Pie Dough(!)

Finding the right pie dough can be a challenge. Some are too flaky, some turn out too soggy, and even others can be dry. My grandma always made the absolute BEST pie crusts. (I mean, whose grandma didn’t?!) But the problem herein lies that we did not obtain all of her recipes before she passed away.

Regardless, I am on the quest to find the perfect dough, and I’m not just talking texture. I’m talking flavor. Some of the recipes I’ve tried on Pinterest lately have turned out too buttery or tend to get soggier than usual…but that could just be because I live in Pittsburgh. Kidding. (But not really). Anyways, my dearest friend and roommate, Kylie, graciously shared her grandma’s recipe with me which tastes OUTRAGEOUS. Now, I have adapted this recipe, however, the dough still will end up being a but on the drier side and breakable. This is OKAY. In order to get the rich, buttery flavor, one must simply look past the flakiness and realize that the end result will be freakin’ worth it!

Pie Dough Recipe (Used for savory and sweet pies and quiches).

All the ingredients you will need, flour and crisco have already been added.

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup crisco, chilled
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter or margarine, chilled
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4-5 tbsp. ice cold water.

Yields 1 9-inch pie crust. (To save you some time and math, this recipe doubled for a top crust would be 3 1/2 cups flour, 2/3 cup crisco, 2/3 cup butter, 2 tsp. salt, and 8-10 tbsp. water).

To make pie dough:

1. Sift flour and salt into medium-large bowl.
2. Cut in butter and crisco using either a pastry blender or two forks, until the butter and crisco form pea-sized chunks.

   

   This is roughly what the dough should look like after butter and crisco have been cut in.

3. Next, add ice cold water slowly, starting to form into a round dough-ball with your hands at this point. Wrap dough in plastic wrap to chill for 30 minutes and then roll out onto floured surface.

–Rachael