Crusty

Ok I am breaking out my favorite pie crust recipes and tips and ideas. I love making pie and pie crusts are super fun! I love trying to make them really flaky, buttery, and powerful yummy. So I am going to share my 3 all time favorites.

1. The first one I will share was given to me by Jill Divis when I got married. I have made it so many times and it is dependable. I still have the bright pink 3x5 card she wrote the recipe on and it is a haggard looking thing. Good crusts time after time.

Marie Calender's (Jill Divis') Pie Crust
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup shortening
4-5 T. Ice water (Jill uses a little more and so do I)
Blend flour and salt. Add shortening. Cut in till pea size. Add water. Makes 2, 9 inch crusts. Roll out and bake at 475 until light brown (8 to 10 minutes).
Here are a few things that I have found work really well. I use frozen butter. If I am using a food processor then I will cut the butter in to thin slices and then cut the slices into fourths. Then toss it in to the food processor with the already blended flour and salt. Next I blend it up till all the butter is blended in. The trick it to blend it just long enough to break up the butter and mix it in but not to long.
If I am making it by hand I will take frozen butter and using a cheese grater I grate the butter in to the flour and salt mixture. That cheese grater is wonderful for getting the butter perfect. I prefer to make the crust by hand cause it does turn out a little better.
As for the ice water I use a liquid measuring cup and put ice and water in it, then I store it in the freezer until it is needed. I do this at the very beginning so that the ice water has a crust of ice on top. After I am done using the ice water I drink the rest because it helps the crust turn out better. After the crust is made make sure to chill in the refrigerator for an hour or 2. Do this with all pie crusts! It makes them so much easier to work with and so much taster cause they are flakier. When you take them out of the refrigerator be sure to let it sit for a few minutes. I take it out and then get all the other things I need to roll out the crust, rolling pin, pie tin, and flour.

2. The next crust comes from Miss Martha Stewart. This is by far the flakiest crust I have ever made however be warned that it will not hold up to a liquid pie that thickens up in the oven. It is also not very good for a crust that must be pre-baked, unless you fill the unbaked crust with parchment paper and beans or pie weights to hold the crust in place until it has cook a little then take out the weights and finish baking. I will give the instruction down below on how to do that exactly.

1 1/4 cups flour
4 1/2 t. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut in to small pieces or use the cheese grater trick
1 large egg yolk
2 T. ice water

Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds.
Lightly beat yolk with ice water. With processor running, add yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube, and process until dough just hold together (no longer than 30 seconds).
Turn out onto a work surface, and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days), freeze for up to 1 month.

3. This last crust is really different than any crust I have ever found. A few months ago I found a book at my favorite book store. It is called, "The Pie and Pastry Bible." If you are looking for tons of pictures this is the wrong book. But if you want stellar professional pies it is a winner. I love it. I want to make pies for a living!!!!! This is the first crust from the book I have tried but I am hung up on it. It tastes so good and I think you will see why!

Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust
8 T. unsalted cold/frozen butter
1 1/3 cups flour
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. baking powder
3 oz. cold cream cheese
1 1/2 T. ice water
1 1/2 cold cider vinegar

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in food processor. Next add the cream cheese and turn on the food processor for about 20 seconds or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the butter, which has been cut into small pieces already, and add the water and vinegar. Pulse until most of the butter is reduced to the size of small peas. The mixture will be in particles and will not hold together. Spoon it into a plastic bag.
Holding both ends of the bag opening with our fingers, knead the mixture by alternately pressing it, from the outside of the bag, with the knuckles and heels of your hands until the mixture holds together in one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.