Pie crust made easy

Have you ever tried to make a homemade pie crust, only to have it fall apart, stick to the counter, or come out tough as nails? I certainly have! For years I struggled to make a great pie crust. I knew it could be done, as my mother used to make them with ease. But she passed on before I ever learned all her secrets. So through trial and error, and the discovery of a great recipe, homemade, delicious, flaky yet manageable pie crust is no longer a fantasy! I can do it and so can you!

 First, you need a great recipe. Here is my favorite for beginning crust makers, as it is supple and easy to roll out. I found this in my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Buttermilk Pastry 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
 2/3 cup shortening
 3 Tbsp. butter, cold
 2 tsp. vegetable oil
 1/3 cup buttermilk

Mix the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening and butter using two knives or a pastry blender. I find the two knives very easy and fast. Keep cutting in the shortening and butter until they are about pea-sized lumps.

 I never have buttermilk on hand, so I measure out 1/3 cup of whichever kind of milk I have onhand, and add a splash (1/2-1 tsp.)of vinegar to it. Apple-cider vinegar has a great flavor to it, but plain white vinegar works quite well too. You will notice your milk will curdle. Add the oil to your milk.

Slowly pour your milk mixture into your flour mixture. You can use your fingers to combine and mix. Lightly knead together a few times. Here is where I always got confused. I had always heard that you aren't supposed to knead too much or you will get a tough pastry. So, my mistake was essentially not kneading at all. But you need to knead lightly to gather your ingredients into a pastry ball. If your pastry is still crumbling all over the place keep pushing it together with your fingers.

Form two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refridgerator. Now is a great time to work on your pie filling. I have also skipped this step and moved right on to rolling out, but it really does make a difference if you let your pastry rest for about 20-30 minutes.

Rolling out is the tricky part. Hopefully you have a nice shaped ball of pastry. Flour your rolling surface, and your rolling pin. Place your ball on your floured surface and slightly flatten with the palm of your floured hand. Place your roller in the middle and roll outwards in all directions once. Now give your pastry a turn to keep it from sticking to your surface. You may also need to lightly flour your surface again.

Keep reshaping your circle as needed. Keep rolling and turning until your pastry is about an inch larger than your pie pan. Roll pastry onto your rolling pin and roll out over your pie plate. You will have to push it into your pie plate using your fingers to mold it and fix any tears.

If you are still having trouble with your pastry sticking and tearing, you might try rolling it between layers of plastic wrap. For this technique, instead of flouring your surface, get it slightly wet, so two strips of plastic wrap laid side by side and just barely overlapping, will stick to the surface. Place your pastry ball in the center and cover with more plastic wrap. Once your pie crust is rolled you just peel off the plastic. This was my mother's trick. I never take the time to lay down the plastic wrap anymore, but it does work very well.

If your pie crust is tough you may have added too much liquid, or too much flour or kneaded too much. Don't give up! Just keep trying until you get it right. I like this recipe because it works every time for me.

If your crust is dry and not flaky you may have cut your shortening and butter in too small, or not added enough liquid. Be sure you leave small lumps of shortening and butter, because this is what gives you a flaky, tender crust.