Guide to Perfect Pie Crust
Rolling in Dough
Having a great piecrust dough in your culinary repertoire is like having chicken stock in the freezer or money in the bank: You feel prepared. And this time of year, when farm stands are bursting with berried treasure as well as local peaches and apricots, is exactly when you want that recipe in your Filofax — weekend guests who can confidently throw together a pie at the drop of a hat (rolling out the crust with a wine bottle if need be) are always invited back. We are big fans of the pastry dough for the three-berry pie in our summer farm menu (see links at right). A classic French pâte brisée ('paht bree-ZAY') that we've used for years, it's so straightforward that even victims of F.O.F. (fear of flour) can cope easily.
In looking at the recipe, though, we realized that there are several steps in pie making that we don't really spell out (lack of space is a constant problem here). One of them is how to transfer a rolled-out piece of dough to a pie plate. Many people simply pick it up and drape it over the plate, but unless you have a very light touch, it's awfully easy to stretch the dough that way and create thin spots or even holes. Other bakers roll out their pastry between pieces of wax paper, remove the top sheet, and invert the dough onto the pie plate. That's a good idea when you have a problematic, fragile dough — one that's very short (high in fat) or one that contains a lot of sugar. But for an uncomplicated pâte brisée, the pastry mavens in our test kitchens prefer to simply roll it out on a floured surface. After rolling out a round (remember, work quickly and keep it moving), flip one end of the round over the pin and pick the pin up. Then ease the dough onto the pie plate and gently press it into the plate, taking care to mold it into the bottom. (If you have long nails, you might want to use a knuckle for the task so you don't leave little slits in the pastry.) Trim the edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, and if you are making a top crust, pop the bottom crust into the fridge while rolling out your second round of dough. Transfer that top crust to the filled pie in the same manner and trim. There are several ways to seal the pie; probably the easiest is to press the two edges together as we've done with the berry pie. Some bakers, though, like to make the top crust slightly larger than the bottom crust and fold the top edge around the bottom one. A tender, flaky, flavorful crust is your primary goal when making a pie, and the last thing you might want to think about is beautifying it. But never pass up a chance to be creative. There is something about putting the finishing touches to a homemade pie that really takes it home. We've given you a sampler of different decorative edges. One caveat: Don't forget to cut steam vents in the top crust.
— Jane Daniels Lear, Gourmet, August 2003
COOKING TIPS:
1. Angled fluted edge: Pinch crust at an angle between thumb and forefinger.
2. Scalloped edge: Hold thumb and forefinger 1 inch apart and put on edge of crust. With other thumb, push crust toward you.
3. Forked edge: Press a fork into crust at 1-inch intervals.
4. Pinched edge: Pinch scallops closer together.
Having a great piecrust dough in your culinary repertoire is like having chicken stock in the freezer or money in the bank: You feel prepared. And this time of year, when farm stands are bursting with berried treasure as well as local peaches and apricots, is exactly when you want that recipe in your Filofax — weekend guests who can confidently throw together a pie at the drop of a hat (rolling out the crust with a wine bottle if need be) are always invited back. We are big fans of the pastry dough for the three-berry pie in our summer farm menu (see links at right). A classic French pâte brisée ('paht bree-ZAY') that we've used for years, it's so straightforward that even victims of F.O.F. (fear of flour) can cope easily.
In looking at the recipe, though, we realized that there are several steps in pie making that we don't really spell out (lack of space is a constant problem here). One of them is how to transfer a rolled-out piece of dough to a pie plate. Many people simply pick it up and drape it over the plate, but unless you have a very light touch, it's awfully easy to stretch the dough that way and create thin spots or even holes. Other bakers roll out their pastry between pieces of wax paper, remove the top sheet, and invert the dough onto the pie plate. That's a good idea when you have a problematic, fragile dough — one that's very short (high in fat) or one that contains a lot of sugar. But for an uncomplicated pâte brisée, the pastry mavens in our test kitchens prefer to simply roll it out on a floured surface. After rolling out a round (remember, work quickly and keep it moving), flip one end of the round over the pin and pick the pin up. Then ease the dough onto the pie plate and gently press it into the plate, taking care to mold it into the bottom. (If you have long nails, you might want to use a knuckle for the task so you don't leave little slits in the pastry.) Trim the edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, and if you are making a top crust, pop the bottom crust into the fridge while rolling out your second round of dough. Transfer that top crust to the filled pie in the same manner and trim. There are several ways to seal the pie; probably the easiest is to press the two edges together as we've done with the berry pie. Some bakers, though, like to make the top crust slightly larger than the bottom crust and fold the top edge around the bottom one. A tender, flaky, flavorful crust is your primary goal when making a pie, and the last thing you might want to think about is beautifying it. But never pass up a chance to be creative. There is something about putting the finishing touches to a homemade pie that really takes it home. We've given you a sampler of different decorative edges. One caveat: Don't forget to cut steam vents in the top crust.
— Jane Daniels Lear, Gourmet, August 2003
COOKING TIPS:
1. Angled fluted edge: Pinch crust at an angle between thumb and forefinger.
2. Scalloped edge: Hold thumb and forefinger 1 inch apart and put on edge of crust. With other thumb, push crust toward you.
3. Forked edge: Press a fork into crust at 1-inch intervals.
4. Pinched edge: Pinch scallops closer together.
