Perfect Pie Crust From King Arthur Flour Recipes

PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE (KING ARTHUR FLOUR) RECIPE - (4.6/5)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, salt, and spices. In a large measuring cup, beat together the eggs, pumpkin, and cream or evaporated milk. Whisk into the dry ingredients. For best flavor, cover and refrigerate the filling overnight before baking. Lightly grease a 9" pie pan thats at least 1 1/2" deep. Roll the pie dough out to a 13" circle, and transfer to the pan. Crimp the edges above the rim; this will give you a little extra headroom to hold the filling when it expands in the oven. Refrigerate the crust while the oven preheats to 400°F. When the oven is hot, place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set 2" in from the edge. The center should still be wobbly. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a rack; the center will finish cooking through as the pie sits. Baker's Tips: This recipe makes enough filling to generously fill a 9" pan that's at least 1 1/2" deep. If your pan isn't quite that big, you can bake any leftover filling in custard cups; it will take 25 to 30 minutes to cook. Pumpkin pie filling is basically a custard; the eggs in the filling will continue cooking as the heat from the edge of the pie moves toward the center, which is why it's important to remove the pie from the oven before the center is completely set. Leaving it in the oven too long will cause the eggs to overcook, tightening the proteins and causing the pie to crack in the center. Mixing the filling a day in advance (refrigerate until using) will improve the flavor of this pie by giving the spices' flavors a chance to blend.

PERFECT PIE CRUST FROM KING ARTHUR FLOUR

Steps:

• Sift together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Set to the side.
• Size your butter. One stick cut into small pieces, the other cut into fairly large pieces (double the size you'd usually cut for a pie crust.
• Work in the stick of smaller butter with a dough scraper (my new favorite tool and very easy to clean). It's not going to have the same impact that double the butter would in terms of working in, but go for the regular pea sized consistency.
• Now, add the bigger hunks of butter. Gently coat them with flour in the mixture, so they won't stick to you when you squeeze them.
• one by one, squeeze all of those pieces of butter until they're flat like pancakes. You don't have to be too precious about it. Grab, squeeze, then move on to the next one.
• Give the mixture another stir with your pastry scraper. Now, start adding the water. Switch back to your dough scraper.
• Keep on adding it bit by bit until the dough forms a shaggy consistency, still floury but you can clump it together.
• Gather, form into a ball, and place on top of a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic on top of it, not too snugly, and then flatten it into a disc with your hand. Doing it this way, I learned, helps the dough spread out into the plastic and is just less messy.
• Chill dough in fridge.
• Proceed with your recipe as usual.

OUR FAVORITE PIE CRUST RECIPE-HOW TO MAKE A TENDER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• For a flaky, tender crust (as opposed to one that's harder, mealy, and more cookie-like), the following works well.
• Whisk together all of the dry ingredients, reserving a few tablespoons of the flour.
• Cut in half of the fat, working the mixture until it's mealy and crumbly.
• Place the reserved flour on your work surface, and coat the remaining fat with the flour.
• Use a rolling pin or the heel of your hand to flatten the fat till it's about 1/2-inch thick.
• Break this flour-coated fat into 1-inch pieces, and mix it into the dough, just till it's evenly distributed; some of the pieces of flour-coated fat should break into smaller pieces.
• Sprinkle the liquid(s) over the dough while tossing with a fork.
• Just as soon as the dough becomes cohesive (i.e., you can squeeze it into a ball easily), stop mixing; there should still be visible pieces of fat in the dough.
• Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap or waxed paper.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer; this resting period allows the flour to absorb the water, making the dough easier to roll out.
• Flour your work surface and roll the dough into a 12 x 9-inch (approximately) rectangle.
• (If it isn't holding together well, sprinkle it lightly with a couple of teaspoons of water.
• Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter), then fold it into thirds the opposite way, to form a rough square. Wrap it well and refrigerate again.).
• When you're "ready to roll," remove the dough from the fridge.
• If the dough is made with all lard and/or vegetable shortening, you'll be able to work with it directly from the refrigerator.
• A dough made with all butter will need to warm slightly (10 to 15 minutes) before rolling, as butter becomes brittle when it's refrigerated.
• Dough made with a combination of butter and shortening should rest for about 5 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
• Roll the dough to the size needed (about 13 inches for a 9-inch pie).
• Fill and bake as directed in your recipe.
• Note: in this particular recipe, cut all of the lard or vegetable shortening into the flour, then coat the butter with flour before adding it to the dough.