I think making pie dough is easy. There are a few ingredients and a few steps. It is not a difficult task, requiring advanced culinary knowledge and specialized equipment. Just like most things, making pie dough takes practice. Maybe your first one won’t turn out like it belongs on the cover of Martha Stewart Living’s November issue. So what? It will taste good. Don’t be afraid! People have been making pie dough for hundreds of years. You can do it, too. Be brave, take the plunge and please don’t buy the stuff in the store. It tastes like chemicals, was not made with love, and devalues the entire pie experience.
Let’s get to it.
Today we’ll be making a cherry pie, though the focus of this post is on the dough. This recipe makes enough dough for two single crust pies or one covered pie.
First off, the ingredients: AP flour (unbleached), sugar, salt, unsalted butter, cold water, and Crisco. If you can find some rendered leaf lard (non-hydrogenated), that’s even better. Tools required: mixing bowl, measuring spoons and cups, butter knife, pastry cutter (or a second butter knife), sharp knife (ravioli cutter or pizza cutter), plastic wrap, pie pan, crust shield.
Very cold butter, shortening, and water is important. Cold fat makes better flakes. So first, I take the stick of butter and cut it in fourths long ways, then cut it into cubes. Place the wrapper back on top and stick it in the freezer. We’ll come back to it later. Also, measure the water and stick it in the freezer with the butter.
Next, I measure the dry ingredients and mix them together with the knife I used to chop the butter and level the flour.
Measure the shortening and add it to the dry ingredients.
Use the butter knife to chop the shortening into small chunks.
Next add the cold butter and, using the pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour. Periodically scrape off the cutter and give the mixture a quick fold with the knife, bringing up the dry flour from the bottom. Continue to cut the fat into the flour until most of the mixture resembles corn meal and some of the butter is pea sized. It should seem like crumbly, wet sand.
Next, pour the cold water over the top of the mixture and begin to cut it in using the butter knife. Cut a few times, then fold from the bottom. The goal here is to gently and evenly incorporate the water, with as little stirring as possible.
Once it begins to come together, dump the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it a few time (five to ten) to just evenly distribute the moisture.
Cut the dough in half.
Wrap each half in plastic wrap.
And place them in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
After the dough has chilled, unwrap one half and roll it out on a floured surface. Start from the center, turning the dough several times to keep things even. If it tears you can rejoin the edges with just a little water. My crust never rolls out pretty, perfect, or round. I’m ok with that.
Gently roll the dough back up onto the rolling pin and drape it into the pie pan. Cut off the excess, leaving about 3/4″ of overhang. And save those scraps. Put the plastic wrap back over the dough and stick the pan back into the fridge.
Cherry pie looks nice with a lattice top, especially a woven lattice, so I’ve rolled out the second piece of dough and cut it into strips with my ravioli cutter. I cover it back up too and place it in the fridge to stay cold while I make my filling.
I use canned cherries in water and follow the recipe in The Joy of Cooking for Cheery Pie with Canned or Bottled Fruit. Once the filling has stood for 15 minutes, fill the pie and top with the lattice. When baking a pie with a wet filling, it helps to brush the bottom crust with a bit of beaten egg yolk, which will help to seal the crust and keep it from getting soggy.
The filling goes into the bottom crust and the edges get brushed with cold water. To make the woven lattice, lay some strips over the surface in one direction, then fold every other one back on itself. Lay a strip perpendicular to the others and fold the strips back over. Fold the strips that you left laying flat back over themselves and lay down another perpendicular strip. Repeat this on each side, producing the woven lattice. If you do not wish to make a lattice, cover the pie with the top crust and cut a few vents for the steam to escape. Cut off the excess crust and add it to your pile of scraps. Then, realize you didn’t dot the top of the pie with butter before you put the crust on, just like last time. Curse under your breath that you forgot, again. Underline that step in the recipe. Sneak a few pieces of butter in under the lattice.
Press the top and bottom crusts together and fold and crimp them into a high rim. Press the edges between your pointer and middle finger of one hand and thumb of the other to create a decorative edge.
Then get that pie in the oven! I have a pizza pan with a bit of parchment paper covering it, which I slip under the pie after the oven temperature has been reduced (a few pies bake at two temperatures), which helps to catch all the juices that bubble out and make a sticky mess inside the oven.
✯Frugal Baker Note: Pie Crust Cookies! Gather your scrapes of dough and form them into small pieces. Spread them with softened butter and dust with cinnamon sugar. Place these on a small baking sheet and place them in the oven with the pie. They are done when they are puffed slightly and just starting to turn brown around the edges.
Use your crust shield (or folded aluminum foil) if the edges start to brown before the pie is done.
Pie Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
1. Thoroughly mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl
2. Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients
3. Cut in the butter, stopping once most of the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal and some pieces of butter are pea sized
4. Mix in the water until just combined. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, knead briefly, cut in half.
5. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Roll out one half into a 13 inch round and place into a pie pan. Cover and place back into the fridge to chill.
7. Roll out the second half and, if forming a lattice top, cut into strips. Cover and place in fridge to chill.
8. Prepare desired filling.
9. Fill pie, finish with top crust and bake.
10. Spread softened butter on the scrapes and dust with cinnamon sugar. Bake these on a small baking sheet, or upside down pie tin until puffy and slightly browned around the edges.
Show Me Kate 