Don’t be intimidated by pie crust: It’s all in the measuring
Pie. Those three little letters can make your heart smile quickly. It is a joy to serve, to smell baking and yes, to make. So cast aside your potential hesitation and let the tips below guide you to pie perfection.
Let’s start with the most crucial part – the crust. Preparing it has become something of a lost art thanks to readyto-bake options. But making your own is easy and incredibly delicious. No matter which recipe you use, always measure accurately. Too much butter or shortening makes it greasy and crumbly. Too much flour can make it tough. Too much cold water can make it soggy and gummy.
When adding the water, only do so a tablespoon at a time and make sure it is ice cold. Toss it in the flour mixture with a fork, pushing to the side of the bowl until the mixture is moist and holds together.
I use a combination of butter and shortening for the crust. Butter contributes flavor and helps the crust brown beautifully. However, shortening is imperative for tender flakiness. Lard actually produces the flakiest crust because of the size of its fat crystals, but it can go rancid quickly. To avoid potential messes, place the filled pie plate on a baking sheet, especially for those with a fruit filling.
For those that are custard based, I check for doneness by using the method my Grandmother taught me. I gently shake the pie pan. If an area in the center of the pie is less than an inch in diameter and moves, it is done. That’s because the filling will continue to set after it is removed from the oven. Or you can insert the blade of a table knife near the center. If it comes out clean, the pie is done.