When rolling dough, place the dough round on a lightly floured surface. Add a little more flour if the dough sticks when rolling. Always roll from the centre of the dough out to the edge, lift and start from the centre again. Don't roll back-and-forth or the pastry will be tough.
Diane's Pastry for 1 Single Crust Pie
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup lard
- 3-5 Tbsp cold water
- In a bowl, mix flour & salt.
- Cut in lard until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until pastry holds together.
- Shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to fit a 10 inch pie plate.
- Flute edges, fill and bake as pie recipe directs.
Never-Fail Pie Crust #1
Makes a flaky crust. Pastry dough keeps in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, till you need it. Take out of fridge to come to room temperature before using.
- 4 cups all-purpose white flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1-1/2 cups lard (Tenderflake) OR 1-3/4 cups vegetable shortening (Crisco)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 cup cold water
- Sift 4 c. flour, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking powder into a large bowl.
- Using a pastry blender, mix with 1-3/4 cup shortening or 1-1/2 cups lard.
- In a measuring cup, mix 1/2 cup very cold water with 1 well-beaten egg. Mix in 1 tsp vinegar.
- Stirring with a fork, add liquid to the flour mixture, and use your hands to form the dough.
- Divide dough into 4 equal portions, form rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
- Take cold dough from the fridge to come to near-room temperature before rolling.
Never-fail Pie Crust #2
Makes 3 pastry crusts
- 1-1/2 cups vegetable shortening
- 3 cups all-purpose white flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vinegar
- 5 Tbsp. cold water
- Mix together shortening, flour and salt.
- Beat together egg, vinegar and water.
- Add liquid a little at a time to blend and follow steps 4-6 as in Pie Crust #1.
Butter and Shortening Double Crust Pie Dough
This is Boston pastry chef Louise Miller's recipe for a double crust mixed in a food processor. Makes enough dough for a deep dish 9" pie.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 12 Tbsp (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp solid vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
- 6 Tbsp (or more) ice water
- In a food processor, pulse together 3 cups flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, 3 Tbsp shortening until mixture looks golden and resembles coarse cornmeal.
- Pour flour mixture into a large bowl.
- Add the 3 Tbsp ice water a tablespoon at a time, lightly fluffing the mixture with your fingers, until the dough just begins to come together. Squeeze a little dough in your hand and if it clumps do not add more water.
- Gather dough into a ball, divide into two pieces, flatten into 2 discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Roll out dough 1 disc at a time. Don't use too much flour (add a bit more if the dough is sticking to the table, but once added you can't take it away.) Never roll pastry dough using a back-and-forth motion, always work from the centre and roll out to keep from working the gluten too much.
- Use one rolled out dough disc to line a 9" deep dish pie pan.
- Place the second rolled-out dough disc on a cookie sheet.
- Place both discs back in the refrigerator to rest until filling the pie.
- Before filling, brush the pastry bottom lining the pie plate with beaten egg white.
