Perfect Home Made Butter & Shortening Pie Crust

Making Flaky, Delicious and Easy Pies: Recipes for Holiday Menus

Oct 29, 2008 Elizabeth Richards

Making the perfect homemade pie crust is simple to do. These recipes are quick and easy to prepare and sure to be a favorite for your holiday meals.

Every cook and baker has their own secret to perfecting a pie recipe. Most agree one of the best secrets to the best crust is to use very cold water and butter or shortening. The two basic types of crusts contain either butter or shortening, or a combination of both. Personal taste dictates which way is best for putting together a a quick and easy holiday pie crust.

All Butter Two Crust Pie

This type of crust works well with a really sweet pie.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus several Tablespoons for rolling
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 to 6 Tbsp ice water

1. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour so that they become thoroughly chilled.
2. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal,with pea size pieces of butter. Add the ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. It's ready when we can pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together. If it does not hold, add a little more water and pulse again.
3. Remove dough and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 round, flat pieces of dough. Knead gently, but do not over-knead. We should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough, these are what makes the crust flaky. Sprinkle a Tbs. of flour around each round. Wrap each circle in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
4. To roll, remove one circle and let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. As the dough rolls, make sure it is not sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour underneath dough if it starts to stick. Place disc onto a 9-inch pie plate and gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides. If necessary, trim dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.
5. Add desired filling to the pie.
6. Roll out second circle the same as first and gently place onto the top of the filling. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Fold edge of top piece of dough over and under the edge of bottom and flute edge using thumb and finger or press with a fork. Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust so that steam can escape while the pie is baking. Or use a small cookie cutter and cut vents before putting top on pie.

Prepare this crust in the same way except use

• 3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8 Tbsp)

in place of just butter. This recipe calls for a little more fat, a total of 1 1/4 cup butter/shortening instead of just 1 cup butter. Mix ingredients and prepare crust as above.

For a nice finish, "paint" the top crust with an egg wash to make crust shiny.

The copyright of the article Perfect Home Made Butter & Shortening Pie Crust in Baking & Desserts is owned by Elizabeth Richards. Permission to republish Perfect Home Made Butter & Shortening Pie Crust in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Perfect Homemade Pie Crust

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