Pie Crust

By Jen -

Basic Pie Crust recipe:

Makes One 9 Inch Crust

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 Tbsp (or more) ice water.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

I like a butter crust. I know some people swear by shortening - or add shortening with the butter... but why? A proper butter infused pie crust flakes and melts in your mouth, the perfect accompaniment to whatever filling you've chosen to use.
Note: I double this recipe when I am making a two crust pie. Yes, there is some left over but how else are you going to make cinnamon shortbread pinwheel cookies?


Blend flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter slowly while pulsing the processor on and off. The flour/butter mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Now add the three tablespoons of ice water and blend using the pulse on/off until moist clumps form. It might look too dry but check it first. Open the processor and pinch a good chunk of the dough between your fingers. It should feel slightly dry but clump together well. Not quite moist.  If it seems to be clumping - clump a bigger chunk.

If its holding together loosely its time to pour the dough onto a work surface. It will be crumbly - that's okay. As you work it lightly, it will come together. If needed, divide the dough into two pieces, making them into flatten disks.
The object is to have the dough be as dry and not handled too much before you roll out the dough. This keeps the dough light and flaky.


If you've handled the dough a lot with those warm hands of yours - wrap it up and stick in the fridge for twenty minutes or so.



Its nice having a mat to work on. Dust the mat or board with a little flour and put your disk of dough in the center. Dust it very lightly. Rub your rolling pin with flour, start rolling out the dough - and turn it over. Add another light dusting of flour to the board if needed. Repeat this a couple times - dusting very lightly, rolling dough slightly bigger, and turning it over. Why?
Because when you now start really rolling out the dough to be big enough to fit in your pie pan - it won't stick to the board or mat. The dough should be structured so that you can actually pick it up when rolled out thinly - and placed in the pan.


Make sure your filling is ready.

Bottom pie crust - just leave it to hang over the edges. Add filling and then roll out your top crust.

Place on top of filling, lining the top up with the bottom crust. Using your fingers, gently mesh the crusts together along the outer edge.Trim about a thumbs length away from the pan's edge and keep molding the dough's edge into whatever your desired finishing touch is. Add a few slits on top.
Different pies take different kinds of oven time but here's the basics: For a fruit pie - 10 minutes at 400 degrees and then lower the temperature to 350 for about another 40. I check after 30 minutes and add a loose foil rim if the crust is starting to get too brown along the edges. A pan underneath a pie isn't a bad idea because they do tend to bubble up and down into the oven. I watch for bubbling in the center of the pie - through those slits in the top.

Favorite filling this summer: Blackberry Blueberry Peach.










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