Oil-Based Pie Crust

[Ohioan]

Once upon a time, one of my aunts used to make a cookie-type pie crust that used oil as a shortening. Not butter, not solid shortening, but oil. Does anyone have such a recipe, as well as tips on how to mix and roll such a crust?

I have to admit I'm not a baker, but every ten years or so, I try to make this crust, usually with little success. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif Well, it's time again, but unfortunately, somewhere along the line I've lost my aunt's recipe. Can anyone help?

[kentgirl]

Ohioan--I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks. I have never tried it, but it uses oil instead of butter or shortening.

One 9-inch pie crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cold milk

Sift the flour, sugar, and salt into a 9-inch pie plate. In a 1-cup measuring cup, whisk together the oil and milk and pour over the flour mixture. Using a fork, mix until completely dampened. Press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan, then up the sides and over the rim. To use as a baked shell, ***** the surface of the dough with a fork several times and bake in a preheated 425 degrees F. oven for 12 to 15 minutes; cool and fill as desired. To use as an unbaked shell, just fill with the desired pie filling and bake according to the filling directions


[This message has been edited by kentgirl (edited 07-25-2000).]

[kentgirl]

Isn't that funny---I noticed that one of the words I used in the directions is replaced with asterisks. I guess CL filters out certain words. Anyway---use the fork to "_rick the surface of the dough.".

[Natasha]

Originally posted by kentgirl:
Isn't that funny---I noticed that one of the words I used in the directions is replaced with asterisks. I guess CL filters out certain words. Anyway---use the fork to "_rick the surface of the dough.".



LOL!!

Ohioan, in an Eating Well issue from a few years back there was a recipe for a Nut Pastry Dough that I have ALWAYS meant to try because it sounds so different. It does use 2 tbsp butter (for a double crust), but also 1/2 cup of nuts AND 3 tbsp walnut oil. Interested? If so I d be happy to post it for you.
Just happened to see that you re a college prof?! How neat! What do you teach? (if you don t mind saying).

[Ohioan]

Originally posted by Natasha:
Ohioan, in an Eating Well issue from a few years back there was a recipe for a Nut Pastry Dough that I have ALWAYS meant to try because it sounds so different. It does use 2 tbsp butter (for a double crust), but also 1/2 cup of nuts AND 3 tbsp walnut oil. Interested? If so I d be happy to post it for you.
Just happened to see that you re a college prof?! How neat! What do you teach? (if you don t mind saying).


Hi, Natasha! Thanks for the offer, but the problem is that (sit down and brace yourself, because very few people believe this) I can't stand the taste or smell of butter. That's why margarine substitutions don't work for me, either -- and, of course, solid shortening (trans fat) is death to the arteries. If I can't taste or smell the butter, I'm okay, but I can't even handle the stuff without starting to feel queasy. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif This may run in the family; my mother's the same way.

My teaching? Brace yourself again. I teach English, mostly Renaissance literature, i.e., Shakespeare and those guys. In fact, I'm at my office right now, and I should be grading the last of a batch of papers that I have to give back to students in a couple of hours. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif So I'd better get going. Back later.

[Ohioan]

Oops, but before I go back to those papers, thanks, kentgirl, for the recipe. It sounds vaguely familiar -- and suspiciously simple, but I'm always up for simple if it works! And I do seem to remember my aunt's recipe as being "simple," except that I seem able to foul up even the simplest of baking instructions. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif (But I'm a great top-of-the-stove cook, really!)

[Natasha]

Ohioan - that's not strange at all that you don't like butter. Probably healthier for you too that you don't!

An English prof? Very impressive. You'll have to excuse all my grammar errors and typos in advance (or at least I hope you will) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Susann]

Ohioan-This has nothing to do with cooking, but I also am an English teacher, on the high school level, though. I teach 11th and 12th grade. This year, I will also be teaching A.P.

Sorry, everyone else. I just get really excited when I get to talk to other teachers!!!

[MrsReber]

I'm sorry, but that is so funny how those asterisks came out on the directions! I am still chucking about it. Maybe I'm just working too hard? I'm so glad there's some teachers out there. I LOVED my english classes and most of the teachers I remember fondly, in high school and college, were english teachers. It was once a dream of mine, but I wound up with a paralegal degree instead- what do I do? Contracts!! I just love to read and learn about literature. I will be returning to college this fall for my bachelor's degress (tuition re-imbursement is a wonderful thing) Kudos to both of you!

[Natasha]

Originally posted by MrsReber:
It was once a dream of mine, but I wound up with a paralegal degree instead- what do I do? Contracts!! I just love to read and learn about literature.


MrsR - hey! What's wrong with contracts, huh?!? Kidding, kidding ... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif BTW, keep the great song titles coming! You and Susann are the queens of song...

[Beth]

Originally posted by MrsReber:
It was once a dream of mine, but I wound up with a paralegal degree instead- what do I do? Contracts!!



Could be worse. Read any good tax codes lately?

[Natasha]

Originally posted by Beth:
Could be worse. Read any good tax codes lately?

LOL!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif As I sit here reading a tax code and trying to "translate" it into English!!! Thanks Beth. I really needed that laugh as I'm just resigning myself to working late tonight ... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[JeanneW]

Here's a hot water pie crust recipe from Marcia Adams' book Cooking From Quilt Country. Antique and original, yes; low-fat, ha! Read on.

HOT WATER PIE CRUST

Makes pastry for 2 8-inch pies with top crusts or two 9-or 10-inch pies without top crusts.

1 cup lard, very soft
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup boiling water
3 cups all-purpose flour

Place the lard and salt in a large bowl and beat a bit with a tbsp until the large is completely softened. You can do this with a mixer. Pour boiling water over the lard and blend again. Let this mixture cool to room temperature, but stir often so water and lard won't separate (though it's not the end of the world if it does). Stir in the flour and form the mixture into a ball. Chill for several hours or overnight, then let the cold dough sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling out.

If you are preparing a shell to fill later or if your recipe requires a prebaked crust, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out a portion of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer the dough to a pie pan and pat it in snugly. Form a decorative edge along the rim and trim off the edges. ***** the surface of the pastry all over with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Check often and if necessary ***** more to release air bubbles.

Here's another recipe from the same book for a pat-in-pan crust that uses no butter.

PAT-IN-PAN PIE CRUST

Makes pastry for a single-crust 8- or9-inch pie.

1 1/2 cups plus 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp cold milk

Place the flour, sugar and salt in the pie pan and mix with your fingers until blended. In a measuring cup, combine the oil and milk and beat with a fork until creamy. Pour all at once over the flour mixture. Mix with a fork until the flour mixture is completely moistened. Pat the dough with your fingers, first up the sides of the pan, then across the bottom. Flute the edges.

Shell is now ready to be filled. If recipe requires an unbaked crust, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. ***** the surface of the crust with a fork and bake 15 minutes.

[Ohioan]

Uh, excuse me, JeanneW, but what did you say I was supposed to do to the surface of the pie crust? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif Those asterisks are so funny!

Hi, all you teachers out there! And thanks, everyone, for all these great variations on the pie crust recipe. I'm definitely going to try to conquer my baking klutziness with all this inspiration. One summer, I tried every weekend to bake a cherry pie with my aunt's recipe. Every weekend, there was something else wrong with the crust: too tough, too soft, too thick, too thin, crumbly, soggy, gritty, etc. But boy, did I master that cherry filling! (I wish I could find that recipe, too.) Finally, on the last weekend of the summer, when I was ready to give up again, I just skipped the crust, made a batch of cherry filling, and ate it with a spoon. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

[Pat]

This is one I use frequently since my husband's HDL and LDL are not in a good ratio. I'm glad this topic came up as I had neglected to put this in MasterCook and I might need it when I am in Ohio helping with my new grandchild in November. I plan on taking a disk with my recipes so that I can help with the cooking, making life a little easier on the new mother.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Pie Pastry

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : dessert

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons cold skim milk

Sift flour and salt together into a mixing bowl. Mix the oil with the cold milk, and pour all at once into the four. Stir lightly with a fork until blended, adding more liquid if necessary to make dough hold together. Divide into 2 portions. Refrigerate for a few minutes to make dough easier to work with.

Flatten one ball of dough slightly and place on a sheet of wax paper. Put another sheet over top, and roll out quickly. Do not roll too thin. Remove top sheet of paper and turn over dough onto pie plate. Remove second sheet, and lift crust around the edges so it settles into the plate. Trim and flute the edges with a fork or your fingers.

Crust may be refrigerated before filling, or frozen if not needed for several days. Bake according to recipe.

Source:
"American Heart Association Cookbook"
Yield:
"2 crusts"

[Shelly]

Natasha, would you mind posting that nut pastry recipe? I'll bet it it positively yummy! I have a bottle of walnut oil in my pantry just waiting to be used up.......... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Thanks!

[JeanneW]

Yeah, I guess we should change the p-word. Maybe poke? We could probably get away with that. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[beejayw1]

Sorry I'm late, but here's THE oil piecrust recipe that is always flaky and short and, unless you decide to treat it like modeling clay, never gets tough:

For 1 crust:

2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C oil
1/4 C milk

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Measure oil and milk into the same measuring cup and stir vigorously until they are very well mixed. Still stirring, pour milk and oil into flour and stir together with a fork. Gather it up together and roll it out.

Cook it as you would a regular piecrust.

Note: I don't recommend this for custard-type pies if you don't cook it first, since it can get soggy. Otherwise, it's fine.

Diana (Beejayw1)

[Ohioan]

Originally posted by beejayw1:
Sorry I'm late, but here's THE oil piecrust recipe that is always flaky and short and, unless you decide to treat it like modeling clay, never gets tough:


Woe is me, Diana, you weren't around the last time I tried piecrust-making. I made it tough, I made it soggy, I made it doughy, I made it crumbly, I made it hard as a rock, I made it falling to pieces, I made it all over the walls and floor and in my hair, but I never managed to make it edible. Nonetheless, everyone here has inspired me, and as soon as I get through a few more rounds of paper-grading (in a couple of weeks), I'm going to try it again. I'll let everyone know the results, good or bad. Keep your rolling pins crossed. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Cheers, Phoebe (aka Ohioan)

[Natasha]

Hi Shelly,
Here is that pie crust recipe, from Eating Well (Sept. 1997). I haven t yet tried it though I have been meaning too for, well, almost three years now! Let me know what you think if you do try it http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Nut Pastry Dough
(for double crust)
1/4 cup walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
3 tbsp walnut oil
6-7 tbsp cold water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread nuts in a pie pan and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool.
3. In a food processor, combine nuts, flour, sugar and salt; process until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and process until incorporated. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Drizzle oil over flour mixture. Use your fingertips to rub oil into the mixture. One tablespoon at a time, add water and mix with a fork until dough is crumbly and holds together when pressed.
5. Divide dough into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other, and form each into a disk. (The dough will keep, slighly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Return dough to room temperature before rolling.)

[Shelly: There are also proportions for a large single crust instead of 2 double crusts; let me know if you would like this info. Also, the recipes recommend preparing the dough when you re making the crust as follows: Place 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface. Set the larger disk of dough in the center and cover wiht 2 more sheets of plastic wrap. Roll dough to a 13-inch circle. Remove top sheets and invert dough into prepared pan, letting excess dough hand over the edges. Gently press dough into bottom and sides of pan. Pull off plastic wrap. ... Roll out smaller disk of dough as above, making an 11-inch circle. Remove top sheets of plastic and invert dough over filling. Pull off plastic wrap.]

[Shelly]

Thank you Natasha! I'd like to try this soon, maybe with a blueberry filling. Of course, you know how that is............I sympathize with you. My pile of recipes to try just keeps getting bigger http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif. But I will let you know how it tastes, even if it's a year from now http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif............