With the holidays coming and after wasting countless strips of aluminum foil just to cover my pie crusts when baking, I tried cutting up an old aluminum pie pan to place over my pie crusts while baking. It worked!
Use craft scissors and cut cleanly so you leave no sharp edges. I would suggest you wear work gloves and possibly use needle nose pliers to bend down and crimp closed the cut ends after cutting the circle out of the bottom just to guarantee no cuts!
I intend to reuse these again and again.
This page contains the following solutions.
This recipe I developed because of always getting tough crusts. Tough crust happens because of using all-purpose flour that has gluten. Gluten is wonderful in breads, but not in a pie crust.
Mix ingredients. (It pulls away from bowl.) Roll out on floured board. Fit into pie shell.
I love pies and if you have any pie tins left after you make pies, save them. On a wooden board with a sharp knife, take your knife and cut out the bottom.
Keep some butter or margarine in the freezer. When you make a pastry, grate the butter or margarine needed into the flour and salt mixture.
For the prettiest pie crusts, Brush some beaten egg white over the pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Tips for making great pastries. Post your ideas.
Freeze butter before baking pastries and they come out great!
By Tara Mckenzie
This never fail pie crust will get plenty of compliments for the cook.....even if she cannot make a good pie crust. I am one of those. My pie crust always was like shoe leather until I found this recipe, and have been using it and sharing it for 40 years. This also freezes well. I make extra and divide, for two crusts, roll into a ball, flatten slightly and wrap in foil. To prevent ice crystals or freezer burn, place the foil wrapped packages in a ziplock bag. Will keep for several months
3 cups flour
1 and 1/4 cups shortening, *
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, well beaten
5 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon vinegar
Cut shortening into flour until finely crumbled and add salt. Combine egg water and vinegar. Make a well in the flour and add wet ingredients all at once. Blend with a fork until flour is moist and dough forms a ball.
*Blue Bonnet margarine works well in place of shortening...easy to measure. This dough can be rerolled without being tough, so you can use scraps
to make another crust or to cover a pot pie.To make a prebaked pie shell, make a foil form. After you put your crust in the pan, set the foil form in and fill with dried beans. Bake 15 minutes, then lift out form and beans carefully and continue to bake crust until golden brown.
Sometimes the reason folks have trouble with their pie crusts having the texture of cardboard is that they handle it like bread dough. KNEADING is a bad thing for pie crust. Mix ingredients with a fork until they just come together then handle ever so carefully to roll out for the pie tin. Folks like my crusts well enough they have been buying my pies for holidays for the last several years. Here is a recipe that I have used for 25+ years very successfully.
Ingredients make a double 9" pie crust
2 cups flour
3/4 cup butter flavor Crisco
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup tap water
Measure flour into sifter and add salt, sift the two together into a bowl with the 3/4 c of shortening. Cut together with a pastry blender or two knives until crumbly. Add 1/4 cup water and mix with a fork until just blended.
Here is a tip, if you do not have wax paper to roll out your dough, use a cereal box liner. Just cut the sealed edges off the top and bottom and open down the long seam. This works great and you save a little money too.
Another tip, don't like that your dough and wax paper seemed to slide when you try to roll out your crust? Sprinkle some water on the counter then place your wax paper (cereal box liner) on the water. It makes the paper stick to the counter just enough so it won't slide.
I have a can of breadstick dough and I was wondering if I could use it as a topping for chicken pot pie? And how could I achieve that?
I would try it. Just take it out, spread it over the pot pie, and bake as directed. Normal bread dough would have too much yeast for a crust, but breadstick dough is close to a pie crust dough.
Take out the crust and roll it out. Wrap it around the rolling pin and unwind it over the pie. Cut some slits for ventilation and bake
Today is Dec.1, 2014. I have a few frozen pie crusts in the original package. The date stamped on the packages is September 2012. Can I still use them?
By JuanandKathy
It's mainly flour and lard. If you're not sure, thaw it out. Is it slimy or too dry? If not, smell it. Does it smell like butter or meat that has turned or gone bad? If ok on both fronts, chance it if you feel comfortable.
How do I remove a purchased, frozen pie crust, from the pan, without the crust breaking? I have tried letting it thaw. I have tried running warm water on the backside of the pan, neither of these tricks, work too well!
A partially thawed crust should pop out of pan easily, then lay it in your own pan. When it is fully thawed, gently adjust and pat it into the shap/size of your pan.
OMJ
I just did it!
I left the top crust thaw a bit.
I loosened the edges with my fingers.
I flipped it ove and put a slit in the tin foil.
It came right out!
OMG
