Pie Crust For Double Crust Recipes

Steps:

• Place flour and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some blueberry-size clumps.
• Beat together egg, ice water, and vinegar in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture and pulse just until incorporated, about 10 times more. Squeeze a small amount of dough to make sure it holds together. If dough is too dry, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap, forming each into 1 disk. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Use a bench scraper to cut butter into ½-inch cubes. (If butter begins to "sweat," dust with flour.) In a large, flat-bottomed bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour; do not smash or smear the butter. Scrape butter off the pastry blender during the mixing process and continue mixing. (If butter is softening too fast, put the bowl in the refrigerator until butter firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Continue cutting, working quickly, until butter is broken down and looks like a coarse crumble with only a few larger pieces.
• Combine vinegar with water and ice; you'll use 10-12 tablespoons of this liquid in the pie dough. Begin by sprinkling 4 tablespoons of liquid over the flour mixture; use a bench scraper or your hands to incorporate until the mixture begins to come together. Sprinkle in 4 more tablespoons of liquid and continue the mixing process. Squeeze a fistful of dough: if it holds, like wet sand, it's ready. If it falls apart, add 1-2 more tablespoons of liquid at a time, squeezing the dough to check if it holds. Bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of liquid as necessary; dough will look shaggy. Knead in the bowl just until incorporated.
• Turn dough onto a work surface and use a bench scraper to divide dough into two equal pieces. (Note: If you're making the Blueberry Slab Pie, do not divide the dough; shape it into one large, flat disk.) Shape into flat disks and wrap in plastic; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen up to 1 month, tightly wrapped. (Note: If you're making the Peach Skillet Pie, stop here; you'll begin that lesson with two chilled disks of dough.)
• Generously grease pie dish with softened butter. Dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Place one chilled pie disk on the work surface and lightly dust it with flour. (Reserve the other disk to use as a top crust for the Salted Caramel Apple Pie or Peach Skillet Pie, or to line a tart pan for the Farmer Cheese and Thyme Pie.)Roll dough by starting at the center and lightly pressing down with the rolling pin to flatten slightly. Rotate the dough and repeat, pressing down so it's evenly flattened all around, about ⅛-inch thick. Then roll outward to make a circle, rotating the dough a quarter-turn at a time to keep it even. (If dough is softening too fast, chill in the refrigerator until firm, 2-5 minutes.) Roll the dough until it's about 2-3 inches larger than the pie dish, all the way around. Use a pizza wheel to trim away the rough edges. (Save the scraps to make crust cookies!)
• Overturn pie dish onto the center of the dough circle, then remove and place it right side up on your work surface. Use the light indentation created by the rim as a guide for gently positioning dough into the center of the dish. (If dough is softening too fast, put it back into the refrigerator until it firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Fit dough gently into dish, being careful not to stretch it. Begin crimping the edge by using your fingers to roll the dough firmly so it rests on top of the rim. Crimp by using your index finger and thumb on one hand to squeeze a letter "C" into the dough rim. (Lightly flour your fingers if the dough is sticking.) Repeat, crimping the entire pie and making sure the final fluted crust sits directly on top of the pan's rim. Chill until it is ready to be filled and baked.

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the apple wedges and saute until slightly softened but holding their shape, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar and stir to combine. Add the raisins, cinnamon, and cloves and stir.
• In a bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the apple mixture and remove the pan from the heat. Let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Fill an unbaked bottom crust with apple filling and dot the top crust with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Top with a rolled-out top crust. Cut 1/2-inch vents in a round-the-clock pattern into the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the top lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Put the pie on a cookie sheet or other low-sided baking tray to catch any spillage. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, checking occasionally to ensure that the top is browning evenly. Rotate the pie 180 degrees to move the front edge to the back of the oven, and bake until the top is uniformly golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Put the flour and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse a few times until the mixture begins to become mealy and the butter forms plainly visible pea-size nuggets.
• Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in the water. With the motor running, pour in the water and let mix, just until the dough pulls together. Do not over-mix the dough. If it appears dry and is not holding together, add a few additional tablespoons of water.
• Form the dough into a ball, flatten, and wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Lightly flour a pastry board and a rolling pin and unwrap the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and keep the second piece refrigerated. Tamp down the dough with the rolling pin and gently begin to roll it out into a circular pie shape by rolling evenly in one-eighth turns to keep the rolling even. When the dough is rolled out to an even thickness of about 1/8-inch and is about 12 inches in diameter, it is ready to be transferred to a 10-inch pie dish.
• Lightly butter the dish, lift the dough with the rolling pin by partially rolling the dough up on the pin, center the dough in the dish, and unroll. Pierce the dough in several places with the tines of a fork.
• Roll the second half of the dough into a circle slightly larger than the pie dish. Fill the bottom crust with your chosen filling. Cover the filling with the top half of the dough. Using both hands, crimp the edges of the 2 crusts together to seal. With a sharp knife, make several crosshatch slits in the top crust. Brush with the egg wash and bake in a preheated 375 degree Foven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Add the shortening and mix it into the flour and salt with a fork or your fingertips until the mixture has the texture of course crumbs. Mix in the water, little at a time. Refrigerate to chill before rolling out the dough.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half so one ball is slightly larger than the other., Roll out the larger ball to fit a 9-in. or 10-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry with even with edge of plate. Pour desired filling into crust. , Roll out second ball; cut slits in pastry. Position over filling. Trim pastry to 1 in. beyond edge of pie plate. Fold top crust over bottom crust. Flute edges. Bake according to recipe directions.

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
• Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Once melted, stir in the flour. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it just starts to turn golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Adjust the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the cream, chicken and peas and return to a simmer. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove the mixture from the heat. Stir in the salt and pepper. Ideally, cool it completely. Remove and discard the bay leaf, and stir in the parsley. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
• Meanwhile, prepare the crust: Have a 10-inch cast-iron or ovenproof skillet ready. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pie crust to a thickness of about 1/4 inch, making a circle about 3 inches wider all around than the skillet. Gently transfer the dough to the skillet, lining the bottom and easing it up the sides, allowing any excess to drape over the edge of the pan (aim for about 1 inch excess dough all the way around the pan). Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• While the bottom crust is chilling, roll out the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Gently transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet, then use a pastry wheel to cut it into 1 1/2- to 2-inch wide strips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Pour the cooled filling into the chilled bottom crust and spread evenly. Remove the chilled dough strips from the fridge. Lay strips over the filling, leaving almost no space between them. When the pie is covered, rotate the pan and pull back every other strip of dough, then weave in a fresh strip to create a lattice. Lay the strips back over the new piece of dough, the repeat the process - this time pulling back all the pieces of dough that didn't get moved the first time. Continue until the entire pie is latticed.
• Press the dough together at the edges all the way around the pie; use scissors to trim away any excess dough, then fold the bottom crust up and over the lattice. Dip your finger in water and run it along the edges to help seal it. Use a floured fork to press around the edges to seal the dough together and crimp the crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Brush the egg mixture over the top of the pie and sprinkle it with Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes; lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue baking until the crust is deeply golden brown (the filling may bubble through the top crust a bit), 40 to 50 minutes more.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening using a pastry blender or fork until shortening is in pea-sized pieces (I usually use my hand crank chopper to do this).
• Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with fork in between, until all of the flour mixture is moistened and can be formed into a ball. Divide mixture in half.
• At this point, you can roll dough into a 12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface, but I prefer to tape a 12 inch square piece of waxed paper to my work surface with double sided tape, put my dough on that, then cover with another piece of waxed paper, and roll out.
• When dough is in a circle as big as your waxed paper (ie 12 inch circle), peel off the top layer of waxed paper and discard.
• Lift the dough and bottom layer of waxed paper up and invert onto your pie pan. Gently peel the waxed paper off.
• Do the same with the other 1/2 of your dough to make your top crust.
• Before placing pie in the oven, wrap a 3 inch wide strip of foil around the edge of your crust, allowing 2 inches to fold over the top of your pie. 1/2 way through your bake time, carefully pull the foil off and finish baking. Your crust will turn out perfect every time!