House of Pie

Glinda writes:

I feel richly blessed I come from a long tradition of piemaking. It may be a midwestern thing. When we lived in North Dakota, people liked pie but were not necessarily skilled in making it. My Mother is a piemaker and she taught me. I also learned some of the science behind pie from a class in college in the late 1960s. Yes, a class in college. And yes, there definitely is science behind pie. My Mother was taught by her Mother and by Mother's sister Louise. Mom's version evolved over the years, as has mine, making her version and my own according to our own signatures. I have been making pie all my life, eating pie, and teaching others to make pies. (That includes you, Dorreen!)

Generally, I make fruit pies. In recent years, we have been making meat pies, an upscale version of the frozen pot pies I used to have as a kid. Tonight, we are having turkey pot pie for supper. I need 2 crusts, one for top and one for bottom. Here is the recipe for pie crust. I am not including the recipe for the filling. Richard didn't use a recipe, which is no surprise!

For each pie crust, you will need:

• 1 cup flour,
• dash of salt (we use sea salt),
• 5 tablespoons butter or shortening (we use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, which are non-hydrogenated, with no trans fatty acids; this product is refrigerated and becomes quite soft as it warms up outside the fridge),
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup water.

I made 2 crusts so I doubled this recipe. You will need the following tools: dry and liquid measuring cups, pastry cutter, wooden spoon, regular kitchen spoon, pastry blender, rolling pin.

I put the flour and salt into a bowl and stir them up. I run the shortening through the large section of the grater, pushing through about a 1/4 at a time. I then stir the grated shortening into the flour, keeping it separated so it doesn't become a big glob. Then I use the pastry blender to cut the shortening into the flour. (If you do not have a pastry blender, you can use 2 knives in a scissor motion instead.) Cut until the fat is the size of very coarse corn meal. Do not cut this too small, because the "fat" surrounded by pockets of flour is what makes the pie crust tender.
Add water, a few tablespoons at a time. Add just enough to make the dough stick together. It should be soft but not too sticky to work. The recommended amount of water suggested in this recipe will vary according to the humidity. On sticky days, you will need less water than on dry days.

Put an ample amount of flour down on your rolling surface. Lay dough down. Turn it over to be well floured on both sides. Roll. I may turn it 2-3 times and add more flour to the surface so that it does not stick to either the rolling pin or the surface of the counter.

This is a very critical time for producing a tender pie crust. (1) If you add too much water, you will need more flour. Result: Tough crust. (2) If you work the dough too much, the dough will develop "gluten" which is the structure you would want in noodles. You are not making noodles. Result: Tough crust. In a nutshell, you do not want to overwork the dough.
Roll until about 1/8 inch thick (give or take). Fold over and place on pie plate. It is easier to transfer this way. Then lay the pie dough out across the full surface of the pie plate. Pour in filling. Roll out second pie crust and place on top. Again I usually fold in half to move it easily.
Finish edge. This is the way I was taught. We each have our own style. This raised style keeps the pie from spilling over in the oven. Be sure to crimp the two pie shells together well.

Cut off excess.

Put vent holes in top. I usually put a "letter" which tells you what kind of pie it is. This has "T", for Turkey Pot Pie. Bake at 350 degrees until filling bubbles up in the middle, crust in the middle is dry and flaky to the touch, and color is an even light brown. This pie took about 80 minutes. Yummy. I am heading to eat!

Hints: In my opinion, pie making is a traditional craft that cannot be replaced by a store bought. It is a craft that binds us to traditions of homemakers and meals in our families. Making good pies takes patience and practice. When I work the dough, I consider it to be "alive". The dough will have just the right feel. This knowing comes with practice. It helps to find a pie maker who will agree to be your teacher (hopefully an older family member) and some flexible souls who will eat whatever you fix. Have fun!