Pie Crust

[lanco]

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Crisco
4 tablespoons cold water

1. Combine first three ingredients. Cut the shortening into the flour making very fine pieces.

2. Spirnkle in water one tablespoon at a time until the flour is all moistened.

3. Gather the dough into a ball using your hands. Cut the dough ball in half since theis recipe makes 2 crusts.

4. Flatten the dough on a floured surface and roll out a round shape.

Hint: If you moisten your counter-top, you can place wax paper down, flour it lightly, roll out the dough, and thenlift it up and gently place the crust over the pie pan.

Yield: two eight-inch pie crusts

Hint: Do not handle the dough too much. (Just the opposite of bread). Over-handling and re-forming of dough causes a tough, not flaky pie crust.

 

[cookies140]

pie crust

Really nice recipe. I just printed it.

Eileen

 

[lanco]

Thanks for your response, Ellen. I hope you have great success with your pie crust.

 

[cookies140]

You are very welcome. I love pie and know I'll have success.

Eileen

 

[kitchenelf]

I've never made my own pie crust - I guess this is a good time to start!!!! Thanks for the recipe. It doesn't look hard but I have always been afraid to "bake".

 

[cookies140]

Don't be afraid to bake...it's one of the easiest things to do and fun besides!

 

[Norma]

I get great complements on my pies, quiches, and home made pot pies...and I'll tell you my secret ( Shhhhh!) Pillsbury refrigerator pie crusts! Never the frozen kind! Flute the edges, get fancy with lattice , go all out on the fillings and toppings.....!!!!! Sit back and enjoy the compliments!

 

[kitchenelf]

I want to be like Norma. If I made mine from scratch I'm afraid everyone would

 

[Carol7368]

Yes, I swear by those Pillsbury crusts and have used them for many years! I don't have the patience for making pie crusts, and these are so easy to keep in the refrigerator. I especially like them for fried pies - cut out with a drinking glass, put in about a teaspoon of filling, fold over and seal with a fork and fry or bake - roll in cinnamon sugar and plan on making MANY of them, cause people pop them into their mouth like peanuts. One of the best desserts you can serve and not a bit of trouble Carol

 

[Norma]

What a great idea! We're always having some sort of potluck luncheon at work, and that sure would be an "easy to serve for a crowd" dessert! I keep the Pillsbury crusts on hand at all times! And it's not that I can't make a good pie crust myself...but I've served a homemade crust, and Pillsbury at the same family dinner, and no one could tell which was which...Shoot, even Emeril thinks their ok! He was whipping up a pie last week, explaining "baking blind" and mentioned you could even use one of the good quality refrigerated crusts! LOL!

 

[Carol7368]

Norma, When you make them, stack a bunch of layers and cut all at the same time. I love these crusts for appetizers and desserts, cause you can always count on their consistency. When I make my own, according to the weather, crusts can be flaky or tough; but the Pillsbury are always the same!

 

[gduncann]

I use to make retched pie crust, then I found Aunt Daisies Pastry and it is wonderful. Absolutly the most forgiving pie crust I have ever worked with.

5 cups of all purpose flour
1 pound butter, margarine or shortening

Cut flour and shortening together using a wire pastryblender.

Put one egg and 1 tablespoon of vinager in a 1 cup measure, mix. then fill the measure the rest of the way with cold water. Add to the flour mixture and stirr round and round with a fork until all the flour is moistened and comes together in a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead ever so gently. Acturally, your are more just sort of shoveing it together rather than really kneading it. Form into to disks, flatten a bit, wrap in plastic and chill for 20 to 30 minuites. The roll and use as desired.

This makes enough for 2 top and bottom crust 8 to 9 inch pies with enouugh left over for decorations.

I use this for all my pastry needs.

 

[Norma]

I always keep a supply of the Dough Boy's crusts on hand, in the freezer. Like you say Carol, they are consistant. I just take a pack out of the freezer, and let it thaw while I make the filling. Now on the fillings, I go all out.....even Emeril and MS would approve of my chicken pot pie filling!! totally fresh and homemade, EVERYTHING

 

[cookies140]

pie crust

Thanks Geraldine...I've been watching your recipes for quite awhile now and I just printed this one out...can't go wrong with your recipes!

 

[gduncann]

Dear Cookie,

Thanks so much. Some mornings we really need an ego lift. I think you'll realy like Aunt Dasies pastry. You can use it to make pies and pastries, freeze them and then bake, as well. If yuwish to freexe just the plain pastry to use later, be sure to make it into flat disks no more than an inch thick before wrapping and freezing.

 

[cookies140]

pie crust

I'm so glad you told me about the discs not being more than an inch thick because I probably would have rolled the doggoned things out and had them crack. I always take your suggestions as you really are a spectacular cook!

My freezer is one of those that are right at the top of the refrigerator, but I can squeeze a couple crusts in there now that I know how to do it. Thanks.

 

[Carol7368]

Geraldine, It's so cold and windy here in Atlanta, that I'm going to take Monday and try your pie crust recipe. I think more than anything else, baking things such as pie crusts, biscuits, etc. comes from practice. Just the getting familiar with a recipe or a technique has a lot to do with the success we have in different areas of cooking. I always try to encourage people who are just starting to find their way around the kitchen (either because they are only beginning to find the time to cook or because their situation is such that home cooking is more appealing than it ever has been), to just do the same thing over and over until they can do it without even thinking. There's a reason you play Chop Stix before you jump into Moonlight Sonata, and you don't bake a souffle before you learn how to scramble eggs! I'll be practicing tomorrow - thanks for the recipe Geraldine! Carol