PIE IN 500 WORDS
PIE CRUST FROM SCRATCH
EVEN IF QUALITY STORE-BOUGHT, PRE-MADE PIE CRUSTS EXIST, I’m still going to relentlessly campaign that all sentient, gluten-loving human beings older than sixteen should possess the ability to make a pie crust from scratch.
Different combinations of fat, flour, and water can produce wildly different outcomes. As your baking knowledge expands, you’ll learn about different types of crusts and their various iterations. This recipe is a solid Pastry 101 technique, based on an easy-to-remember 2-to-1 ratio. Easy, like a cold lager from a can on a hot day—it’s so very satisfying, even knowing there are better-made beers and methods of pouring beers.
Not everything has to be complicated, complex, or difficult to enjoy.
Pie crust basics, butter and flour.
PIE CRUST WHY IS BETTER THAN PIE CRUST HOW
WE ALL LEARN IN DIFFERENT WAYS. Nothing helps me understand a concept quicker and better than comprehending the why, even more than how. With a pie crust, the heat from the oven melts the fat that’s coated with flour. As solids turn to liquids, they carry the flour coating with them, forming layers; at the same time, the water turns to steam, separating the layers. For the best pie crust, cold butter and a hot oven are imperative to the outcome. And make sure to keep the fats chilled until you are ready to bake them in a preheated oven.
Pie dough coming together.
INGREDIENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS
INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE PIE CRUST.
2 cups Flour
1 Stick (4oz) butter, cubed into 16-20 pieces
2 Tbsp shortening, coconut oil, or cream cheese
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
1/3 to 1/2 cup cold water
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE PIE CRUST.
Add flour, cubed butter, shortening/shortening substitute, salt, and if you’re sweetening the crust, the sugar to a mixing bowl.
For me, the mixing bowl happens to be a food processor. It’s quick and ruthlessly efficient. The pulse button cuts and coats the butter without warming it up. Pastry cutters in a chilled bowl work well. Because your fingers are warm enough to melt the butter, I avoid mixing by hand.
REMEMBER: COLD BUTTER + HOT OVEN
(If using a food processor, transfer ingredients into a mixing bowl.) Add water bit by bit until the dough forms into a ball. Stop and refrigerate for 1 to 48 hours. Cold butter.
Now is the time to work in the filling, whatever that may be.
Roll the crust out, and line the pie plate with the crust. Place the lined pie plate in the refrigerator for an hour. This helps keep the butter cold and allows the gluten to relax. If pressed for time, place in the freezer for fifteen minutes.
PREHEAT OVEN AND FOLLOW YOUR RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS FOR BAKING YOUR FAVORITE PIE.
A finished pie.
READ MORE OF DAVE’S THOUGHTS ON OTHER FRUIT, VEG, AND VARIOUS FOODS; 500 WORDS ABOUT OKRA, and 500 WORDS ABOUT EGGPLANT.