The Serious Business of Pie

Anyone who has known me for very long knows that I am a baker. There is no baked good more sacred to me than pie. Specifically, fruit pie. My maternal grandfather taught me to make pie using the recipe that my maternal grandmother used. Sadly, she was too ill to teach me herself, but she taught her husband very well, and he taught me very well. The pie recipes (both filling and crust) I use to this day are modifications of those very recipes. Today I'll discuss the crust.



There are very important rules when it comes to pie. The most important part of a pie is the crust. It must be made from scratch. You want to use one of those pre-made refrigerated dough things from the grocery store? Why even bother? You'll get a pie just as good (which is not very good) from the bakery section of the same grocery store. The crust is the most important part of the pie. If you want to cut down on your work, you may use a canned pie filling. I often do this, especially with blueberry and cherry pies. BUT DO NOT CHEAT WITH THE CRUST. IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART Are we clear? Good. A full crust, top and bottom, please. If not, a lattice crust will do, but it is inferior.

Another rule has to do with the fat in the crust. This is a big debate with pie makers. Lard? Shortening? Butter? Some combination of those? For a while I was a lard-only advocate, but lard can be hard to come by and makes some people squeamish. Now I believe the best way to go to ensure a crust that is flaky and tender and delicious and relatively easy to handle is to go with a 50/50 ratio of shortening and butter. Believe me, I've done a lot of testing on this one. I guess this isn't a rule so much as a strong suggestion.

Another rule is that the crust itself should not have sugar in it. Trust me, the filling will have more than enough sugar in it to satisfy your sweet tooth. A savory crust will contrast better with the filling.

My secret weapon in making the dough more manageable is vodka. Instead of using ice water to moisten the dough (as I was taught) I use a 50/50 mixture of water and vodka. The vodka will evaporate faster in the oven and maintains the tender/flaky crust. This turns out to be a superior method than my previous method of using next-to-no water and dealing with trying to put very delicate dough into the pie dish.

Here's the most frustrating thing about pie crust: you cannot make it exactly the same way every time and have it turn out properly. Many people (including me) will say that baking is a science. Precise measurements  are needed to ensure a proper and consistent product. With pie crust, this doesn't work. You can use them as a guideline, but the humidity and temperature can dramatically influence your success. The best way to guard against this is to go by feel when you begin to add the water/vodka mixture.

"Okay, enough of this b.s.," I hear you say, "What's the recipe?"

Lindsay's Pie Crust (For a two-crust pie)
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp butter (very cold)
8 tbsp shortening (very cold)
1/2 cup cold water (Important: you will NOT use all of the water and vodka)
1/2 cup vodka
3 (or so) ice cubes

 Measure the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and gently mix. Cut the very cold pieces of fat into small pieces and toss them into the bowl. Using a pastry cutter or a couple of knives, cut the fat into the flour until the whole mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs and starts to clump together. It's okay to have a few larger pieces of fat left in the dough, but most of it should be very fine. Don't do this in a food processor: it'll get over mixed.
In a glass tumbler or small bowl mix together the cold water, vodka, and ice cubes. Add the water/vodka a tablespoon at a time to the flour/fat, tossing with a fork after each addition. To see if you've added enough water, grab a small amount of dough and squeeze it in your hand. Does it hold its form? Good. Now pull it apart. Did it kind of crumble? Good. There's no other easy way to describe what the dough looks like when it's right. I usually use between 5 and 8 tablespoons, but I have gotten away with as few as 3 and as many as ten. It's all about the feel.
Anyway, once it feels right, divide the dough into two disks, wrap in cellophane, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Then roll it out and bake according to the recipe of your pie filling.

Next time, I'll share two of my favorite pie filling recipes with you. One is for a cherry pie, and the other is for rhubarb.