Pie Crust Recipes: recipes for 8 inch double, 9 inch double, and single crusts, plus a bulk pie crust recipe

Pie Crust Recipes

Typically, shortening is used for meat pies, while lard is used for fruit pies. Lard will give a flakier crust while shortening will add no cholesterol to the recipe. The best texture comes from lard, however. White flour may be used alone, or combined with whole wheat. Try our Apple Pie Recipe, which makes two 8" double-crust pies or our double-crust recipe for one Meat Pie. For pressed crumb crusts, try our Cheesecake Recipe . . .

8” Double Crust (or Two 8” Singles)

2 cups flour (1 cup white & 1 cup whole wheat preferred)

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening or lard

¼ cup ice water

9” Double Crust (or Two 9” Singles)

2 ½ cups flour (1¼ cups white & 1¼ cups whole wheat)

5/8 tsp salt

7/8 cup shortening or lard

1/3 cup ice water

Two 8” Double Crusts

4 cups flour (2 white & 2 whole wheat)

1 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups shortening or lard (9 oz.)

½ cup ice water

Two 9” Double Crusts

5 cups flour (2½ cups white & 2½ cups whole wheat)

1 tsp salt

1 ¾ cups shortening or lard

2/3 cup ice water

One Single 8” Pie Crust

1 cup flour (5/8 cup white & 3/8 cup whole wheat)

¼ tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening or lard

1/8 cup ice water

One Single 9” Pie Crust

1 ¼ cup flour (5/8 cup white & 5/8 cup whole wheat)

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup shortening or lard

¼ cup ice water

NB: For meat pies, you may substitute milk for water.

Fruit Pie Crust

Makes 5-8” single crusts:

5 ½ cups flour (part whole wheat if desired)

1 tbls granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

2 cups lard

¾ cup ice water

1 egg

1 tbsp vinegar

Method

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir well to blend. Cut in half of the lard with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal, then remaining lard until particles are the size of small peas.

Combine water, egg, and vinegar in a small bowl. Beat well to blend.

I'm a Peach ... by Gourmand2go

Add liquid ingredients all at once to flour mixture and stir just until dough holds together. (Over mixing will make a tough crust.) Form the dough into 5 equal balls. Chill dough slightly for easy rolling, about half an hour in the fridge.

If well wrapped, the dough will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator, although very fresh eggs are required if you're keeping it for more than a few days. Omitting the egg or using an eggless recipe would be wise for dough that needs to keep well.

Don't worry if you don't have many pie plates. You can experiment with things like turnovers and dumplings that can be baked on a cookie sheet. You might have two pie plates, one to bake immediately and another to freeze and cook later. The extra crust can make two turnovers by rolling it into either a square or a circle, then cutting in half and folding one end over the other with the filling. A rectangle cut into squares will make two dumplings with half an apple or peach in each. Fill the fruit cavity with cinnamon, sugar, and a tablespoon of butter. These can be served with a syrup on the plate, or with a side of ice cream or vanilla yoghurt. We'll get around to providing exact recipes for these options soon!

To roll out the dough for pie crust, use a well-floured surface and a rolling pin. A marble board/pin will help to keep the dough chilled. Roll gently from the center outward. If the edges become uneven, roll around the outside edge, keeping edges together by rolling from different directions. (Patching may sometimes be necessary.)

Use fancy cutters to make steam vents in the top crust and decorate the crust with the shapes, using milk to adhere them to the surface. To place the dough on the pie plate, roll it carefully over the rolling pin and lift gently. Trim the edges with kitchen shears, leaving an extra allowance on the top crust for folding under the lower crust edge. Pinch the edges together using thumb and fingers to create a scalloped pattern.

Meat pies may be garnished with coarse salt, while fruit pies benefit from ample granulated sugar sprinkled over top. Crusts may be painted with milk or an egg and water mixture for browning. Well-whisked egg whites brushed on and sprinkled with granulated sugar add a delicious crunch to a fruit pie crust!