How Do You Make Pie Crust?

You have some great reciepies here but I recommend you pick up a good general information Cookbook such as the Betty Crocker cookbook. I love mine, had it for years and look up stuff all the time. If buying a new one is too much look around at Thrift Stores and Second Hand book stores.

Flour, shortening, a little water - a little salt and/or sugar depending on what you are using it for.
You can use a fork to 'cut' the shortening into the flour till it forms roughly pea sized balls, add the little bit of water so it's just enough to start holding together.
The crust will be more tough the more you handle it, so keep the kneading and rolling out brief and ingredients cool (keeps it from sticking).

Hi,

You need fat (butter, lard or shortening) to make the pie crust in addition to the flour and water. Make sure everything is very cold to get the best results. Try this recipe. It may sound a little complicated if you're not used to baking, but it's not terribly difficult. I like this recipe because it has lots of good hints of what things should look like as you work.

Flaky Pastry Dough (from Joy of Cooking)

Makes 2 nine-inch pie crusts (bottom only), or 2 9-1/2 or 10-inch tart crusts, or one 9-inch covered pie crust

Mix together:
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon white sugar (or 1 T powdered sugar)
1 teaspoon salt

Add:
1 cup solid vegetable shortening, or 1/2 cup shortening and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter

Break the shortening into large chunks; if using butter, cut it into small peices, then add it to the flour mixture. Cut the fat into the dry ingredients by chopping vigorously with a pastry blender or by cutting in opposite directions with 2 knives, one held in each hand (**You can use a fork, too. You're breaking up the fat into tiny little coated with flour.) As you work, periodically stir dry flour up from the bottom of the bowl and scrape clinging fat off the pastry blender or knives. When you are through, some of the fat wshould remain in pea-sized pieces; the rest should be reduced to the consistency of coarse crumbs or cornmeal. The mixture should seem dry and powdery and not pasty or greasy.

Drizzle over the flour and fat mixture:
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water

Using a rubber spatula, cut with the blade side until the mixture looks evenly moistened and begins to form small balls. Press down on the dough with the flat side of the spatula. If the balls of dough stick together, you have added enough water; if they do not, drizzle over the top 1-2 tablespoons ice water. Cut in the water, again using the blade of the spatula, then press with your hands until the dough sticks together. The dough should look rough, not smooth. Divide the dough in half, press each half into a round flat disk, and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and preferably for several hours, or for up to 2 days before rolling. The dough can also be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 6 month; thaw completely before rolling.

You can also pulse the fat and dry ingredients together in a food processor, add the water and pulse again to create the crumbles.

Roll out press into pie pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Position a rack in teh lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400. Cover with foil, touching the sides and bottom of the crust. Fill with dry beans or rice to weight it. Bake for 20 minutes. Lift out foil and weights (will be HOT). Prick the crust with a fork and continue baking 5-10 minutes more. Press down GENTLY with the back of a spoon.

If you are filling the crust with an uncooked mixture that requires further baking, whisk together, then brush the inside with 1 large egg yolk and a pinch of salt. Return to the oven until the egg glaze sets, 1-2 minutes. Fill the shell at once while still hot, or let cool as specified in the recipe.

you only need 2tb of water or enough to bring the dough together othwise use crisco and flour...i dont meassure i just feel it out, my grandma uses half crisco and half lard, you can also experiment by adding things like cinnomon for fruit pie or garlic for a pot pie

The water you add to the flour must be ice cold. Put a touch of salt into it.
This is how my aunt taught me how to make it. It works every time.

Place flour on the wax paper as you roll it out. You will have to roll it out on both sides. You will turn it over and roll the rolling pin over it repeatedly so that it is thin but not see through.

This is the recipe that helped me overcome piecrust-phobia (mine used to always turn out too doughy or oily) http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Basic-Flaky-Pie-Crust/Detail...

No Fail Pie Crust:

2 1/4 C all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 C canola oil
5 tablespoons ice water

This makes either one, double crust pie or two, single crust pies.

Mix flour and salt together. Add oil and water and mix until just blended. Divide dough in half and roll each half between sheets of waxed or parchment paper. Peel top paper off of the dough and center an upside down pie pan over the dough. Slide your left hand under the bottom paper keeping your right hand on the pie pan and flip the entire thing over. Peel the remaining paper off.

For a single crust pie, trim the edges to within 1/4 inch of the edge of the pan and turn them under and crimp them. For a pre baked crust, as for a cream pie, prick the crust about ever inch with a fork and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, approximately 12-15 minutes depending on your oven.

For a double crust pie, trim the bottom crust even with the edge of the pan. Add your filling and then roll out the top crust in the same way you did the bottom crust and center over the pie filling. Trim to 1/4 - 3/8 inch of the edge of the pan. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust edge and crimp. Brust the top crust with water or milk (1 tsp.) and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes or more depending on the size of your pie. If crust begins browning too much before the pie is done, cover with aluminum foil.

This sounds difficult but is the easiest recipe ever. It is so forgiving that if you mess up, you can wad it up and re roll it.

go to allrecipes.com and type in "simple pie crust". Find one that you have ingredients for and go from there. Me? I'm a go to the store and buy a pillsbury pie crust from the deli section :) they are good.

The basics of a pie crust are: Flour, butter or Crisco, ice water.

Measure 2 cups of flour. Put it into a bowl.

Then you need 1 cup of chilled shortening. If it's a sweet pie, butter is good. If it's a savory pie (like a meat pie or a quiche), you can use a cup of Crisco or lard. The important thing is, the shortening has to be very cold, and it should be pure, not something like margarine that has water in it. Just go with butter or Crisco or lard.

The final ingredient is 1/2 cup of ice water. Again, it's important that it is cold.

Mix the three ingredients with a couple of forks or pulse them very very briefly in a food processor, or use a pastry blender. You don't want to over-mix it. It should look like wet sand.

Turn it onto a lightly floured board and knead it gently into a slightly flattened ball. Chill it for a half hour and then roll it out.

The basic proportions are the same no matter how much pie crust you are making. No matter how much flour you use, you need exactly half that amount of shortening, and then half of that amount in ice water. For example: 6 cups of flour, 3 cups of shortening, 1 1/2 cups of ice water. Or, 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of shortening, 1/4 cup of ice water. Keep it chilled and treat it gently.

Good luck!

You can use butter or shortening with the flour and water to make the crust. I prefer shortening. With the pie you are making a simple graham cracker crust would be yummy, graham cracker crumbs with melted butter pressed into the pie pan and baked about ten minutes. Put your fillings in when cool.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_pie_crust/

Good luck!