Best Basic Pie Pastry Recipes

BASIC PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and ice water and work that in with your hands. (Or do the whole thing in a food processor, pulsing a couple of times to combine the dry ingredients, then pulsing in the butter, and then the egg.) Check the consistency of the dough by squeezing a small amount together between thumb and forefingers: You want there to be just enough moisture to bind the dough so that it holds together without being too wet or sticky. If it's still crumbly, add a little more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. When you get it to the right consistency, shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. Put it in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

BASIC PIE & PASTRY CRUST + TIPS & TRICKS

Steps:

• Cut shortening into flour/salt until it looks like peas.
• Add very cold water all at once and quickly toss with a fork; shape into a ball being careful not to over knead.
• Divide dough in half and roll thin.
• This makes two single piecrusts or one double crust pie.
• TIPS AND TRICKS:.
• To avoid a soggy crust, try brushing the bottom of the crust with egg white before adding fruit; filling the shell *just* before baking also helps prevent sogginess; sogginess can also be caused from the oven temperature being too low or the time too short.
• For a flakier upper crust, brush lightly with cold water before popping in the oven; also keep ingredients and dough cold until baked.
• To prevent the crust from shrinking, avoid stretching the dough as you roll it and avoid stretching it when placed in the pie plate; allowing the pie shell to rest about 30 minutes before baking will also help prevent shrinking.
• Never shake the flour while placing in the measuring cup; instead, level it with the back of a knife.
• Toss ingredients with a fork, lightly and quickly, rather than stirring.
• Don't use too much water; about 1/2 c of iced water to 2 cups of flour.
• To prevent burning of the crust, try baking the pie in a large paper bag stapled closed, being sure that it doesn't touch any part of the oven; or use an oven- roasting bag.
• Try rolling some grated cheese into the dough when making an apple pie.
• Try adding toasted slivered almonds to piecrust that you intend to fill with a cream filling or cherry filling.

BASIC PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Divide into three portions. Add some of the ice water to one portion of the mixture, a little at a time, working just until the dough holds together. Set aside. Repeat with each of the remaining two portions. Gather all the dough together into a smooth ball and flatten into a disk. Add more ice water if still dry. Wrap well with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
• Flour a board, wax paper, or pie cloth and use a floured or stockinged rolling pin to roll out the dough. Place the dough disk in the center of the floured surfaced. Starting in the center of the dough, roll to, but not over, the top edge of the dough. Go back to the center, and roll down to, but not over, the bottom edge. Pick up the dough and turn it a quarter circle. This will keep it round and keep it from sticking.
• Continue rolling, repeating the quarter turns until you have a disk 1/8 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches larger than your pan. Fold in quarters.
• Place the pastry in a 9-inch pie pan with the tip of the triangle in the center and unfold. Trim the pastry 1 inch larger than the pie pan and fold the overhanging pastry under itself. To decorate, press the tines or handle end of a fork around the edge. To make a fluted pattern, use both of your thumbs to pinch the dough all around the rim so that the edge of the dough stands up. Place in the freezer or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 3 days, wrapped before baking.
• To prebake, preheat the oven to 425°F. Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Crumple a piece of wax paper, then open it out to the edges of the pan. Weight the paper with raw rice or dried peas. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the paper and rice or peas and paper. (The rice or peas may be used again the next time you prebake a pie crust.) Now the prebaked shell can be filled with a filling and baked according to the filling directions. If the filling requires no cooking, bake the pie shell 10 minutes before filling.
• Two-Crust Pie Directions
• If making a two-crust pie, double the ingredients and make the bottom crust larger than the top crust. Dampen the rim of the bottom crust before putting on the top one, then seal the two together. Be very careful not to stretch either dough, so they stay together when baked.

BASIC PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour and salt. Add shortening; cover and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. While processing, gradually add soda until dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., For two single crust pies, on a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond edge of plate; flute edges. Repeat with remaining pastry. Fill or bake according to recipe directions., For a double crust pie, divide dough in half so that one portion is slightly larger than the other. On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger portion to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry to 1 in. beyond edge of plate. Add filling., Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Bake according to recipe directions.

BASIC PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs with some small pieces of butter remaining. Add ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, drizzling over flour mixture and tossing with a fork, just until dough begins to hold together. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap; gather into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap; press into a disk shape. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Unwrap dough onto a lightly floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll pastry to a 12 inch round. Fold pastry in half; ease gently into a 9-inch pie plate. Unfold dough; trim edges to ¾ inch overhang. Turn edges under, then crimp with fingers. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour, then follow recipe directions.