Pie Dough

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

1. In a bowl, mix flour & salt.
2. Cut in lard until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until pastry holds together.
4. Shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to fit a 10 inch pie plate.
6. 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

1. Sift 4 c. flour, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking powder into a large bowl.
2. Using a pastry blender, mix with 1-3/4 cup shortening or 1-1/2 cups lard.
3. In a measuring cup, mix 1/2 cup very cold water with 1 well-beaten egg. Mix in 1 tsp vinegar.
4. Stirring with a fork, add liquid to the flour mixture, and use your hands to form the dough.
5. Divide dough into 4 equal portions, form rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
6. 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

1. Mix together shortening, flour and salt.
2. Beat together egg, vinegar and water.
3. 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

1. 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.
2. Pour flour mixture into a large bowl.
3. 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.
4. Gather dough into a ball, divide into two pieces, flatten into 2 discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
5. 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.
6. Use one rolled out dough disc to line a 9" deep dish pie pan.
7. Place the second rolled-out dough disc on a cookie sheet.
8. Place both discs back in the refrigerator to rest until filling the pie.
9. Before filling, brush the pastry bottom lining the pie plate with beaten egg white.

Strawberry Butter Pastry Turnovers

Haven't tried this recipe, "Strawberry Hand Pies," clipped from July/Aug 2012 Country Living magazine.

Makes 6 pies. Prep time 40 min. Total time 1 hr. 15 min.

2-3/8 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces 
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 pound strawberries cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup icing sugar
3 tbsp strawberry jam
1 tbsp sanding sugar (decorative sparkle sugar)
3-inch round cookie cutter
parchment paper
baking sheet

Pastry Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In large bowl, combine:
2-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Cut in:
Butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives, till mixture resembles coarse sand.
Add and mix till just combined:
 1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup chilled water
1/2 tsp vanilla
If dough is dry or crumbly and doesn't stay together, add up to 3 tbsp more chilled water.
Knead dough on lightly floured surface 2-3 times, just till dough comes together.
Refrigerate dough in bowl, covered with plastic wrap, till chilled, about 15 min.

Strawberry Filling:

Combine in a medium bowl then set aside:
strawberries
1/2 cup icing sugar
3 tbsp strawberry jam\
1/8 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Assemble Pastries:
Beat together in a small bowl and set aside:
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp water

Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inc thickness.
Using 3" round cookie cutter, cut dough into 6 rounds.
Roll 1 round into a 6 inch circle.
Spoon a heaping 2 tbsp filling onto half of circle, leaving 1/2 inch border.
Brush edges with egg wash.
Fold dough over filling.
Using fork, crimp edges to seal.
Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet
Repeat with remaining dough rounds and filling.

Using a toothpick, poke a few holes in the top of each pastry.
Brush with remaining egg wash.
Sprinkle each pie with 1/2 tsp sanding sugar.

Bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven, 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

(424 calories each)

Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry and Fruit Pies

When he retired, Nan's husband Earl organized all of her recipe clippings in a binder so she could easily access them. Nan told Earl there was an easier way to get a pie-- go buy one at the grocery store.

The Mennonite Pastry is a recipe from Earl's binder. I don't know if Nan ever made it.

The pastry doesn't have to be rolled out as the ingredients are sifted right into the pie pan. Fill the crust with fruit. If using a quiche filling, I'd leave out the sugar.

The first recipe has ingredients mixed in a bowl then patted into the pan with fingers or a fork.

No-Fail Pat-in-a-Pan Baked Pie Crust

Flaky and not tough, for when you need a baked pie crust but don't have a rolling pin.

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• vegetable oil spray

In a bowl, mix together shortenng, sugar, flour, salt with a fork until it looks like corn meal.

Add 3 Tbsp water, one Tbsp at a time, until the dough sticks together.

Spray a 9-inch pie plate with vegetable oil and plop the pie dough into the pan.

Mash the batter into the pan, starting at the edges.

Prick the bottom with a fork and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden.

Mennonite Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry from Earl's Binder
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose white flour OR whole-wheat flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. white granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup oil (corn, canola or vegetable)
• 3 Tbsp. cold milk 

Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a 9-inch pie pan.

In a measuring cup, beat oil and milk together with a fork.

Pour all the oil and milk mixture on top of dry ingredients in the pan.

Mix to dampen all the flour mixture.

Press the dough with your fingers to line the bottom and sides of the plate.

If it's too uneven, use a plate to squish the dough down evenly on the bottom.

Flute the edges with your fingers.

 

Fruit Filling for Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry

• 4 cups berries OR 5 cups peeled & sliced fruit (apples, peaches, pears)
• 3/4 to 1 cup sugar (to taste)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (omit for berry pies) OR 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 - 4 Tbsp flour (the juicier the fruit, the more flour you should use)
• 2 Tbsp soft butter

Wash and drain fruit.

If using apples, pears or peaches, peel and slice the fruit.

In a bowl, toss the fruit with flour, sugar, cinnamon and/or nutmeg. 

Add a teaspoon of lemon juice for tartness if using soft, sweet apple slices.

Pour fruit over unbaked pastry in pan.

Dot with the butter.

Top with crumb topping, if desired, before baking.

Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter

Mix together flour, sugar and cinnamon.

Cut in butter with a fork and blend till crumbly. 

Bake filled pie in a preheated 425 degree F oven 40-45 minutes. 

Note: If you want to bake the shell unfilled to use in another recipe, prick the pastry with a fork and bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or so--keep an eye on it!

Perfect Tenderflake Pastry

My mom is known for her light, flaky pastry. Yesterday, when I visited, she was measuring out flour to make butter tarts and cherry tartlets for Diane's school's staff "treat of the week."

Whenever I bring these to a potluck supper, these tarts quickly disappear. Maybe because they're bite-sized, you think you can have just one. Then another. Maybe three....

Here's the secret to Marilyn's delicate, flaky pastry:

Prepare the pastry dough, according to recipe directions.

Spread a clean, flowered cotton tablecloth over your countertop or kitchen table.

Sprinkle flour over the cloth, and on your rolling pin.

Roll the dough until you can just see the flowers on the cloth through the pastry itself.

The pastry dough should be thin enough to be somewhat translucent, but still thick enough not to tear apart when you lift it onto the pie plate.

(I use Norm's large BBQ spatula or a metal pizza peel to lift the pastry dough.)

Once you learn how thin you should roll your tart and pastry dough, you can switch to using parchment paper instead of the patterned cloth, but washing and reusing the cloth will save you buying parchment paper over the years. 

The pastry recipe my mom has used for years is printed on boxes of Maple Leaf Tenderflake Lard.

This lard is available in Canadian grocery stores and is non-hydrogenated.

I always cut off the measuring tab on the yellow paper box and keep it in my baking drawer as it's a convenient guide for measuring butter, too.

Tenderflake Perfect Pastry in 6 Easy Steps

Yields three 9-inch double crust pies or 6 pie shells. Unused portions can be wrapped and refrigerated or frozen.

• 5-1/2 cups (1.4L) all-purpose flour OR 6 cups (1.5L) cake and pastry flour
• 2 tsp (10 mL) salt
• 1 lb (454g) lard
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cold water

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour and salt.
2. Cut in lard with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
3. In a 1 cup (250 mL) measure, combine vinegar and egg. Add cold water to make 1 cup. Gradually stir liquid into flour/lard mixture, adding only enough water to make dough cling together.
4. Gather into a ball and divide into 6 portions. Wrap portions you will not use right away and refrigerate or freeze.
5. Roll out each portion on lightly floured surface. If dough is sticking, chill 1 to 2 hours.
6. Transfer dough to pie plate. Trim and flute shells or crusts and bake according to your recipe.

Food Processor Butter & Lard Pie Dough

Makes one double-crust 9-inch (23 cm pie)

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup cold lard, cubed
• 1/2 cup cold water (approx)

In food processor, blend flour with salt.

Pulse in butter and lard until coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces.

Continue to pulse, drizzling in water until a ragged dough forms.

Add up to 1 tsp more water if necessary.
Divide in half and shape into discs.

Wrap each and refrigerate until chilled,, about 30 minutes.

If making ahead, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.