Saturday, October 4, 2014

How to make Pie Dough

Hello my crafty friends, happy Saturday to you all! We have a rainy dreary day here today, but we need the rain, so I say bring it on, just not to much. lol I have had some requests on how to make pie dough. So I"m here today to show you how! Now I will have to warn you that this will be pic heavy! I want you all to see all the steps and what they look like, so that's why all the pictures. So lets get on with it!

I am using a Kitchen Aid Heavy Duty mixer with the dough hook. I used to make my pie dough by hand until my hubby gave me this awesome mixer for Christmas years ago. 




You will need 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp. salt and 3/4 cup of Crisco. I use the Crisco sticks because they are so much easier to measure. I cut it up into smaller chunks and throw it in with the flour and salt. Start mixing on low speed.


While it is mixing up, I use my spatula and help push the Crisco into the hook to mix into smaller pieces. 


In this picture you can see what your mix should look like once all the Crisco has been worked into the flour. Those little pea sized balls is the Crisco. 


Now you will need your ice water. Your water should be very cold. Start by adding a tablespoon at a time. I usually add 5 tablespoons, but if is humid, I will cut it back, if we are having dry weather, I will add to it. So start out with 4 tablespoons and then check the dough. If it is soft and holding together without crumbling, you are good to go. If it doesn't add some more water. This is where you will eventually learn the feel of the dough and if it is right or not. 



You are going to mix on medium low until all the dough pulls away from the side of the mixer bowl and is one lump as show in the pictures below. Don't over mix the dough, it will make it tough. As soon as the dough comes together stop your machine. 




Divide your dough in half as this recipe makes two pie crusts, or one bottom and one top. I get them shaped into a circle to start rolling with. 


As you can see, I use a pie rolling mat to roll my dough on, but when I started out making pie dough I didn't have one and just rolled it out on my counter. If it is in your funds to get one, by all means do, it does make pie rolling easier. I have sprinkled four on my mat to keep my dough from sticking. I roll my dough to get started, picking up my dough and flipping it over and putting down more flour if needed. 


As your dough is starting to get to the size you need, you will probably need some flour on your rolling pin. But just enough to keep the dough from sticking to it. You don't want to much extra flour on your dough as that can make it tough too. 


Once my dough is rolled to my size that I need, I use my rolling pin to pick it up to place in my pie dish by rolling the dough around it. I know it looks like I have a lot of flour on my dough here, but I shake it off and it is only some when I first pick the dough up. As you can see in the next picture there isn't much flour there. 



Transfer the dough to your pie pan.


Trim excess pie dough off. My pans have a lip and I cut just inside the lip to get rid of my excess pie dough. You can save the left over dough and roll out, place butter, sugar and cinnamon on top and roll it up. Bake it and eat it. My guys always loved the left over crust pieces when I did them like that. Since it is just hubby and I, I just throw away the left over dough. Or you can use it to make a mini pie if you have some mini pans. Mini pie pans are on my wish list because it is always cool to have a personal pie all to yourself. lol Now tuck your dough under and then you can start pinching your side or making fork marks on the edge of your crust. I always pinch mine because I love the look. 


Here is what the dough looks like once it is in your pan. Here you can see the "lip" I was talking about and the dough that I "tucked" under. It just gives a nicer, cleaner look to the dough when you tuck it under.


Now you are ready to fill it if you are making a pie that doesn't require a "lid". These two pie dough became peach custard pies. Yum, yum! Come back Sunday to see what I made with some other pie dough I made. Hint, it has chicken in it! 

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make pie dough. I promise it isn't hard at all. It just take trial and error to get the "feel" down and that really does't take all that long to learn. Now I hope you will give it a try and please let me know how it goes. 

Thanks for stopping by today for me to teach you how to make the pie dough. I always enjoy having people in the kitchen with me chatting away. lol You know I'm a chatter! As always I appreciate your lovely comments. Crafty and baking hugs, Brenda

15 comments:

Sheila H said...

Great tutorial, Brenda. I used to make pies and crust from scratch, but haven't done so in years. Your family is certainly blessed by your kitchen skills :)

Brenda in IN said...

You make it look so easy. I don't have a heavy duty mixer. Mine is called Ultra Power but does have a dough hook. I hope that will work. Your pies sound yummy. With winter coming on (and it got here since yesterday) I will be trying this. Thanks for taking time to show us.

Anonymous said...

Hi Brenda!thanks for this tutorial it's so helpful for new bakers like me. I'm so getting one of those pie rolling mat.
Have a great day!
Ana

jimlynn said...

MORE than a fantastic post Brenda and I'm PINNING it right now!!! Great hints and it's beautiful....yes, pie crust can be beautiful when it looks like this! Yummy.
Lynn

Lisa said...

You make me want to run to the kitchen and make a pie...after I purchase one of those awesome mixers!! Fabulous tutorial my friend!! Thanks for taking the time to do this...and photograph the steps - that isn't easy!! Have a great weekend :)

Lisa
A Mermaid's Crafts

Vickie said...

Thanks for the tutorial on pie crust making. I have a hard time making crust so I just buy the pie crust already made and then add what I want. I will be trying this so thanks my friend. Have a great baking day. I bet your house SMELLLSSS SO DELISCOUIS.

Unknown said...

I'm impressed that you make your own pie crusts. I did it once, years ago, and decided it was more trouble that it was worth. I went back to buying the premade already in the tin pie crusts. Your step by step instructions are fantastic.

Carol L said...

Thanks for the pie crust lessons! I love pie, but with just the two of us, they rarely get eaten anymore, so I seldom make them! It was fun to visit your kitchen and see you making those crusts, so thanks for the pics!

Anonymous said...

That was fabulous, Brenda. The one bad thing...now I want pie! lol Can I come for dessert? haha

Anita in France said...

Clear, consise, brilliant, Brenda ... and you made those cases into peach custard pies? Yum.my! Anita :)

Tina Campbell said...

Well done on the tutorial Brenda :) I have one recipe that I use for pie dough and it works each time :) But I agree the ice water will make a big difference in how the pie comes out. I like your rolling sheet looks like it pulls up easily onto the rolling pin, I still do the fold in quarters to put in the pie dish :) Love fall for Apple pie backing :) Do you do dumplings? Got a good recipe and a good dough recipe for that too? Hugs and have a great rest of the weekend, bitter today got the wood stove going and a cake in the oven

MaryH said...

Good lesson. All the pictures were very good to detail each of the steps and help us understand it better. Now I for one, would love a personal lesson too! That chicken pie looked just delicious. Hope ya'll had a good wkend. Looks like you spent a good bit of it in the kitchen. Hugs MM

Loll said...

Hi Brenda. I have a Kitchenaid but have never used the dough hook ... my bad! :) Thanks for the tutorial ... I might give this a try. Loll xx

cm said...

Creative genius at work with these photos and explanations! This is nothing short of AWESOME! You could easily make a book of recipes, with photos included, that I KNOW people would buy! Seriously, Brenda, this is the best pie-crust making tutorial I've ever seen, to the point where I *think* I could be successful in giving this a go, even though I don't have a mixing machine. Your explanation - both in words and photos - of how the dough should look and feel can easily be transferred to hand-kneading. Totally fabulous! Peach custard pie the result? Ohhhhhh myyyyyyy! My mom makes mini pies with her left-over dough (or rather, mini pie 'blobs' as she 'plops' the dough in an aluminum pie plate, adds a filling, then just 'bundles' it up...sweet little nibbles. I'm hoping she'll make rhubarb pie when next we visit. THANK YOU for being so awesome and answering 'visitor requests.' You're the best blog hostess EVER!! Lots of love,
~c

Darnell said...

SOOOO BEAUTIFUL, Brenda!! Oh, man, am I glad I had a minute to jump on the laptop and do some visiting. I'm so bookmarking this post and the one for one of my all-time favorite meals, chicken pot pie. I could just kiss you right now!! I don't make a bad pie dough, but it's not a pretty pie dough, so I am going to try following this to a tee when I get back home. Your's looks like a TV cooking show!! Sorry, I just can't get over how cool this is.

Your cards that I've caught up on are fantastic too, hon. Just not as fantastic as your dough and pot pie, lol!! I may not get a chance to stop by again until the end of the month, so you take care! Big hugs, Darnell