Pie Crust

 This is the recipe I use for making, my pie crusts. Don't be scared, ok ! This dough is very forgiving, and comes together fast. The most important thing, to know is to keep your ingredients COLD, and once the pastry is done, also keep it cold while you make your pie/tart/quiche filling. Here CRISCO is not easily found, so I use lard, for any pie that is "salty", if I make a sweet pie, I like to use all butter. Please remember, that if at first you don't succeed, to try, try again...........or you can always pie a frozen pie crust ;)

Very cold lard, ( or CRISCO) (or butter)

very COLD ice water

in a bowl add, flour, sugar and salt

add in the lard, and use fingers to mix it in the flour

it should come together, like large crumbs ( the larger the crumbs, the flakier the crust)

add in the very COLD water

stir with a fork till the pastry, comes away from the bowl, almost into a ball

turn out the pastry, form into a disc,  place in a bag, and leave it in the fridge for an hour

   I like to roll out the crust, on top of a piece of baking paper, that is placed on top of a damp tea towel

pat out the disc with your hands, to flatten

roll out dough to desired size

I roll up the dough, on my rolling pin

and then unroll it over the baking dish

and then remove the extra dough, with a knife from your dish, you now have a pie crust that's ready to use
( keep it cold while you make your filling)

Pie Crust  ( crust for 2 single pies or 1 covered pie)


2-1/2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 cup lard/or Crisco/ or butter or half of each to make 1 cup

1/4 cup up to 1/2 cup very COLD ice water

 

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
2.  Cut in  lard/shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3.  Add the ice water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together forming a dough. Bring the dough together into a ball.
4. Divide dough in half, and shape into balls.
5. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
6. Roll out dough on a floured baking paper and a tea towel on the counter.
7.  Don't over work it.
8. Use as directed in pie recipe.

** you may not need to use all the water, but this varies everytime you make a pie crust, flours are different, room temps. are different, 

xo, Diana