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.Perfecting Pie Crust




Source of Recipe


Carole Walter, King Arthur Flour

Here are a few things you should know before you get out the flour and pie pans:

• When making a dough by hand, the butter and/or shortening should be chilled, but not to the point of being rock hard.

• Always use a large bowl when making a piecrust. "It's very difficult to handle pastry in a small bowl. A 4-quart Pyrex bowl is perfect."

• When handling dough with your hands and it sticks, wash your hands immediately, then return to the dough. "Never try to handle dough with sticky hands."

• "If you're making a crust in a food processor, it's essential that all your ingredients are chilled," even the flour. Walter suggests putting all dry ingredients in the processor bowl and freezing it for about 15 minutes or refrigerating it for about 30 minutes.

• You can mix the dry ingredients with the cubed fat in the work bowl of a food processor, but be sure to transfer the dough to a large bowl when you're ready to add the water. "Adding the liquid in the processor is damaging to the crust," Walter says. In a food processor, it's too difficult to control the dough's texture. When the dough is in a bowl, add the water by hand.

• Never try to roll out a pastry that is too cold, as it will crack. The pastry is ready to roll if an imprint remains after you press it with a finger. If the dough was made ahead of time, take it out of the refrigerator. If it's too cold, let it soften enough at room temperature to leave an imprint.

• If your dough is made with all lard and/or vegetable shortening, you'll be able to work with it directly from the refrigerator.

• A dough made with all butter will need to warm slightly (10 to 15 minutes at room temperature) before rolling, as butter becomes brittle when refrigerated. Dough made with a combination of butter and shortening should rest for 5 minutes at room temperature before rolling.

• "When rolling out your crust, don't roll back and forth. People have a tendency to press too much on the dough. If it starts to look like the map of California, you know you're doing something wrong." Keep an even pressure on the dough so the edges do not get too thin.

• For a perfect circle, imagine the pastry disk is the face of a clock. Start from the center and roll to the 12. Next, roll to the 6, then the 3 and the 9. Each time you roll, start from the center. Roll again starting with the 12, but this time roll to the 1, the 2, the 3, etc., until you've rolled full circle. Repeat 2 to 3 more times until desired size has been reached.

• "Never soak fresh fruit in water to prevent it from discoloring. Some recipes call for soaking apples and pears in acidulated water. But water is the enemy of the fruit pie, as this will produce a soggy crust. When you bake a pie, any discoloration that takes place beforehand disappears," she said.

• Always use pie plates made of oven-tempered glass, such as Pyrex. "That's absolutely the best thing to bake a fruit pie in."

• If the edges of your crust appear to be over-browning, make aluminum foil bands. Cut two 3-inch wide strips of 18-inch heavy-duty foil. Fold 1 inch of each strip to the center, making a double thickness of foil on one side. Cover edges of pie with the bands, keeping the double fold on top of the dough. Seal bands with tape.

• To catch any juices, make an aluminum foil drip pan with sides and set below your pie while it bakes.