Easy Pie Dough Recipe
With just a few ingredients and in a few minutes, making your own homemade pie dough is so easy, youll wonder why you never did it before. The buttery, flakey and wonderful flavors you get with homemade pie dough with our easy pie dough recipe cant be beat. Once you make these fresh, its hard to go back to regular refrigerated dough that you buy in stores.
Making Flaky Pie Crust Its About The Method
Whats more important than vodka is the way you combine flour and fat .
Remember that gluten is our enemy when it comes to pie dough? Well, Cooks Illustrated found that if you thoroughly mix part of the flour with the fat and make a flour-butter paste first, every particle of that flour becomes coated in fat.
Think of each particle of flour with butter raincoats. These raincoats make it very difficult for the flour to absorb water. In other words, it helps to prevent the development of too much gluten.
Then, you can add the remaining flour so the perfect amount of gluten develops. This means perfect pie crust, every time.
Why I Use Shortening And Butter
Not all fats are created equal. I use a mix of shortening and butter because they work together to make the BEST crust. Butter adds flavor and flakiness, while shortening helps the dough stay pliable which is helpful when youre rolling and shaping it. Plus, its high melting point is advantageous because it helps the crust stay tender while still maintaining shape.
A Tasty Experiment: I recently performed an experiment. The tastiest kind, of course. I prepared an all-butter version to compare to my beloved butter/shortening crust. One thing was clear: the all-butter crust created a lighter textured crust with more defined flakes. This is due to the butters water content. As the crust bakes, the butters water converts to steam, creating light flakes. Get it? Because of all this butter, I found that the all-butter crust didnt have a perfectly neat-edged crust. The all-butter crust tasted like pure butter. The butter/shortening crust was just as flaky and tender in my opinion and tasted buttery and like pie crust . Both crusts were great. But the butter/shortening won in terms of texture, flavor, and appearance. This KA Flour blog post had similar results .
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How To Make Perfect Homemade Apple Pie
Its taken us a while to zero in on our favorite method for making apple pie, but I think weve finally nailed it. This simple recipe guarantees perfectly cooked apples surrounded with a thick gently spiced sauce. Theres no need for precooking the sauce or apples and the steps to make this pie are simple, you just need a little time.
As with all of the pie recipes on Inspired Taste, we start with this homemade pie crust. Im a stickler on this one. It has never failed us and is our go-to recipe for pumpkin pie, tarts, and other fruit pies like blueberry pie.
You can make the crust in advance. It can be refrigerated or frozen. Definitely check our pie crust recipe for our tips on making it .
As for the apples, we use a lot of them and like to use two or more varieties for the most apple-flavored pie. Ive listed some of our favorites below. It isnt a complete list, but it should give you some inspiration when shopping for your homemade pie. If you find yourself with extra apples, try making homemade applesauce!
We dont precook the apples before adding them to the crust.
Instead, we toss peeled and sliced apples with sugar, salt, and spices in a large bowl. When the apples are well coated, we set the bowl aside and let the apples sit for about an hour.
In this hour, the sugar and salt work on the apples to help them release their delicious liquid . The apples also soften quite a bit. We do this when making apple bread, too.
How To Make Apple Pie
To make this apple pie, youll start by adjusting an oven rack to the lower third position in your oven. This will help the bottom of your pie crust get crisper and prevent the top from getting too browned. Next, preheat your oven to 400°F . The initial high temperature will help ensure that you end up with a super flaky pie crust. Dont worry though, youll reduce the temperature after 20 minutes so your pie doesnt end up over baked!
I also recommend making the filling first so that it has time to sit for about 15 to 20 minutes while you roll out and prep your pie crust. This will allow the apples to release some of their juices so that it doesnt all end up in your pie.
To make the apple pie filling, simply combine your sliced apples and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl and toss the apples to coat them with the juice. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, and spices until theyre fully combined. Then, sprinkle the mixture on top of the sliced apples and mix until all of the apples are coated. Once the filling is ready, set it aside while you prepare the pie crusts.
To prepare the pie crusts, roll both of them out, place one in a 9-inch pie dish, and trim off any excess dough. For the other pie crust, you can either cut it into strips or leave it whole, its up to you.
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Homemade Apple Pie Filling
When you make a pie, there are essentially two components: the pie crust and the pie filling. Both are equally important! Now that weve gone over the homemade apple pie crust, lets talk about the homemade filling. You dont need much to make this, which is what I love this pie. Its delicious in its simplicity, just pure apple flavor with a bit of sugar, cinnamon, and flour mixed in to make the filling. YUM!
The Pie Bakers Tip Sheet
1. Cold butter. For flaky piecrust, its important to start with very cold butter, so that it doesnt melt while you work it into the flour. When this happens, butter becomes too thoroughly mixed with the flour, resulting in a mealy, crumbly crust rather than a flaky one. Freeze butter briefly if you have warm hands, live in a warm climate, or are making a very large batch of pie dough. Its also a good idea to chill the bowl and even the flour when making pie in warm weather.
2. Just enough water. For a tender piecrust, dont add too much water. Water contributes to the development of gluten proteins. If you add more than necessary, the resulting crust may still be flaky, but it will be tough rather than tender. For these reasons, trust your fingertips over your eyes: The dough should hold together when pressed between your fingers, although it will still look pretty shaggy.
3. Easy rolling. Take the time before chilling the dough to form an even, circular disk with clean, smooth edges. This will make rolling out the dough much easier because the edges are less likely to crack.
4. Crisp crust. Bake filled pies on a preheated, rimmed baking sheet and use a lightweight metal pie dish. Both will help set the crust quickly, preventing it from getting soggy. Baking on a sheet is also handy for catching bubbling juices.
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What Youll Need To Make Pie Crust
Some pie crust recipes call for all butter some call for all shortening, lard or oil and some call for a combination of fats. I like to use a blend of butter and shortening. The butter lends delicious flavor and flakiness, while the shortening makes the dough easy to work with and also helps it hold its shape. Its important that the butter and shortening are both very cold.
As for the dry ingredients, in addition to all-purpose flour and salt, I like to add a bit of baking powder to my homemade pie crust. It helps the crust expand into the pan, rather than shrink and slip down the sides as it bakes .
What Apples Should Not Be Used For Apple Pie
Fuji, Gala, Red Delicious are all apples that should not be used for apple pie. These apples are really sweet and will not hold up during the baking process. Avoid apples that are very sweet or overly ripe. The sweeter apples will break down in the apple pie and the overly ripe apples will not hold up the texture and will lack flavor.
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How To Make A Basic Apple Pie
Every year, especially around the holidays, the desire to make apple pie surges. With the tart taste of apples, the sweetness from the cinnamon sugar, and the crunch of that delicious flaky crust apple pie undeniably embodies the flavors of fall.
If youre like us and were a little overzealous when you went apple picking, youll need a way to use up that bounty. Sure, you can whip up apple butter and applesauce, but nothing beats a classic apple pie, particularly when apple season is at its peak.
Below we provide a step-by-step tutorial of how to make your basic apple pie with either a lattice or standard top crust. No matter if you are a beginner, or veteran baker looking to brush up on their apple pie making skills, weve got you covered.
How To Make Two Crusts
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Make Sure Your Chunks Of Butter Are Big And Cold
Many pie recipes call for you to cut the butter into ¼” cubes. Instead, I start with sticks of butter and cut them into largish ½” chunks. After cutting the butter, I place the chunks on a plate and put them in the freezer for 10 minutes so the butter gets as cold as can be without freezing. I like to start with these larger pieces because when they are mixed in with the flour, some big chunks remain. When the dough is rolled out, those chunks form striations of butter in the dough, and when baked, the water in the butter evaporates, resulting in microscopic flaky layersand a light, tender, flaky crust.
How To Make Homemade Pie Crust
Okay, heres your first lesson: Homemade pies do not have to be perfect. Really. This is a hard lesson to learn because we want that perfectly crimped and beautifully burnished pie crust so badly! I completely understand. But if your pie crust rips in half while youre transferring it to the pan, its OK. Remind yourself that at the end of the day, you still have pie, and thats all that matters.
Next lesson: The more you make pies, the better youll be. Making pie crust is a lot like riding a bike it takes a lot of practice before you can pull it off every time. I was just as astounded as you the first time I pulled a pie out of the oven and saw that it hadnt shrunk, collapsed, burnt, or otherwise become disfigured. I dont want to jinx myself by saying that Im now a pie-making pro, but I really do feel that each pie Ive made has been better than the last.
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How To Make Pie Crust From Scratch
Posted by Erika | Jan 19, 2021
The secret to a great slice of pie is all in the crust! A buttery, flaky crust that holds its shape is key to pie perfection, and this step-by-step guide on how to make a pie crust will help show you how quick and easy it is to do!
The best thing about this easy pie crust recipe is that it uses staple ingredients you probably have on hand already: flour, salt, fat and water. Thats it! With these basic ingredients, you can make a buttery, flaky crust you can use with pretty much any filling.
Not only will we walk you through this easy homemade pie crust recipe, but well also share a few basic tips and tricks to help ensure you get great results every time. Weve also included a few of our favorite go-to pie recipes, perfect for trying out your new homemade pie crust!
Pie Recipes To Explore:
If you make this recipe, Id love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This recipe was adapted from the Joy of Cooking and The Bon Appetit Cookbook. They are both amazing general reference books that I have had in my kitchen for years. Highly recommend!
Now go forth and make homemade pie. You can DO THIS!!
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Resist The Urge To Dig In Right Away
Even if youre tempted to slice and serve, heed the recipes instructions, and take cooling time into account when youre mapping out how many hours in advance you need to bake. Custard pieces need to set and fruit pies need to gel and firm. For beautiful slices that hold their shape, the wait is worthwhile.
How To Bake The Perfect Pie Crust
Whether you buy pie dough or make homemade dough, you will need to bake the pie shell. This takes 20 to 30 minutes.
Start by rolling out some pie dough and placing into a pie dish .
Next, use a fork to prick the bottom of the pie shell this helps to prevent the dough from bubbling up when baking. Add some aluminum foil or parchment paper to the bottom then weigh it down with rice, dried beans or pie weights. Bake until golden then remove the foil or parchment and brush the entire shell with egg wash and bake a little longer. The egg wash helps make the pie shell shiny and golden, but it also seals the bottom of the pie shell and prevents the strawberry filling from making the crust soggy. Cool the pie shell then fill.
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