ATWT Discussion Group

Topic: Question for pie bakers

Hello All,

I have always loved to bake pies. I remember making a cherry pie for a boy I liked in the 7th grade. I was making a strawberry/rhubarb pie when my husband proposed to me. (I got flour all over him, I was so excited.) I always used Crisco but when we were living in Australia I couldn't find anything like Crisco so started using butter. Now that I live in Arizona, I have a hard time with the crusts because they dry out before I can get them in the pan. So I finally gave up and started using the ready made crusts, the kind that are rolled up that you get in the dairy section. BUT when I was at my daughter's at Christmas, she wanted me to make the crusts from scratch using Crisco. It was a disaster! We tried everything we could think of the the crusts just crumbled. My daughter thinks that the problem is that since they took the trans fats out of Crisco the consistency has changed. Do any of you make pie crusts from scratch? If so, what do you use?

I'm a pastry chef and I've been making pies for about 20 years.

I use a ratio of half Crisco sticks and half butter. About 2 ounces of each, but it depends on your favorite recipe. I freeze the 2 ounces of Crisco overnight before using. The Crisco is for tenderness and the butter is for flavor and browning.

For the flakiest, tenderest crusts, everything must be cold. I add ice cubes to the water so that it is freezing cold. The butter is straight from the fridge.

If your dough is dry, sprinkle and toss in the ice cold water about a tablespoon at a time. I just use a fork to toss in the water and I work it in quickly. I've never had luck with anything else. Squeeze a bit of dough with your hand. If it comes together kinda like playdoe it's done. If it's crumbly, add a little bit more water.

After you're happy with the dough, wrap it up and let it rest in the fridge for an hour or two. This relaxes the gluten in the flour so that it does not shrink while baking. It also allows all the moisture to evenly distribute.

Hope this helps. Once you do it a couple of times, it's really easy and fun.

Replies: (list all replies)

Thanks, Bubbles. I think I am going to have to add more water. I, too, put ice cubes in my water and use as little as I can. But I have to adjust for the dry climate. One thing I do is to take a paper towel, wet it, then wring it out as much as I can and wrap the dough in the towel and put it in a plastic bag and put it in the fridge. That seems to help. I never thought of using half Crisco and half butter. I'll try that./mm

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Posted by: Tosca
Date posted: Wed Jan 16 18:49:08 2008
Message:

My mom always used Flako pie crust mix.  I always had trouble transferring the crust to the pie plate.  I will now admit I'm lazy and just buy the Pillsbury crusts rolled up in the refrigerator section. I can tell you that the Pillsbury is definitely better than the store brand crusts. 

In the past, pie crusts were always flakiest if made with lard.  That's pretty much a taboo lately.  Up until the early 70's, a lot of commercial cookies and crackers were made with lard (listed as "animal shortening" on labels)  But when people found out it was lard, they freaked so the government said companies had to label exactly which kind of shortening it was.  Lard went by the wayside and all the cookie and cracker recipes were changed.  So if anyone says a Ritz cracker doesn't taste as good as it did when they were a kid, they probably have a point. 

Subtle changes in Crisco can make a difference in the finished product, so it's very possible the zero trans fats thing will cause a need for modifications in recipes from now on.  A good cook experiements. And then there's me --- lazy me --- who will buy the rolled up ones.

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Posted by: Katnim
Date posted: Wed Jan 16 13:53:21 2008
Message:

The recipe I use I got from my sister-in-law and I use cold margarine. The recipe also includes an egg and milk.

I make apple squares with this recipe and they are great for a large group.

2.1/2 cups flour

one teaspoon salt,

one cup cold margaring (I use Parkay)

one med. egg separated

milk about one cup

Replies: (list all replies)

OOPS that should read margarine

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Posted by: lilredhed
Date posted: Wed Jan 16 13:37:54 2008
Message:
Hi,  I make my crusts from scratch but I use butter mostly.  When I do use crisco, I have the same problem.  So when it gets a little too dry I use a bit of water.  Not too much just enough to moisten the dough.  And to make it flakey I use 2 tblsp of vinegar.  some people think that is weird but you never taste it.  I never measure how much butter I put in or flour, I just go by the consistancy and texture.  My grandmother taught me that cause she never measured anything either.   But they always turn out good.

Replies: (list all replies)

You must be a good cook-

thanks, I do love to cook. I always wanted to own my own bakery or country style restaurant. Maybe someday I will do both..lol.

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