Gail
12-13-2000, 03:32 PM
You poor folks on the cooking skill thread are breaking my heart!
I, too, couldn't manage pie crust (this sounds like a bad commercial from the 50's) until some kindly soul told me about mixer pie crust. Please use a portable, rather than a Kitchenaid or like, which may tend to over mix.
MIXER PIE CRUST
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/4 cup ice water
In small bowl, combine salt, flour and shortening. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until pieces are the size of small peas (15 to 20 seconds.) Add water all at once and beat on low speed until just moistened (10 to 15 seconds). Form dough into 2 balls.
(Refrigerate if you're not using it. With pie crust, the colder, the better usually.)
Roll out between waxed papers. If to be baked without filling, bake at 450º for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 2 9" crusts.
--
The waxed paper thing really helps the rolling out part. Roll from the middle out to the edges, repeating in different directions, then flip the whole thing over, reseat your waxed paper and do it again on that side. Keep repeating, reseating the paper and flipping until you get desired thickness, then peel off waxed paper from one side, plop the thing into the pan, peel off the top paper and trim the thing up, patching as necessary. Handle the dough as little as possible. Too much handling will make it tough.
Take it from a reformed pie crust phobic-- this actually works!
I, too, couldn't manage pie crust (this sounds like a bad commercial from the 50's) until some kindly soul told me about mixer pie crust. Please use a portable, rather than a Kitchenaid or like, which may tend to over mix.
MIXER PIE CRUST
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/4 cup ice water
In small bowl, combine salt, flour and shortening. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until pieces are the size of small peas (15 to 20 seconds.) Add water all at once and beat on low speed until just moistened (10 to 15 seconds). Form dough into 2 balls.
(Refrigerate if you're not using it. With pie crust, the colder, the better usually.)
Roll out between waxed papers. If to be baked without filling, bake at 450º for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 2 9" crusts.
--
The waxed paper thing really helps the rolling out part. Roll from the middle out to the edges, repeating in different directions, then flip the whole thing over, reseat your waxed paper and do it again on that side. Keep repeating, reseating the paper and flipping until you get desired thickness, then peel off waxed paper from one side, plop the thing into the pan, peel off the top paper and trim the thing up, patching as necessary. Handle the dough as little as possible. Too much handling will make it tough.
Take it from a reformed pie crust phobic-- this actually works!