This was the second homemade pie crust I have made at Thanksgiving and I was so pleased with how it turned out. I used to be terrified of making my own crusts, but with practice and step by step directions it has gotten much better. Not to mention I truly believe the pies taste better with a homemade crust. This one differs from the other on my site in that it uses shortening and butter, instead of all butter. Next year I’ll have to make a batch of each and see which one I like better. Recipe and photo courtesy of sallysbakingaddiction.com

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, scooped and levelled
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
• 1/2 cup ice water

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). Measure 1/2 cup  of water in a cup. Add ice. Stir it around. From that, measure 1/2 cup of water– since the ice has melted a bit. Drizzle the cold water in, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon added. Do not add any more water than you need to. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. I always use about 1/2 cup of water and a little more in dry winter months. Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. Form it into a ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (and up to 5 days).

When rolling out the chilled pie dough discs to use in your pie, always use gentle force with your rolling pin. Start from the center of the disc and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go. Proceed with the pie per your recipe’s instructions.

 

 

 

This Thanksgiving I finally forced myself to tackle the one baked item I usually buy from the grocery store: pie crust. I had tried to make pie crust one other time years ago and was frustrated by how finicky the recipes all seemed. Well, this year I found this recipe and let me tell you, I will never buy store-bought pie crust again. It was flaky and buttery and amazing. So, don’t be scared by the fact that everyone always says how you need to use cold butter, ice water, minimal kneading/handling and on and on. This recipe couldn’t be simpler and will not let you down. Recipe and photo courtesy of audreysapron.wordpress.com.

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks of cold butter (12 tablespoons)
• 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons ice water (approximately)

Place flour and sugar in a food processor. Pulse. Add about half of the butter. Pulse.  Add the rest of the butter. Pulse until the mixture turns into coarse crumbs. Through the feed tube, slowly add the ice water and pulse until the dough gathers up into a ball.  If it doesn’t after a few seconds, add a few more drops of ice water until it does. Take the dough and flatten it into a disc and place it on a sheet of floured plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before rolling.

*If you don’t have a food processor you can easily use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry mixture.