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Pie Crust
My mom's pies were legendary, especially her apple pies! And she was such a
sweetheart . . . she'd make one specially for Bill everytime she knew we
were coming to San Diego to visit, and she'd make it so that it was coming out of the oven
the minute we walked in the door so we could eat it piping hot.
Mom made pies as easily as we make toast, and in her later years, she enlisted my dad's help
in peeling and cutting the apples
which was quite a job because she made huge pies on huge aluminum sheet pans. Why? Because her
pies were so delicious that one little 9-inch pie would have been devoured the minute it came
out of the oven with nothing left over for later and what's the point!!! So
instead she made huge pies that managed to last for 4 or 5 days (sometimes).
This is Mom's recipe for two 9-inch pie crusts, one for the top and one for the
bottom. Just so you know how big Mom's pies were, it took 4 batches of this pie crust
recipe to make one pie so when I say her pies were huge, they were huge. This pie crust recipe
is guaranteed easy and foolproof, and more than a recipe, this is actually a tutorial on making pie crust,
and I'll tell you why some pie crusts come out tender and flaky and why some turn out like cardboard.
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 stick Crisco (plain, not butter flavored)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. mayonnaise
Lots of waxed paper
In a large plastic mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt and sugar, and mix really well. You can't hurt the
crust by over-mixing in this step.
Add the Crisco and mix with a plain table fork until most but not all of the Crisco is in large pea-sized
lumps. When the crust is baked, the lumps of shortening melt and leave tiny pockets of air and that's what
makes the crust flaky, so if you mix all of the Crisco into the flour, you'll end up with a thick cardboard crust.
Now sprinkle the water over the top and mix until most but not all of the flour is combined.
If anything, under- rather than over-mix at this stage because over-mixing is what makes the pie crust
tough and heavy. Don't worry about any flour that gets left behind, you'll pick it up in the next step.
Tear off two sheets of waxed paper about 10 inches long and set aside. In the bowl, divide the mixture into
two parts. Working with one part at a time, gently squeeze the dough into a ball, picking up the flour that
hasn't been mixed in . Put the ball in the middle of waxed paper and gently squish it down with your fingers
until it's about the size of a salad plate (the dough will be a very thick hunk). The reason you're shaping it now is
because after you refrigerate it (see next step), it's a lot easier to roll it out when it's semi-shaped rather than in a
ball, and the less you work with the dough from now on, the more tender the finished crust.
Wrap the dough up in the waxed paper. Follow the same procedure for the
second half of the dough. Put both pieces in the fridge for at least half
an hour because you want it to be very cold when you roll it out. At this
stage, you can also freeze the dough but put the wrapped pieces in baggies
before putting them in the freezer.
Now, assuming the dough is very cold, tear off 4 long pieces of waxed paper and set them aside.
Take one piece of dough out of the fridge, unwrap it, put it in the middle of
one piece of waxed paper, and cover it with a second piece. I hang one
long side over the edge of the counter and lean on it to anchor it, then
roll out the dough using quick hard strokes until you have about a 10-inch circle. Don't worry too much about
the size or an uneven shape.
Gently pull off the top piece of waxed paper, turn the dough over, and center it
on top of the pie plate. Gently pull off the second piece of waxed paper,
and gently help the dough sink down into bottom of the pie plate. Don't
push it down with your fingers, just let it ease itself down.
Fill the pie with yummy fruit or berries or veggies or meat or whatever.
In a little bowl or cup, mix the 1/4 cup of milk with the teaspoon of mayonnaise
(did you forgot about them?) and using your fingers or a pastry brush, moisten the
edges of the dough.
Roll out the second piece of dough just like the last one.
Lay this piece on top of the filled pie. Using the tips of your fingers (some
people like to use a fork or the back of a spoon), gently push on the edges of the dough to seal
them. Using a sharp knife, cut around the edges of the pie dish to remove any excess crust.
Or if you're a crust lover, trim off all but 1/2-inch of dough from around the
pie plate, turn that back over the top of the edges and press down gently.
Brush the top of the crust with the milk/mayonnaise mixture. You don't have to use
it up, just discard whatever's left over. This coating will give the pie crust a nice glossy
shine when it's done.
Poke quite a few holes in the top to let the filling breathe. This
helps to keep the filling from spilling out of the top and the edges while baking.
Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Watch it closely and if the edges start to
get too brown, take the pie out of the oven, quickly cover the edges with foil,
return the pie to the oven, and continue baking until the center is golden brown.
I'm laughing because this is the easiest recipe I have and the directions are
the longest. But don't let them scare you, so many people say they just
can't make a good pie crust but that's only because they don't understand what
makes a pie crust turn out tender and flaky. So follow my directions and
give this recipe a try, then let me know how it turned out.
Click here for printable recipe.
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