Moms Pie Crust Recipes

MOM'S LARD PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in water, a tablespoon at a time, until pastry holds together. Shape into a ball; chill for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Transfer to a 10-in. pie plate. Flute edges; fill and bake as pie recipe directs.

MOM'S PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt in medium size bowl.
• Cut in shortening with pastry blender until uniform with pieces no larger than a pea.
• Break egg into measuring cup and beat.
• Add milk to egg to just over 1/2 cup (about 1/2 cup plus a table spoon total milk and egg) stir well.
• Blend egg and milk mixture into flour mixture with a fork until liquid is no longer present.
• Very lightly knead dough and form into a ball (Over working the dough is the most common reason for pie crust failure!).
• Cut Dough in half.
• Roll out and use with your favorite filling. Makes a top and bottom crust. divide recipe in half for a single crust pie.

MOM'S PIE CRUST

Steps:

• If you need a pre-cooked pie crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Whisk flour and salt in mixing bowl.
• Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles peas, using either a fork or an old-fashioned pastry tool.
• Add most of the water, sprinkling it around. Mix with a fork, adding remaining water if needed. Be careful not to overwork dough after adding water.
• Gently form into a ball with your hands, then into a disk shape. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour on dough board, rolling pin and your hands.
• Gently roll out dough, turning in 1/8th turns at first and concentrating on inside of circle rather than outside.
• Flip dough once, before it gets too thin. Before flipping, sprinkle flour on it.
• When finished rolling, fold in half and transfer to pie plate.
• Trim dough 1/2" outside of pie plate and turn under. Crimp with your fingers.
• If you need a pre-cooked pie crust, prick the bottom of the pan with a fork a few times, then cook for about 12-15 minutes.
• If needed, you can gently press the bottom of the crust down about half way through cooking.

MY MOM'S PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Sift together flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour with a pastry cutter until it has the texture of coarse crumbs. Combine egg, water, and vinegar (start with 3 tablespoons of water, and add the rest only if you need it to make the dough hold together). Pour into flour mixture all at once. Blend with a spoon just until flour is all moistened. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Gather into a ball and roll out on waxed paper. To place in pie plate, lift waxed paper and peel off when crust is in place. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before baking.
• To pre-bake, prick shell at 1/2-inch intervals before refrigerating. Press a doubled 12-inch square of aluminum foil into pie shell. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, heat oven to 400 degrees. Weight crust with pie weights. Bake, until crust is firmly set, about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, remove weights and foil, and continue to bake until crust is crisp and rich brown in color, about 8-10 minutes longer.
• Makes one double (top and bottom) crust or two single (bottom) crusts.
• Some of the secrets to light, flaky, tender pie crusts are: 1) Have the ingredients cool or chilled when you start; chill the dough when you aren't working with it (before you roll it out, after it's in the pie plate and before baking). 2) Handle the dough as little as possible; avoid over-blending or re-rolling it. You want to have unblended bits of shortening in the mixture, to create the flakey texture.