The Crust Edition - Week 5 Bonus Pie Fries

My favorite part of the pie is the crust! And I always love when there is extra crust to sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on to bake up to make some pie fries.

When I would tell people about the Pie Challenge, the most common question was "Are you going to make your own crust?" Since this is a Pie Challenge, I've committed myself to making homemade crust for every pie this year. In the past, I have been known to use a frozen crust and will continue to occasionally do so after this year. In fact, I will encourage you to use a frozen crust if it means the difference between making a pie or not making a pie. 

Years ago, I was a fan of the Crisco pie crust; however as I've matured, my tastes have changed. It may be the fact that after years of cooking for quantity; I'm finally ready to move on to quality. First, I tried a lard crust, and it was just okay with the lard that was available in the store. I've been told that a high-quality lard makes a better crust; so I will keep my eye out for that because I'm not planning on rendering my own lard to produce a fine lard. Then I made the all butter recipe, and it was good.  And, I still have a few other recipes that I plan on trying, but this recipe is "the one" for now with a blend of Crisco and butter.

The key to a good flaky crust is to keep the fat in small intact pieces. To achieve this, you'll want to use super cold ingredients. I actually stick my Crisco in the freezer a couple hours ahead of time and place ice cubes in my water and get a tablespoon out of my glass as I need it.  Also, the key is to work quickly; so your dough doesn't get overworked.

I used some Kansas flour, Hudson Cream, which is located just south of me. Yes, that is a big 25 lb. bag; I can't imagine that people used to buy it in 100 lb. bags. I also prefer the salted butter; however, I know that many bakers prefer unsalted butter. So, keep that in mind when you're deciding between salted and unsalted; and then adding salt to your dough.










Never Fail Crust (Yield 1 Double Crust or 2 Single Crusts)

Ingredients:
2 cups Flour
1 t. Salt (less if using salted butter)
1/2 cup Butter, cubed and cold
1/2 cup Crisco, cold
1 Egg, beaten
1 t. Vinegar
5 T. Ice Cold Water

Directions:

Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter and Crisco until it resembles coarse sand. Lightly toss egg, vinegar, and 2 T. water into the flour mixture. Add 1 T. water at a time just until dough is held together, but not sticky. Divide dough into two. Shape each dough into a flat disk with your hands. Roll out on flour-covered surface quickly with as little contact as possible. 

You may prepare these ahead of time and store each disk tightly wrapped in refrigerator for a few hours or day; or in the freezer for a little longer.

I actually quadrupled this recipe to see what happens when you freeze the dough. I found out even in this frigid weather that if you set it out an hour ahead of time, it is a perfect consistency to roll out for your crust. It is so nice to be able to pull out a disk of dough out of the freezer and not have to make the crust from the beginning. I'll be disappointed when my stash is gone.



Many people roll their dough out on waxed paper, but I found that my kitchen table sprinkled with flour is my preference. I have multiple rolling pins (wood, teflon-covered metal, and marble); the marble is my hands-down favorite. I found that a kitchen stainless steel scraper works great to get under the crust to help lift it and transfer the pastry into the pie plate. I usually leave about an inch of crust overhang and crimp the crust with the thumb & forefinger of one hand and push with my forefinger of my other hand working around the pie to make a standard crimped edge.

And the best part of making your own crust is the leftovers! I actually made a batch just for my pie fries, and it was a treat. I used a fluted pastry cutter to get that fancy shape, but typically it gets thrown onto a baking sheet just the way it gets trimmed off of the pie crust.





What is your favorite crust? And your favorite tip and trick?