This pie crust retains the flavor of an all butter crust, but is flakier because of the shortening.
The lemon juice isn’t in the recipe for lemon flavour… trust me you won’t taste it, but rather to work with the flour and prevent the pastry from being tough.
I also find that the dough gives a bigger yield than the 9 inch size stated, I roll mine relatively thin and can get a full top and bottom for a 26 cm (12 inch) shallow pie dish.
I have included 20+ step by step photographs to help you see exactly how this is made from the first ingredients to table.
The instructions may look long, but I have tried to give practical details to that even if this is your first ever pie crust, you will have ALL the information you need for success. Enjoy!
Cooking time will vary depending on how deep your pie dish is, what the filling is etc. I’ve included some examples below of things I have made to help you calculate your own cooking time for what you are baking.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
1 nine inch pie
Classic Pie Crust Recipe #26205 | 55 min | 15 min prep
In the demonstration photo series I made Australian Meat Pie(RecipeZaar recipe #21726) and there is a precooked filling, so *that* recipe called for the first 15 minutes on 220°C (425°F) and then 180°C (350°F) for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
DO be aware that different fillings require different cooking times and temperatures and adjust accordingly.
Ingredients
11 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour (320g)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 lb cold unsalted butter cut in 1/2 inch pieces (115g)
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 ounces cold water
Directions
Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor, pulse briefly to combine.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Add the butter and shortening; pulse just until coarse crumbs form, about 30 seconds.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Add the lemon juice and water.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Pulse just until moist crumbs form.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Turn the dough onto a work surface and gently shape it into two equal disks about 4 or 5 inches (10-12 cm) in diameter.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day (can freeze).
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Take one of the two disks and roll it out.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Place into a lightly greased (I use cooking spray) pie dish, I also carefully roll the pastry around the rolling pin and then “unroll” it into the dish, it’s less likely to break this way.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
I take an egg and separate the yolk from the white — and using a pastry brush, I “paint” the pastry base with some of the egg yolk. (Don’t use it all because you will need some of it to paint the lid of the pie later too.)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
This will make a seal and help prevent the bottom of the pie from becoming soggy when the wet filling is added. (Please note: in the photo series one of the small dishes contains the egg white — it’s not used in this recipe as we only need the yoke)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Then add your pie filling — mine in the photo demo is meat, yours could be vegetable or fruit etc .
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Now roll out your second disk of dough and carefully place this on top of your pie.(I dampen the top edge of the base with a very small amount of water to help join the two layers before laying on my pastry “lid”) and then I use a fork to push the edges together.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
After trimming the excess pastry from around the edges, I gather up the pastry scraps and roll them out — cutting some “leaves” to decorate the top.I wet the bottom of these decorations with a tiny amount of water and then place them on top of the pie.
Then I add a tablespoon of water to the last of the egg yolk and gently “paint” the whole top of the pie. Lastly, use the fork to poke some holes around the pastry to let the steam out.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Put into the oven and bake according to the instructions for the recipe you are making.
Et Voila ! and so EASY!
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
If you would like to read any of the 100+ reviews that I have so far for this recipe or make the recipe and leave a review yourself, then you will find the link for that here: http://www.recipezaar.com/Means-Classic-Pie-Crust-26205
Oh my goodness, happy birthday to ME! I always have pie instead of cake. That’s MY tradition, and this looks SO good it’s on the menu for tonight.
Comment by Invisible Mikey — February 26, 2010 @ 3:43 am |
Happy Birthday to ya Mikey!!! “lang zal ze leven …” Opps sorry, need the other one “Happy Birthday to yooou…” Try the pie you won’t regret it, works good with fruit or meat fillings (preferably not together though) Yep idiot moi saw the blunder in the title, but I thought hey idoit = “I-do-it” (get it?) also works, don’t you think? or was it too deep that it just sinks like a stone? Either you are a gramatica freak or you see the lighter side of life and have a similarly weird sense of humour to mine. I have no problem with either option. Hmm think I should fix it and put it back the right way? will anyone other than us actually notice LOL? or care? Hope that your Birthday is WONDERFUL ! and that you have a most excellent day. Now in dutch , follow me…”lang zal ze leven, lang zal ze leven, lang zal ze leven in het Gloria…”
Comment by kiwidutch — February 26, 2010 @ 5:57 am |
“Idoit”??? (Actually pretty funny if you did it on purpose.)
Comment by Invisible Mikey — February 26, 2010 @ 3:45 am |
Leave it! It IS funnier. And thanks…I’ll be 412 yrs old in a few hours, but you can’t see the wrinkles since under the bandages I’m INVISIBLE.
Comment by Invisible Mikey — February 26, 2010 @ 6:20 am |
Only 412? Heck you’re just a baby! Does that mean that the powder in my little box from the dusty top shelf that has “makes all things invisable, visable” written on it in very faded letters might have been past it’s sell by date and may or may not work? It’s dated 1603 and it cames with a 1500 year warranty. Just kidding of course, but um…how can you tell you have wrinkles if you are invisible???
Me? I hate telling my age, I have my kids tained to tell rude Dutch who demand to know “She’s 29 of course” Of course the kids have no clue how old I am, the innocent little rats would spill the beans in a nano-second LOL.
Comment by kiwidutch — February 26, 2010 @ 6:41 am |
I’m only un-seeable, not un-touchable. I can feel the saggy skin folds. They are a badge of honor for having survived. Also, some people can see me, such as psychics, mutants and very odd persons.
It says 412 on my driving license. To admit my real age would upset the bureaucrats.
Comment by Invisible Mikey — February 26, 2010 @ 6:53 am |
Kiwidutch – I wanted to not only reciprocate your post, but also compliment you on a great blog, great reading. I think that your pie could have just inspired my family dinner on Sunday!
Also, have you ever made a rhubarb crumble!?! If so, would love to hear your means and methods!
Comment by ollygoffe — February 26, 2010 @ 11:51 am |
ollygoffe, awful sorry but no rhubarb crumble anywhere recently, I love rhubarb but Himself has a pet hate: cooked fruit, and the kids tastebuds haven’t progressed far enough into culinary wonderland experiences enough yet to be up for the rhubarb experience.(fussy little souls they are) That’s the main reason I need to wait until we have visitors to make fruit pies etc, otherwise it would be just me in front of a pie that serves eight. (yummy thought I know, but still sadly a bad idea)I do have recipes I just haven’t made them in years, and years. Maybe it’s high time for one to be made again here after all. I’ll invite some friends around who will appreciate it and Hubby won’t mind in the least as long as no plate of it is put under his nose. let me know how your dinner goes
Comment by kiwidutch — February 27, 2010 @ 10:23 am |
Doesn’t Himself know that rhubarb is a vegetable not a fruit??
I tell people all the time that rhubarb is my favorite vegetable
Comment by Carrie — March 4, 2010 @ 3:13 am
That pie looks like a masterpiece, kiwidutch. I’m going to try making it one day. To make the leaves – did you use a cookie mold, or did you just make the leaves with a knife? Also, can i mix the ingredients by hand, instead of with a machine?
I’m eager to test my fingers. that truly is a lovely pie. i think i’ll make fruit!
Comment by sotsil — February 27, 2010 @ 10:52 pm |
The leaves are made easily, just make a basic leaf shape and then use a knife to make the little cuts along the sides. I’ve never made this recipe *without* a food processor, and yes you could do it by hand, if you have a pastry cutter, that would speed up the process. However a note of warning: someone sans processor in one of my reviews tried to make it in a blender instead, but since the mixture is not particularly liquid, it just ended up compacting solidly around the blades, so clearly a blender isn’t suited to the task. If Hubby liked cooked fruit at all, I’d make a fruit pie almost once a week, LOVE them, Sadly his pet hate is cooked fruit so I do meat or veggie pies most of the time.
Comment by Kiwidutch — March 1, 2010 @ 5:42 am |
Ah Ha Carrie, Indeed, I’d completely forgotten that! You have reminded me of new “Marketing Strategy” in my attempts to pursuade Himself to like rhubarb. But between you and me, based on his lack of acceptance of past efforts, I don’t rate my chances of success too highly.
Comment by kiwidutch — March 4, 2010 @ 5:51 am |
[...] Pastry… has a reputation for being difficult to make yourself but is easy to take if you have the right recipe and a few tips. Luckily for pastry I have both: An idiot-proof pastry pie crust http://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/new-post-28/ [...]
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