust back in the oven after removing parchment paper for another 10-12 minutes.
Since my TV program, pie crust trends have changed. Butter has become a popular ingredient but in my opinion, it is harder to handle. The flavor is better but the dough must be well chilled or your pie crust will melt before your very eyes. This recipe is adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book.
Use the same technique described above. But be very careful that the fat stays cold. Refrigerate dough before rolling out. After dough is rolled out and finished in pie plate, freeze for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Pie Crust 201
Ingredients:2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold butter
2/3 cup ice cold shortening
6-8 tablespoons ice water
Directions are the same as for Pie Crust 101.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you! I will start practicing this after the holidays.
Thanks. No “skinny” tricks here. :+)
Is this recipe for two crusts or one?
These recipes will each make 2 single crusts for 9″ pie or 1 double crust.
What a fabulous tutorial, will have to try your method. I need to get a tea cloth. Love the design around your crust
What a beautiful pie crust! I always like them better homemade! I will have to try your method!
I never buy pie crusts because I think that it is too easy to make one. Then I never make pies because it seems like too much trouble to make a crust. You don’t get anywhere if you are cheap and lazy!
That is awesome. I love the crimping. I was just “complaining” that I really stink at pie crust crimping. I try. But need to try harder to make it look better. Love your tutorial! Thanks.
Johnson Cty. where?
Great tutorial! I will try your fantastic method, thanks for sharing:))