Pie Love, page 4
7. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9- to 10-inch pie pan, fold the excess to form the edge, and crimp. Chill the crust for 15 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, if you are making a double-crust pie, roll out the reserved dough between two sheets of parchment to a round approximately 10 inches across. Set it aside, keeping it between the parchment sheets to prevent it from drying out.
8. Brush egg wash onto the edges of the bottom crust.
9. Dock the crust and weight it with a circle of parchment paper cut to size and a disposable pie pan resting gently above the crust to prevent it from puffing up while toasting. If your pie filling will be baked, blind bake the crust for 5 to 7 minutes. If you’ll be using the crust for a custard pie where baking isn’t required, blind bake it for 10 to 12 minutes—checking often after 10 minutes.
10. Set the blind-baked crust aside to cool while you prepare the filling of your choice. Top and finish the pie as desired or as directed in your recipe.
This gluten-free crust is inspired by the very popular gluten-free cakes we’ve baked at CakeLove for years. Here, I’ve added freshly ground golden flaxseeds, which add a wonderful, nutty aroma and taste to the dough. The rice flour lends sweetness, and millet is a good substitute for the starch component in flour, but it doesn’t do much in the way of binding. That task is left to the tapioca and egg white, which help hold the dough together as you roll it out.
Golden flaxseeds
3 tablespoons
Brown or white rice flour
2 tablespoons
Tapioca flour
2 tablespoons
Millet flour
2 ⅓ cups (9 ¼ ounces)
Superfine granulated sugar
1 tablespoon
Sea salt
½ teaspoon
Unsalted butter, very cold
1 cup (2 sticks), cut into small pieces
Egg white
1
Ice water
2 to 3 tablespoons
MAKES 18 OUNCES, ENOUGH FOR ONE 9- TO 10-INCH DOUBLE-CRUST PIE
1. Thoroughly soak and scrub all your equipment and work surfaces to remove any trace of wheat flour. Be sure to clean underneath the blade mechanism in the food processor and in between the grooves of any tools to free any crusty debris.
2. Grind the flaxseeds in a coffee grinder or spice mill. Add the flax with all three flours, the sugar, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
3. Remove the lid for the processor’s work bowl and sprinkle the butter across the top. Pulse until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Pulse in the egg white, and then add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
5. Remove the dough from the work bowl (it will be crumbly at this point) and gently knead it on a work surface or parchment paper lightly dusted with millet flour.
6. Remove one third of the dough so that you have two pieces. Wrap both pieces of dough in plastic film and chill them in the refrigerator for 60 minutes or up to 3 days before using. If you are not making a double-crust pie, hold the smaller disk in the freezer for another use.
7. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the larger disk of dough between two sheets of parchment lightly dusted with millet flour and roll it into a round 12 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.
8. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9- to 10-inch pie pan, then crimp and shape the edges. Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, if you are making a double-crust pie, roll out the other piece of dough between two sheets of parchment to a round approximately 10 inches across. Set it aside, keeping it between the parchment sheets to prevent it from drying out.
9. Dock the bottom crust and weight it with a circle of parchment paper cut to size and a disposable pie pan resting gently above the crust to prevent it from puffing up while toasting. If your filling will be baked, blind bake the crust for 5 to 7 minutes. If you’ll be using the crust for a custard pie where baking isn’t required, blind bake it for 12 to 15 minutes—checking often after 10 minutes.
10. Set the blind-baked crust aside to cool while you prepare the filling of your choice. Top and finish the pie as desired or as directed in your recipe.
We traditionally think of butter or lard as being necessary ingredients for a successful piecrust, but vegan crusts are entirely feasible—just use vegetable shortening and brush on alternative sugars like agave syrup or maple syrup. Be sure to use a shortening that has a blend of oils and preferably one that is marketed as a “butter-flavored” product. Straight palm kernel oil isn’t unappetizing, but it lacks a discernable flavor, so anything made with it can taste similarly bland.
Unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups (12 ½ ounces)
Sea salt
1 teaspoon
Vegetable shortening, very cold
10 tablespoons, cut into small pieces
Ice water
4 to 5 tablespoons
Vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon
MAKES 20 OUNCES, ENOUGH FOR ONE 9- TO 10-INCH DOUBLE-CRUST PIE
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Combine the flour and salt in the work bowl of a food processor and mix for at least 30 seconds.
3. Stop the processor and add the shortening all at once.
4. Pulse in the shortening until the texture resembles fine crumbs; pulse in the water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and rides on top of the S blade.
5. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured parchment, remove one third of it, and wrap it in plastic film to keep it from drying out. If you’re not making a double-crust pie, hold this piece in the fridge or freezer for another use.
6. Shape the remaining dough into a disk, place a second sheet of parchment on top, and roll it into a round approximately 12 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.
7. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9- to 10-inch pie pan, fold excess to form the edge, and crimp. Chill the crust for 15 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, if you are making a double-crust pie, roll out the reserved dough between two sheets of parchment to a round approximately 10 inches across. Set it aside, keeping it between the parchment sheets to prevent it from drying out.
8. Brush the edges of the bottom crust with the vanilla.
9. Dock the crust and weight it with a circle of parchment paper cut to size and a disposable pie pan resting gently above the crust to prevent it from puffing up while baking. If your pie filling will be baked, blind bake the crust for 5 to 7 minutes. If you’ll be using the crust for a custard pie where baking isn’t required, blind bake it for 10 to 12 minutes—checking often after 10 minutes.
10. Set the blind-baked crust aside to cool while you prepare the filling of your choice. Top and finish the pie as desired or as directed in your recipe.
Vegetable shortening and butter are an excellent pair in piecrust. Each has a different melting point, and this creates a dough that’s easy to handle and bakes up with pockets of air and crunchiness that bring extra goodness to any filling. Artificially hydrogenated vegetable shortening performs best—a drawback, for sure, but not one that will ruin your health in and of itself. If you ask me, moderation, exercise, and honesty are a better approach to a healthful lifestyle than categorically forgoing delicious treats.
Unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups (15 ounces)
Sea salt
¾ teaspoon
Superfine granulated sugar
2 teaspoons
Unsalted butter, very cold
½ cup (1 stick), cut into small pieces
Vegetable shortening, very cold
6 tablespoons (3 ounces), cut into small pieces
Ice water
up to ½ cup
Egg wash of your choice or as directed in recipe
PALM KERNEL OIL:
This is a naturally occurring saturated fat that is solid at room temperature. It works just as well as hydrogenated vegetable shortening, but with fewer health concerns. I prefer using palm kernel oil whenever shortening is called for.
MAKES 24 OUNCES, ENOUGH FOR ONE 9- TO 10-INCH DOUBLE-CRUST PIE
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until blended.
3. Add the butter and shortening to the bowl. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Pulse in the water 1 tablespoon at a time.
5. This dough won’t ball up in the processor—it remains rather crumbly. After all the water is in, gather it from the work bowl and gently knead it together on a lightly floured work surface or parchment paper.
6. Remove one third of the dough and wrap it in plastic film. If you’re not making a double-crust pie, hold this piece in the fridge or freezer for another use. (At this point, you can also wrap everything tightly and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks.)
7. Flatten the larger piece of dough into a disk 1 inch thick and place it between two sheets of very lightly floured parchment paper. Roll it out into a round approximately 12 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.
8. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9- to 10-inch pie pan, fold the excess to form the edge, and crimp. Chill the crust for 15 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, if you are making a double-crust pie, roll out the reserved dough between two sheets of parchment to a round approximately 10 inches across. Set it aside, keeping it between the parchment sheets to prevent it from drying out.
9. Brush egg wash onto the edges of the bottom crust.
10. Dock the crust and weight it with a circle of parchment paper cut to size and a disposable pie pan resting gently above the crust to prevent it from puffing up while toasting. If your pie filling will be baked, blind bake the crust for 5 to 7 minutes. If you’ll be using the crust for a custard pie where baking isn’t required, blind bake it for 10 to 12 minutes—checking often after 10 minutes.
11. Set the blind-baked crust aside to cool while you prepare the filling of your choice. Top and finish the pie as desired or as directed in your recipe.
This crust is used for the Traditional Cherry Pie.
Looks can be deceiving with this piecrust. You might think you are filling a big chocolate cookie, but it’s actually not very sweet. Not every filling makes a good partner (I tried pumpkin, and the results were not very tasty), but I do like this filled with Vanilla or Coffee Pudding Cream and topped with Whipped Cream.
This dough is one that requires a little more attention. It seems that the cocoa powder absorbs a lot of the moisture, perhaps before it reacts with the flour to activate the glutens. In drier climates or on less humid days, it may take up to double the amount of water called for. But don’t rush through it; add the water 1 tablespoon at a time and watch how the dough comes together.
Unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (9 ounces)
Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons
Superfine granulated sugar
¼ cup
Sea salt
1 teaspoon
Unsalted butter, very cold
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks), cut into small pieces
Ice water
4 to 5 tablespoons
Egg wash of your choice or as directed in your recipe
MAKES 18 OUNCES, ENOUGH FOR ONE DOUBLE-CRUST 9- TO 10-INCH PIE
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt to the work bowl of a food processor; pulse for 30 seconds to combine.
3. Stop the processor and add the butter all at once.
4. Pulse in the butter until the texture resembles fine crumbs; pulse in the water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and rides on top of the S blade.
5. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured parchment, remove one third of it and wrap it in plastic film to keep it from drying out. If you’re not making a double-crust pie, hold this piece in the fridge or freezer for another use.
6. Shape the remaining dough into a disk, place it between two sheets of very lightly floured parchment paper, and roll it into a round approximately 12 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.
7. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9- to 10-inch pie pan, fold the excess to form the edge, and crimp. Chill the crust for 15 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, if you are making a double-crust pie, roll out the reserved dough between two sheets of parchment to a round approximately 10 inches across. Set it aside, keeping it between the parchment sheets to prevent it from drying out.
8. Brush egg wash onto the edges of the bottom crust.
9. Dock the crust and weight it with a circle of parchment paper cut to size and a disposable pie pan resting gently above the crust to prevent it from puffing up while toasting. If your pie filling will be baked, blind bake the crust for 10 minutes. If you’ll be using the crust for a custard pie where baking isn’t required, blind bake it for 10 to 12 minutes—checking often after 10 minutes.
10. Set the crust aside to cool as you prepare the filling of your choice. Top and finish the pie as desired or as directed in your recipe.
This crust is used for the Chocolate Cream Pie.
Lard is enjoying a well-deserved comeback and once again taking its rightful place in kitchens across the country. It’s a superb shortening for baking. The texture and flavor it yields are better than butter. Lard used to be preferred to butter but it lost ground to vegetable shortening, which was successfully marketed as a new baking ingredient after the electric lightbulb rendered wax candles made with vegetable fats obsolete.
Unbleached all-purpose flour
10 ounces (2 cups)
Lard
5 ounces
Superfine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon
Sea salt
¼ teaspoon
Ice water
4 tablespoons
MAKES 19 OUNCES, ENOUGH FOR ONE 9- TO 10-INCH DOUBLE-CRUST PIE
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Add the flour, lard, sugar, and salt to the work bowl of a food processor and run it for 30 seconds.
3. Pulse in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and rides on top of the S blade.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured parchment, remove one third of it, and wrap it in plastic film to keep it from drying out. If you’re not making a double-crust pie, hold this dough in the fridge or freezer for another use.
5. Shape the remaining dough into a disk, place a second sheet of parchment on top, and roll it out into a large round, approximately 12 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.
6. Gently fit the dough into a 9- to 10-inch pie pan, fold the excess to form the edge, and crimp. Chill the crust for 15 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, if you are making a double-crust pie, roll out the reserved dough between two sheets of parchment to a round approximately 10 inches across. Set it aside, keeping it between the parchment sheets to prevent it from drying out.
7. Brush the bottom crust edges with egg wash.
8. Dock the crust and weight it with a circle of parchment paper cut to size and a disposable pie pan resting gently above the pastry to prevent it from puffing up while toasting. If your pie filling will be baked, blind bake the crust for 5 to 7 minutes. If you’ll be using the crust for a custard pie where baking isn’t required, blind bake for 10 to 12 minutes—checking often after 10 minutes.
9. Set the blind-baked crust aside to cool while you prepare the filling of your choice. Top and finish the pie as desired or as directed in your recipe.
This crust is a very nice surprise for either a sweet or savory pie. Be sure to use a good-quality aromatic, aged hard cheese that you can grate very fine; otherwise, the crust will be gritty. I particularly like pecorino Romano or Parmesan, but whatever you choose, avoid those with a high moisture content because they will make the crust oily and chewy. The meatball is the best filling for this crust, but the Chicken Pot Pie and the lemon apple are really good options too.
Unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ¾ cups (14 ounces)
Superfine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon
Sea salt
¼ teaspoon
Unsalted butter, very cold
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks), cut into small pieces
Ice water
6 tablespoons
Egg wash of your choice or as directed in your recipe
MAKES 24 OUNCES, ENOUGH FOR ONE 9- TO 10-INCH DOUBLE-CRUST PIE
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Add the flour, sugar, cheese, and salt to the work bowl of a food processor and pulse for at least 30 seconds to combine.
3. Stop the processor and add the butter all at once.
4. Pulse in the butter until the texture resembles fine crumbs; pulse in the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and rides on top of the S blade.
5. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured parchment, remove one third of it, and wrap it in plastic film to keep it from drying out. If you’re not making a double-crust pie, hold this piece in the fridge or freezer for another use.
6. Shape the remaining dough into a disk, place a second sheet of parchment on top, and roll it into a round approximately 12 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.
