Perfect Homemade Pie Crust

Happy Birthday Mom!

Something about the orange and red leaves crunching everywhere made me crave pumpkin pie last weekend. I love fall! Now that we're nearing the biggest baking season of the year, it's time for me to start sharing some of my favorite baking tips and recipes. The one item I get the most compliments on is my homemade pie crust. It's always flaky, always tender, always delicious, and it's not even all that hard. The recipe looks long and complicated, but that's just because I'm verbose (my degree IS in English literature, after all). It's really quite simple; here's how it's done:

Lindsay's Perfect Homemade Pie Crust:
(makes 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter-flavor shortening
Ice water

In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Line a 1-cup measuring cup with saran wrap and fill with shortening (this makes clean-up so much easier!); add to flour mixture. Dust hands with flour (be sure to remove rings first!) and gently break up the shortening, leaving marble-sized chunks. You can also do this with criss-crossing knives or a pastry cutter, but be sure to leave big chunks, because they're what make the dough flaky. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. of ice water at a time, tossing dough with fork to mix. When dough begins to clump, add more water to the next section. You should need about 6-8 Tbsp. of water. When dough is soft and clumpy, form it into a ball and break into two halves. Flatten each half into a disc about 1/2 - 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. This makes it sooo much easier to roll!

When dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured surface. This is always where I messed up before, but there are tips to avoid messed-up pie crusts. My secret is a canvas rolling mat and a cotton rolling-pin sock. I found them at a grocery store in Provo, and they have worked wonderfully. You just rub flour into the canvas and on the sock, and then roll it out. If you do it on a counter top, be sure to flip the dough every so often and re-flour the surface so that you don't wind up with dough that can't be pried off of the counter. When the dough is the right size and thickness, fold it in half or quarters and gently place it into the pie plate before you unfold it.

For pumpkin pie, or other liquid fillings, trim the crust about half an inch from the plate. Fold the crust so that it sticks up off the rim of the plate, and flute. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields (I have two; they're great) so that the crust doesn't burn. If the crust has to be pre-baked, poke holes in it and if you have clean marbles, place 3 or 4 in the bottom of the crust to keep it from rising. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes.

For double crust pies, trim the bottom crust even with the pie plate, but make sure that the top crust is about half an inch wider. Fold the top crust around the bottom crust, then crimp. Be sure to cut slits in the top before it is placed in the oven. Spray or brush with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields so that the crust doesn't burn.

Happy baking!