I finally decided on something to post. The reason I chose this is because most people, I think, are afraid of making pies. Mostly because of the crust. I hated trying to make pies because the crust would always be so difficult. Now its very simple. Yes there are still a lot of things that can go wrong, but that is how it is with baking in general, so this should not scare you away from making your own pie crust.
So the first trick is cold butter. You want the butter to be freezing cold when you are mixing it into the flour. After you have mixed the dough together you want to let it set for at least 30 min in the fridge. This relaxs the gluten making it so that your crust wont shrink when cooked. After the 30 min or so roll it out. You don't want too much flour on the surface or else it will dry out the dough, but you also want your dough to be always moving. So don't worry about putting flour on the surface to much. My trick is just do a little at time. When rolling out the dough never move your body, move the dough so you are constantly doing a forward and backward motion not a to the right and back to the left and back. Just rotate your dough, this also helps you to check if you have enough flour. Don't roll out your dough too much. You just need it rolled out enough so that you have about one inch hanging over the edge of the pie tin. Also when rolling the dough out it doesn't stay in a perfect circle sometimes it starts cracking. Don't keep going if this starts to happen. Its easier to fix in the beginning then it is towards the end. just take a piece of dough that is extra and pinch it into the crack. Also if your dough starts getting warm. Put it in the cooler. You don't want to over work the dough. An easy way to move the dough to the pan is to roll it loosely on your rolling pin the unroll it on your pie tin. Cut away any extra dough and then fold in the inch so that your crust will be nice and thick. After you can do a nice little design around the edge. Just make sure that it is very exaggerated. If you don't it will disappear when baking. Once you are to this point relax the dough by putting it in your fridge. Now depending on if its a cream pie or a pie you are going to back with the filling you either blind bake it. Stabbing it with a fork a couple times. Filling it with beans (removing the beans after the sides are cooked so you can finish cooking the bottom. For the pecan pie you will just fill it with your filling and bake it as the instructions would have you bake it. Also there are two different types of dough Flaky and Mealy. Mealy is where the butter chunks in your crust are more incorporated. Flaky will have large butter chunks. Mealy is used for fillings such as pecan or blueberry where it has a lot of liquid. Flaky would be the kind you use for cream pies of ones with fillings that aren't so liquid based. My recipes are mostly going to be in oz)
Pie Dough ( this recipe is for 1 pound of dough which is more then 1 pie. I think its an oz for every inch your pie tin is)
7 3/4 oz pastry flour (All purpose works)
Sugar 3/8 oz
Salt 3/4 tsp
Butter 5 3/8 oz.
Cold water...depends on the dough at Tblsp at a time till the dough is holding together You need more for flaky then you do for mealy. Mix the flour sugar salt and butter until the pieces of butter are the appropriate size for either flaky or mealy dough. Add the water to the flour until it is incorporated
Blind baking (Only if pie shell is called for it. For the pecan Pie you dont need to.) Line the shell with weights and place in a convection oven at 385 F. After 10 min remove weights and finish till golden brown
Pecan Pie
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup Margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3 Eggs
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup corn or maple syrup
1/2 cup Light Cream
1 Cup Pecans
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a double boiler combine the brown sugar and butter. Add sugar. Mix eggs in 1 at a time. Beat well. Add salt, syrup and cream. Cook stirring constantly for 5 min. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into pie shell and bake for 50 to 55 min or until set.
So the first trick is cold butter. You want the butter to be freezing cold when you are mixing it into the flour. After you have mixed the dough together you want to let it set for at least 30 min in the fridge. This relaxs the gluten making it so that your crust wont shrink when cooked. After the 30 min or so roll it out. You don't want too much flour on the surface or else it will dry out the dough, but you also want your dough to be always moving. So don't worry about putting flour on the surface to much. My trick is just do a little at time. When rolling out the dough never move your body, move the dough so you are constantly doing a forward and backward motion not a to the right and back to the left and back. Just rotate your dough, this also helps you to check if you have enough flour. Don't roll out your dough too much. You just need it rolled out enough so that you have about one inch hanging over the edge of the pie tin. Also when rolling the dough out it doesn't stay in a perfect circle sometimes it starts cracking. Don't keep going if this starts to happen. Its easier to fix in the beginning then it is towards the end. just take a piece of dough that is extra and pinch it into the crack. Also if your dough starts getting warm. Put it in the cooler. You don't want to over work the dough. An easy way to move the dough to the pan is to roll it loosely on your rolling pin the unroll it on your pie tin. Cut away any extra dough and then fold in the inch so that your crust will be nice and thick. After you can do a nice little design around the edge. Just make sure that it is very exaggerated. If you don't it will disappear when baking. Once you are to this point relax the dough by putting it in your fridge. Now depending on if its a cream pie or a pie you are going to back with the filling you either blind bake it. Stabbing it with a fork a couple times. Filling it with beans (removing the beans after the sides are cooked so you can finish cooking the bottom. For the pecan pie you will just fill it with your filling and bake it as the instructions would have you bake it. Also there are two different types of dough Flaky and Mealy. Mealy is where the butter chunks in your crust are more incorporated. Flaky will have large butter chunks. Mealy is used for fillings such as pecan or blueberry where it has a lot of liquid. Flaky would be the kind you use for cream pies of ones with fillings that aren't so liquid based. My recipes are mostly going to be in oz)
Pie Dough ( this recipe is for 1 pound of dough which is more then 1 pie. I think its an oz for every inch your pie tin is)
7 3/4 oz pastry flour (All purpose works)
Sugar 3/8 oz
Salt 3/4 tsp
Butter 5 3/8 oz.
Cold water...depends on the dough at Tblsp at a time till the dough is holding together You need more for flaky then you do for mealy. Mix the flour sugar salt and butter until the pieces of butter are the appropriate size for either flaky or mealy dough. Add the water to the flour until it is incorporated
Blind baking (Only if pie shell is called for it. For the pecan Pie you dont need to.) Line the shell with weights and place in a convection oven at 385 F. After 10 min remove weights and finish till golden brown
Pecan Pie
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup Margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3 Eggs
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup corn or maple syrup
1/2 cup Light Cream
1 Cup Pecans
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a double boiler combine the brown sugar and butter. Add sugar. Mix eggs in 1 at a time. Beat well. Add salt, syrup and cream. Cook stirring constantly for 5 min. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into pie shell and bake for 50 to 55 min or until set.
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