learn to make a good pie crust

Pie crust is hard for me because I have no patience. Then I learned the vodka trick & now I make reeeeeeeeeealy GREAT pie crusts in no time! My kids even have me form the leftover crust into “Crust cookies,” brush it with butter & sugar then bake it along with the pie for an extra special treat.

This is my favorite recipe http://dinnerbabe.blogspot.com/2008/10/perfect-pie-crust-fast.html it comes out perfectly & doesn’t really need rolling. I just pat it with my hands until it is the right size & thickness.

I agree with some of the other posts, keep the water very cold, and when you handle the dough, keep it minimal, and make sure your hands are cold (I keep a bowl of iced water next to me).

For a double-crusted pie:
Two cups sifted flour
1/2 cup olive oil
bit of salt
combine with a fork
add up to 3 tablespoons of cold water
There you are. Now get two pieces of wax paper. Wet the countertop and slap down a piece of the paper-the moisture on the counter helps it stick. Put half the dough on there and put the other piece of wax paper on top.
Roll it out and then peel off the top piece of wax paper.
Stretch the remaining piece of paper and peel off the crust.
You’ll get the hang of it after making the first one.
The best part of this, besides it being super simple, is that it’s healthy AND tasty.

1. Use COLD water (I put ice in mine to get it really cold);
2. Add water a little at a time until you have the dough just right…you don’t want too much or too little;
3. If you chill the dough before you roll it out, make sure to let it warm back up to (near) room temperature before rolling it out.

in Shirley Corriher’s CookWise. They are detailed, but only so you can understand the principles involved. And the first couple ogf times, they seem time-consuming anc omplicated… but after three X I got it down.

She also explains lots of pie crust esoterica in a truly thorough manner: how to bake an empty pie crust so it doesn’t shrink; why you ideally would use slightly different crusts for custard or pecan pies than fruit pies, et al.

I am generally considered an exceelnt cook, but always thought that my pie crusts were not as good as they ought to be. Shirley, bless her heart, taught me how to make several pie crusts that are noit just okay or good enough but excellent.

Ahirley rules! She is Crust Queen and will anoint you into the royal family!.

My grandmother taught me how tomake a pie crust when I was a teenager…a skill long lost in the would of Pillsbury dough boy but one that is worth the effort to learn…yum yum

Last night I made and chilled the dough for two crusts, which I’ll roll out this morning. The dough part was a lot easier than I remembered it being the last time I tried; maybe I’ve been making much out of nothing. Or maybe everything will fall apart as soon as I try to roll it out, and I’ll remember why I dreaded this.

It really wasn’t that hard. I just had to buy a pastry cutter. Ta da!

I don’t remember exactly when I perfected pie crust, but I clearly recall the occasions of frustration and failure. The best thing to do when the process goes wrong is scrape the sticky mess off your hands, counter, or walls and call it a day.

I can now turn out a great pie crust almost every time. Here are some things that work well for me:

• Crisco shortening.
I use a two-cup glass measuring cup filled with a cup and 1/4 of really cold water, with a couple ice cubes even, then add the shortening to reach the two-cup mark. This keeps the shortening nice and cool. Use that really cold water when the recipe calls for water.

• Marble board & rolling pin.
Gifts from my partner. The right tools for the job. You need to add less flour when rolling than on a counter or table. The weight of the rolling pin also makes your work easier.

• Minimal dough handling.
It’s so tempting to keep working the dough like bread, but don’t. Make every move count.

I adore Alton Brown, but I don’t care for his pie crust method. I enjoy the tactile experience of working with dough too much.

Patience, practice…
Good luck!

Just watched Good Eats on pie crusts. Alton’s method looks like a bit of a pain, but at least his chemistry lesson explained why my pie crusts shrink so badly in the oven—I use too much water.