Traditional Pastry Piecrust
"In ‘Perfect Pies’ by Michele Stuart"
- Ready In:
- 1hr 5mins
- Ingredients:
- 6
- Yields:
-
1 double crust piecrust
ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3⁄4 cup Crisco shortening, cold
- 2 tablespoons Crisco shortening, cold
- 5 tablespoons ice-cold water
- 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
directions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and the salt.
- Add the Crisco to the flour mixture.
- Use a pastry blender and mix the ingredients together with an up-and-down chopping motion until the dough forms coarse, pea-size crumbs.
- Add the ice-cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, delicately incorporating each tablespoon into the flour mixture before you add the next.
- You may have to use 1 more or 1 less tablespoon of water than the amount recommended, depending upon the humidity in your kitchen at the time of baking.
- You will know you have added just the right amount of water when the dough forms a ball that easily holds together.
- Wrap the ball of dough with plastic and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the dough has chilled, divide the ball in half.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, place dough in pie pan; crimp edges; brush heavy cream over the crimped edges to create a perfect, golden brown finish.
- Line the bottom of the crust with parchment paper and place pie weights on top to ensure the edges do not fall into the shell while the crust is baking.
- Prebaked pie shells—bake the crust at 425 degrees on the middle rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a golden brown color is achieved.
- Before removing the shell from the oven, make sure that the crust under the parchment paper has turned a golden brown.
- Partially baked pie shells—bake the pie shell for only 10 minutes so the crust only begins to bake.
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