Double Pastry Pie Crust

This month marks the beginning of the Holiday season starting with Thanksgiving. One of the most cherished Holiday traditions is that of consuming pie. If the pie is done right there is this amazing feeling of satisfaction at the end of the meal shared by both pie maker and pie consumer alike. It seems to me however, that making a good pie is a point of stress for some the average home chefs out there. There seems to be a need to preform and somehow they fall little short, turning what was a sweet experience a little sour. Thence they turn to Marie, Sara Lee, and that ticklish little dough boy to make up for this grand minus. In their minds they think what is wrong with me? Why can't I make a good pie?

Wow...I really surprise myself with how wrapped up I can get with words. This month I am devoting all the knowledge and recipes I have about pies to this blog. Because let's face it making pie, especially around the holidays can be a little stressful. I will be starting with the foundation: the crust, and posting what I have found to be the "fool proof" method for making pie crust.The directions for this recipe were made for the weakest of the pie makers. Hopefully I have covered all points of making a good pie crust. If you still have questions feel free to post a comment!

Double Pastry Pie Crust
This means that you are making enough dough for two crusts. In effect you could make one pie that requires two crusts (ie: apple, cherry) or two single crust pies such as pumpkin, pecan, and cream pies.

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled shortening,
1/3 cup water

First: take your time...especially if this is your first time. Read the instructions a couple of times so that you are familiar with the recipe before you start.
The other thing to remember is to use exact and precise measurements.

1. Fluff the flour while it is still in the container. Then scoop flour into measuring cup with a spoon (do not pack your flour!), leveling the top with a knife. Place flour in a bowl and add the salt.
2. Line the measuring cup for the shortening with plastic wrap. Add the shortening to the cup packing in down to get out any air bubbles. Level out and add to the flour. Cut the shortening into the flour using a pastry cutter, knives or gently using your fingers. Make sure the shortening is evenly distributed, it will look crumbly.
3. Sprinkle the water over the flour-shortening mixture. GENTLY, DELICATELY AND TENDERLY mix the flour and water together with a spoon or with your hands until just barely, combined.
4. Prepare a pastry towel (a tightly woven kitchen towel or cloth napkin) by dusting with flour and pressing onto towel. Divide the dough in half. Take one half of the dough and lightly press together to make it more uniform. Transfer pie dough to flour dusted towel. GENTLY, DELICATELY AND TENDERLY shape into a thick disk. Your dough should not be kneaded, it is NOT bread dough! It is delicate and needs to be treated as such. PAT AND PINCH your dough into a thinner disk. This means that as you (gently) pat your dough into a thinner disk you pinch together the cracks on the side. This helps to significantly reduce those large unsightly, and not to mention frustrating cracks that come when you roll out your pie crust.
5. Next, start using the rolling pin to roll out the crust. Always start your rolling movement at the center of the dough and work your way to the sides. Go from the center to the top, center to bottom, center to left, and center to right side. Turn the towel a quarter turn, start in the center again going towards the top. Repeat the steps of rolling and turning the towel until the crust is adequately large enough for the pie dish. A good rule of thumb method for determining the size of your pie crust is turning the pie dish over the center of the pie crust and measuring about 1 inch from the edge of the pie plate. Roll the crust around the rolling pin and transfer to pie plate. Trim and flute or crimp the edges according to your pie recipe (single or double crust pie).

For single pastry crust measure half of all the ingredients. Do not divide dough in half. Follow other directions as indicated.

* for pre-baked pie shells: prick the prepared, “raw” pie shell with a fork all over the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Cover with a sheet of wax paper. Fill with uncooked rice or baking stones. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until done.