Pie Crust Recipes

 

Pie Crust for one double 9” pie (I usually divide this dough into 3)
2 ½ c. flour, plus extra for dusting dough and work surface
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
12 Tbsp butter, chilled, cut into ¼ inch pieces
½ c. coconut oil, chilled
½ c. (or less) ice-water

Put dry ingredients into food processor.  Scatter butter pieces and shortening over the top, and process until butter bits are smaller than peas.  Dump mixture into bowl and sprinkle on enough ice water while mixing just to get dough to come together.  Shape into 2 equal balls, and then flatten and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to two days.  Then roll out into a 12” circle.  Fold gently in half and transfer to pie pan.  Fill, top with other crust, fold over edges together, crimp or flute edges, and slit top.  Bake at 400 until top crust is golden about 20-25 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350 and bake until juices are bubbly another 30-40 minutes longer.  For a prettier top, brush with egg wash and dust with sugar crystals, or decorate.  If edges burn you can cover them with foil.

Sunny's favorite pie crust: Four & Twenty Blackbirds' All-Butter Crust- from FOOD52 

(best to make this the night before) (goes great with fruit pies)

(dough for one single crust 9-10 pie, or a double-crust pie)

1 1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 stick (1/4 lb) cold unsalted butter, cut up

1/2 c. cold water

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (acv)

1/2 c. ice

Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl

Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.

With a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until butter is mostly pea-sized; be careful not to overblend

Combine the water, acv, and ice in a large measuring cup or small bowl.

Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture and mix and cut in until fully incorporated.

Add more of the ice water mixture, 1-2 Tbsp at a time, using the bench scraper or hands to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining. 

Squeeze and pinch with your fingers to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more drops of the ice water mixture if necessary to combine. 

Shape dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight to give the crust time to mellow.

If making the double-crust version, divide the dough in half before shaping each portion into flat discs.

Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month

Sour Cream Pie Crust (no food processor necessary)

1 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

10 Tbsp butter frozen (1 stick plus 2 Tbsp more)

1/2 c.  cold sour cream (not lowfat or light) plus up to another 1/4 c. if needed, or ice-water

It's always nice to make your pie crust the day before to save time and energy. In one bowl mix together dry ingredients. Using a cheese grater, grate frozen butter into the flour mixture as fast as possible so butter stays frozen. Fluff together now and then, so the butter pieces are coated with the flour mixture. Return to freezer immediately for 15 minutes.

Remove from freezer and smash in the sour cream with a fork. If not wet enough, add the extra sour cream or ice-water. Don't overwork the dough or it will become dense and gummy. As soon as you can get it to come together into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Then roll out on a lightly floured surface into two crusts- a top and bottom, or two bottoms. Keep refrigerated until ready to fill and bake. (If using a top crust, cover with foil lightly for half the baking time so top crust doesn't burn before bottom crust is ready). 

If just doing bottom crusts and if you need to pre-bake it for filling, line the cold crust with a sheet of foil and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Then remove weights and foil and bake another 10-12 minutes until nicely golden.

Leslie's Never Fail Pie Crust

3 c. flour

1 1/2 c. shortening (not butter or lard)

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 Tbsp vinegar

6 Tbsp cold water

Using a pastry blender, mix flour, shortening and salt until crumbly. In a cup beat together egg, vinegar, and water with a fork. Form a well in center of flour mixture and pour in egg mixture. Blend well. Shape dough into approximately 6 balls and roll out. Prepare pie according to individual recipe. 

Can it be prepared ahead? Yes- keep covered

Can it be frozen? Yes

My young women leader Leslie Tidwell gave me this gem. It was her most treasured possession, or so she said. She had it copied on cards and stashed everywhere. No matter what the weather, or how sloppy you make it, it never fails. Perhaps there are better recipes out there now and this one is out-dated, but this pie-crust always gets compliments.