Pies and Pastries

Pastry: A large variety of baked products made from dough rich in fat.

Pies Fruit- fruit filling which can be fresh or cooked Custard- milk and egg mixture baked with pastry (i.e. pumpkin). Cream- pudding mixture often topped with meringue (meringue is a beaten egg white and sugar which must touch all the edges of the pie crust or it will shrink.)

Chiffon- fluffy cooked gelatin mixture Savory pies - meat filled; main dish Tarts – miniature or individual pies Turnovers – squares of pastry filled and folded in half Rolls and Doughnuts Croissants

Pie Crusts Ingredients: flour, fat (lard or shortening), salt and water Use the pastry and biscuit method for mixing the dough. A pastry blender or using a food processor makes the job go faster. Flakiness: caused by entrapped air and steam formed during baking when the fat melts between the layers of flour which forces the layers of the pastry apart.

Flute: To crimp or twist the edge of crust with fingers or fork to create a decorative finish. Two Crust- seal two layers of dough and slit the top crust to allow steam to escape. One Crust- pastry or crumb mixture. If recipe calls for a baked crust Prick the bottom thoroughly with a fork before baking to prevent puffing.--called docking You can also line the bottom with parchment paper and then add dry beans for weight and then cook to prevent puffiness. Note: Discard beans after use.

Tips for Successful Pie Crusts All ingredients should be chilled Your water must be ice water and only add only one Tablespoon at a time. Roll the dough in a circular motion (1/8” thick and 2” larger then the pie plate. Roll only one crust at a time. Working in too much flour results in a tough pastry. Patch cracks with ice water.

Use either one of these two methods to transfer pie crust to pie plate. Roll dough onto your rolling pin and then gently place on pie tin. Gently fold in to half and then half again. Place in center of pie tin and unfold.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR MAKING THE BEST PIECRUST

1. All the ingredients should be ice-cold. Even the flour should be chilled. 2. Keep tools handy. Have a dry brush, bench scraper, and bowl of flour at the ready when rolling. 3. The less you handle the dough the better. You will get a flaky, light pie crust. 4. Preshape the dough before chilling. Form dough into a disk: cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or for up to two days.

5. Roll quickly. Using only a minimal amount of flour to prevent sticking, evenly roll out a round without overworking the dough. 6. Keep the dough as cold as possible. If at any point the dough sticks to the work surface, return it to the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. 7. Prebake single-crust shells; this is called blind baking —for cream pies. 8. Moisture-proof single crush pie shells with egg wash, cool shell and coat with warm jelly or melted chocolate for a tasty seal.

A. For a single-crust pie, prebake the crust to prevent sogginess unless recipes indicates not to prebake. B. Prick bottom and the sides of the pie shell –about 50 times to prevent it from blistering or rising. Bake in lower 1/3 of oven at 425 degrees for minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown. C. You can also snugly line with foil or parchment paper. Then fill with dried beans or pie weights. If you use this method you must chill or freeze your pie shell for 30 before baking. You can also weight the pie shell with a small pie tin.

1. Using the pie weights you would bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, remove the foil and weights. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown. D. Partially cook pie shell when filling will be baked in the shell E. Bake pie shell completely when using chilled fillings.

TIP: Test the dough for proper moistness by squeezing a marble-sized ball of dough in your hand. If it holds together firmly, do not add any additional water. If the dough crumbles, add more water by the tablespoonful, until dough is moist enough to form a smooth ball when pressed together. PLEASE USE A JELLY ROLL PAN TO PLACE YOUR PIE ON. THIS IS TO CATCH AND CONTAIN THE POTENTIAL SPILLAGE FROM YOUR PIES.