Subscriber Comments for
In the Kitchen with ... Perfect Pie Crust

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SEEDLADY	2010-01-05 12:06 PM
If you are rolling the dough to the correct thickness, but still don't have enough crust to generously drape over the edge to make a rim for containing your filling (which from your photos is a common occurance), try increasing the ingredient amounts by 1/4. You may be trying to fit a 9" crust amount into a 10" pan, so to speak. Also, police your pin--I can see bits of dough sticking to it. You want to be careful not to over-flour everything, but I find a flour-filled hand sifter or tea strainer kept handy dusts the lightest haze of flour on the dough, just enough to keep it from sticking to the pin. With a pinch of flour in your palm, rub off the stuck bits from the pin, or they will stick to and cause the crust to tear. A large "grill" spatula or icing spatula comes in handy to slide under the circle of dough to release it if it sticks to the board. With a bigger crust recipe, you'll have plenty to patch the uneven spots. Just rub the cracked area with a bit of water on your fingertip, place a patch of rolled dough over the crack, and press together. Trim the raw edge of your dough circle before attempting to move it over the pie pan--a smooth edge will be much less likely to tear. "Ease the fough into the pan without stretching the dough, or it will shrink down into the pan as it bakes. Leave 1 1/2 to 2 " hanging over the edge and trim neatly with scissors. Double the extra underneath itself at the edge and crimp the edge between the side of your thumb and your curled-under forefinger (rope pattern). Or use the thumb of one hand pressed towards the opening between slightly held-apart thumb and forefinger of the other hand (my favored method--makes a bigger 'scallop'.) Good luck and keep making those pies!
COMMENT 47630	2009-11-30 05:40 PM
Commenter 47415, I know you can buy those little rolling pin cuffs at Sur La Table. I bought one there, and it also came with a cloth that you flour so that, like the rolling pin cover, the flour tends to absorb into the material and not so much into the crust, while still making it easier to roll the dough.
COMMENT 47450	2009-11-29 06:06 PM
excellent tutorial, 4744. I also agree that using ice water is helpful.
COMMENT 47444	2009-11-29 05:20 PM
My grandmother used ice water, but my mother used just regular milk out of the fridge, which is what I use. I never measure it (only measure the shortening and flour - and even 1:2 ratio is fine - I think yours might be a little high in flour - mine is 3/4 c shortening: 1 3/4 cup flour). And use the pastry blender - it's much faster and more thorough than a fork. I keep sprinkling the milk in and using a fork to pull it together. It's critical to use enough milk - and I'm sure I use more than the recipes say. Take it out of the bowl, and pat it into a nice flat round (1/2" thick) in your hands, making the edge smooth (but don't do anything other than pat it - don't do anything that even resembles kneading). If it's too sticky, just sprinkle more flour on the outside while patting it. No need to refrigerate. Sprinkle a liberal amount of flour out on your surface in an area bigger than the patted round, but smaller than the final desired size. Then coat the top of the crust with flour and start rolling. If it sticks, sprinkle on more flour. No need to flour the rolling pin if you have enough on the top of the crust. I used one of those round plastic things with the concentric circles drawn on it this week for the first time to roll out the crust, and it was WAY easier to get it round with all those circles staring up at me. The edges of yours looked kind of rough - making me think you had too little liquid. Roll it out large than the pie pan, invert the pie pan onto the crust and then cut the crust edge into a nice circle about an inch larger (all around) than the top of the pie pan. Flip the crust and the pie pan over, adjust the crust in the pan to center it and then fold the edge up and pinch between your fingers to create a nice thick edge of crust that will keep your fillings from overflowing in the oven. My mom also used to grow rhubarb in our yard in Goleta - it worked great. I loved strawberry-rhubarb pie and cake! I hope some of this was helpful....
LEAH	2009-11-29 05:09 PM
I should have remembered that I have seen rhubarb at the Farmer's Market on a couple of occasions, very sporadically. Unfortunately I live in an apartment and cannot grow things here, otherwise I have heard that rhubarb will grow like a weed. We had some in the backyard in Santa Ynez when I was growing up.
ESL TEACHER	2009-11-29 02:30 PM
I recommend buying fresh locally grown rhubarb. You can sometimes find it at the farmers' market and also at Lane Farms. Does anyone know of other places you can get it?
COMMENT 47450	2009-11-29 01:19 PM
For me, the frustration is with trying to flour the rolling pin - the flour does not adhere to the wooden rolling pin, and then the pie crust dough sticks to the pin and tears. However, years ago my mother always had a little tube of fabric that fit around the rolling pin like the cuff of a sock. You flour the fabric not the rolling pin; the fabric holds the flour and rolling out is much easier. Does anyone know where I can I buy those little rolling pin cuffs?????
JOHNSANROQUE	2009-11-29 01:11 PM
You're right. Practice and "feel" are more important than the recipe directions. I have found consistently that crusts need a little more water to hold together than the recipes call for. It probably depends on the humidity and other local factors. A recipe that I got from some cooking site many years ago is called "flaky pie crust", and it is the usual proportions of ingredients, but it adds a teaspoon of cider vinegar. The science behind it is that the vinegar, (an acid) prevents gluten from forming--something you want to encourage in bread, but not in pastry. Anyway, it results in flaky crusts, but it has nothing to do with the rolling out process. I agree with a previous post that refrigerating the pie dough helps a lot. It allows the water to seep evenly into all the flour. I have also returned a bad-rolling crust to the bowl, mashed it together again, and rolled it out. Despite the dire predictions, it looked and tasted fine.
COMMENT 47397	2009-11-29 11:08 AM
Yumy, Leah! (Sharon D.) Tips: 1 - Use ice water. 2 - The less working, the better. 3 - Refrigerate dough before rolling it out. 4 - The less rolling, the better.
COMMENT 47397	2009-11-29 11:07 AM
Yumy, Leah! Tips: 1 - Use ice water. 2 - The less working, the better. 3 - Refrigerate dough before rolling it out. 4 - The less rolling, the better.
COMMENT 47630	2009-11-29 10:40 AM
Interesting that the attempts at the perfect pie crust don't include trying to get the perfect crust edges! Do you ever have any problems with the filling in the lower parts getting between the crust and the pie plate and possibly making it soggy?
COMMENT 47382	2009-11-29 08:27 AM
The trick with berry pies is to use tapioca instead of flour to thicken them since the acid in the berries breaks down the flour. And no, you don't see frog eyes! The bad news is that tapioca which used to cost 39 cents is now 4 dollars !
COMMENT 47374	2009-11-28 09:47 PM
Thanks for sharing... I thought I was alone in the not-so- round-pie crust club. My apple pies turned out pretty good, crust still a little too squared. I ended up with a much better crust by using the cuisinart instead of the fork method.
COMMENT 47346	2009-11-28 09:57 AM
It's not hard to grow your own rhubarb. Most nurseries sell plants in the spring: dig a hole, put it in the ground, water occasionally. It probably would be happier where there are clearly demarked seasons but mine grows in SB, not quite as flavorfully as I remember NH and Massachusetts rhubarbs, but definitely rhubarb.
EZ2	2009-11-28 09:00 AM
You are making me hungry and my mouth won't stop watering.

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