Perfect Pie Crust

It's November and we can't very well go into the holiday season without talking about pies.  Yummy, delicious, warm apple and pumpkin pies.  It took so many years for me to get just the right recipe for pies.  I have tried them all...all butter, all shortening, half butter, half shortening, I have even tried recipes with vinegar in them.  I have watched some videos on YouTube and followed a few tutorials, and after all of my research, I have finally reached the perfect pie crust for me. 

There are many people who think that making their own pie crust is too hard, or too much work, but I am here to tell you that making your own is easy and doesn't take that much time.  I have tried to use those sold in the store and if you take a taste before the crust is baked, it is, in my opinion, the nastiest tasting stuff.  It is like cardboard...not something that I would recommend using.  Making a crust may take a little more effort, but I promise you, you won't be sorry. 

My children love it when I bake a pie.  I make both savory and sweet pies, as chicken pot pie is one of children's favorite meals.   Today, I am going to bake a pot pie using the recipe that the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummand, has on her blog for chicken pot pie.  I love the way that her chicken filling tastes in a pot pie.  She only uses one pie crust, but in our family, we prefer a top and a bottom.  I also add other ingredients to the filling, such as veggies like peas and carrots. If you go to Pinterest and search for her, you should be able to find her recipe pretty quickly. 

I use my own pie crust recipe, which has become my favorite.  It is so easy and quick, you can have dinner on the table in no time.  I will do my best to describe each step so that you can duplicate it for yourself. 

First you will need to gather all of your ingredients- who's coming to the party?  Flour, salt, cold butter, cold shortening, and ice water. 

After gathering your ingredients, you will need a cheese grater and a pastry cutter (with some good old fashioned elbow grease), a large bowl, a fork, and some plastic wrap. 

                         In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Grate the butter and add the
                         shortening in small amounts.  Cut the butter and shortening in with the
                                                                         pastry cutter. 
        Add the water a little at a time and work it into the flour with a fork.  When the dough
          begins to come together, you can put the fork down and work it with your hands. 
            Work the dough into a ball and then wrap it tightly with the plastic wrap and chill.

  Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.  After chilling, cut the dough in half and roll it out onto a                                                             lightly floured surface.

This pot pie is a two crust pie with the plate lined on the bottom.  Fill the crust with the filling and line the second half on top.  Carefully cut the edge so that both the bottom and the top are about 1/2 an inch bigger than the pie plate.  Pinch the top and the bottom together to seal.  Flute the sides   using a fork or your fingers.  Crack an egg into a small bowl and whisk.  Brush the crust with the egg.  Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then turn the heat down to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Allow the pie to rest for about 10 minutes and then serve.  This pie crust is delicious!   My kids love to eat it raw!  (I do too!)  Whenever I bake a pie, my children are never far away, and they usually clear up most of the scraps before I get a chance to make them into the yummy cinnamon sticks that my mother used to make for us as kids. 

 

This pie is so delicious!  The crust is light and flaky! 

 

I am going to be entering a pie contest this month and I will be using this crust!  I am so excited because I have never entered any contests before.  I really hope that the judges like it. 
I'll let you know how everything goes!

 

Do you have a pie crust recipe or method that you think is the best?  Please feel free to share!

 

 

Pie Crust- Makes 1 whole pie (top and bottom)

 

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 stick of cold butter

1/2 cup cold shortening

6-8 tbsp. ice cold water.

 

 

Directions-

Grate the butter onto a cutting board.  In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt.  Add the shortening and the butter and cut in with a pastry cutter until the texture resembles course sand.

Add the water a little at a time, and blend in using a fork until the dough begins to come together.  Put the fork down and work the rest of the flour into the dough with your hands, making a ball.  Carefully wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. 

 

After chilling, cut the dough in half and roll out each onto a lightly floured surface.  Carefully lift and place into the prepared pie plate.  Fill the crust with the filling of your choice and top with the second layer.  Make sure to cut a vent into the top of the crust.  Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 and continue baking for an hour or until the crust is golden brown. 

 

 

This recipe can be easily divided by 2 to make a one crust pie. 

 

 

Tomorrow, I will let you in on my apple and cherry pie filling recipes.  They are delicious and well worth the effort! 

 

Enjoy!

 

Blessings to All!