It’s getting cold out there and that means it’s pie-making season and I always begin with a quantity of pie crusts. Rather than build a crust for every pie as I bake, I like to prepare this–my go-to recipe–which makes six, 9-inch crusts that are superior to the Pillsbury crust found in your grocery store.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m feeling like pie or need to bring a pie to a function, the idea of making the crust each time can steer me to different dessert decision. But if I have a pie crust that’s ready made in the freezer, my decision is simple: it’s pie.
Then I can pull the crusts out of the freezer an hour before I need them and while I’m preparing the filling for the pie, the crust comes up to rolling temperature. This is the crust recipe, like my 3-2-1 crust (for savory pies), that’s always on hand in my freezer. And I can assure you that you won’t go wrong with this old fashioned pie crust recipe that’s ideal for the busy pie maker who wants to prepare ahead.
By making a quantity of crusts, you can go into production and use them all today, or you can store what you don’t use in the freezer for future pie making. I have received many compliments over the years for my fruit pies that always employ these tasty, flaky crusts, which are a delightful complement to a sweet pie filling. Try them and you’ll like them, and let me know what you think in your comments below.
A Quantity of Pie Crusts
Ingredients
- 6 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
- 2 1/2 cups Crisco (or 1 c cold/frozen butter and 1.5 c lard)
- 2 tsps salt
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 10 tbsp cold water to almost 1 cup, depending on how dry your flour is
Instructions
- Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the vinegar and cold water and mix.
- In a separate, large bowl, add the flour and whisk in the salt. Add the Crisco to the flour mixture and cut with a pastry cutter until the mixture is pea-sized
- Make a well in the flour mixture and pPieour in the egg mixture. Mix for a minute or two, until the crust pulls from the side of the bowl. This is the point at which you add more cold water, if your crust is too dry.
- Shape the crust into a loaf for a minute or two (do not overwork) and cut out 6 crusts. Seal the crusts in freezer bags for use later. Or, you can let the crust/s you need for the day rest for a half hour in the refrigerator before rolling out.
Here’s a link to several delicious fruit pies from Food for the Ages:
Leave a Reply