Alans Pie Crust Recipes

Steps:

• Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Steps:

• 1. In a very large bowl, combine flour, sugar, kosher salt and baking soda. I sift this together to make sure it is well mixed.
• 2. In a separate bowl combine water, sour cream and vinegar.(I use a liquid cup measure and add the sour cream and vinegar after measuring the water)
• 3. Add some of the flour mixture to the liquid ingredients a spoonful at a time and whisk together with a fork till smooth. Do this till it is thick like a gravy thickening.
• 4. To the remaining flour mixture add the shortening and butter. You can use all unsalted butter if you want (1 3/4 c butter)! It comes out very good! With a pastry blender cut it in till the mixture is crumbly and butter is the size of small peas leaving chunks the size of peas. This mixture will seem to have too much butter if you have made pie crusts the usual way. Don't worry it does work.
• 5. Add liquid/flour mixture all at once to the flour/butter mixture. Quickly stir to distribute. Knead it together a few times. You can mix it a little more at this step because you mixed some of the flour with the liquid, but try not to mix too much. The dough will be a bit soggy. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate a couple hours or more. I have sometimes separated the dough into 4 flattened round discs and wrapped them in plastic before refrigeration to speed up this step.
• 6. *Always use chilled, not frozen or room temperature, butter. Butter should feel like clay to the touch. *Acid helps pie dough set up. A little vinegar and sour cream added to the water does the trick. *If your pie dough is ugly and lumpy with butter knots the size of peas, it's perfect. *You want a generous crust, so don't roll it too thin. About 1/4 inch is good. *Always butter the pie dish. Sometimes, especially with fruit pies, the juice sneaks under the crust and acts like glue, bonding the crust to the pan. *To prevent shrinking do not stretch the dough into the pie plate over the top of the pie. *When making an Apple pie I use a 10" pie plate so this recipe only makes enough for 3 single crusts.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Steps:

• Crust Preparation:
• Using 2 pastry blenders, blend the flours, sugar, shortening, butter and salt. Whisk the egg, vinegar and water in a 2-cup measure and pour over the dry ingredients incorporating all the liquid without overworking the dough. Toss the additional flour over the ball of dough and chill if possible. Divide the dough into 2 disks. Roll out 1 piece of dough to make a bottom crust. Place into a pie dish. Put dish in refrigerator to chill.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Filling Preparation:
• Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into chilled crust. Dot the top of the filling with the butter. Brush edges of pie crust with egg white wash. Roll out the other piece of dough and place over filling. Crimp to seal edges. Brush with egg white wash and garnish with large granule sugar. Collar with foil and bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling. Higher altitude will take 450 degrees F and 400 degrees F respectively. Also, you can use a pie bird for extra decor. Let cool before serving.

Steps:

• Mix the flour and the salt in a large bowl. Add the butter or margarine and lard; mix with hands until crumb like texture is achieved. Mix in the water. Pat into a ball, and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for at least two hours.