I am a pie crust failure (healthy, refrigerated, baking, cooking)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I bake...at LOT. And I'm very good at it. That said, there is no pie crust that I have ever tasted, or made (and I can make a good one!) that is worth the trouble over buying a Pillsbury premade one. I mean, sure, it's nice to say "I made my own piecrust"....but other than that, there really isn't enough difference for me, to be worth the trouble.
^^^
This.
Plus, I've noticed over the years at restaurants, at home, at other people's homes, at potlucks at work, people often leave the crust and eat the filling. That is wrong - its all about the crust for me.
And I made many many of them successfully until I discovered the Pillsbury ones you just unroll. One of those "best inventions since sliced bread."
Plus, I've noticed over the years at restaurants, at home, at other people's homes, at potlucks at work, people often leave the crust and eat the filling. That is wrong - its all about the crust for me.
And I made many many of them successfully until I discovered the Pillsbury ones you just unroll. One of those "best inventions since sliced bread."
Sorry, but the reason why people leave the crust is that somebody used Pillsbury.
Did anyone see a recent episode of Heartland Kitchen, when the host made pie crust? She was a chef, so she knows her stuff. She made a basic recipe, but she kneaded it a bit, formed it into two flat disks and refrigerated it for awhile. In other words, she was not afraid to touch it and work it, and then she rested it.
I might look up the recipe and try it her way.
Whether I try the recipe that calls for shortening/butter, or the recipe that uses oil, either way when I roll out the pastry I never have enough for a 9" pie plate. And I roll it until it's very thin, so it's not as though I'm leaving it too thick.
I follow the recipes exactly. And now am wondering if I should just increase the ingredients.
Does anyone else have this problem?
I watch the YouTube videos showing how to make pie crusts, and they use the same amount of ingredients as I do, but their crust is always large enough. Frustrating!
This is why I went to the 3 cups flour/1 cup shortening proportions. It makes more than enough.
I've been baking for almost 20 years since I was probably 10 years old and have made mannnnnnnnny pies in my lifetime so far. There is absolutely a difference between frozen dough and homemade with regards to both taste and appearance. A good homemade dough is flakier and just doesn't have the commercial taste like a premade dough in a tin. Major food conglomerates are not using lard in their pie crusts because of cost, availability on a large scale, and religious reasons. Pure unadulterated lard by far and a way produces the best tasting pastry shells along with the best consistency and you will absolutely notice a difference right away unless you have something wrong with your tastebuds. Far, far, far superior product with lard when compared to crisco as well.
Last edited by fibonacci; 11-19-2013 at 07:42 PM..
I've been baking for almost 20 years since I was probably 10 years old and have made mannnnnnnnny pies in my lifetime so far. There is absolutely a difference between frozen dough and homemade with regards to both taste and appearance. A good homemade dough is flakier and just doesn't have the commercial taste like a premade dough in a tin. Major food conglomerates are not using lard in their pie crusts because of cost, availability on a large scale, and because of religious reasons. Pure unadulterated lard by far and a way produces the best tasting pastry shells along with the best consistency and you will absolutely notice a difference right away unless you have something wrong with your tastebuds.
Major food conglomerates are not using lard in their pie crusts because of cost, availability on a large scale, and religious reasons. Pure unadulterated lard by far and a way produces the best tasting pastry shells along with the best consistency and you will absolutely notice a difference right away unless you have something wrong with your tastebuds. Far, far, far superior product with lard when compared to crisco as well.
Lard that is pure is hard to find since they have added trans fat to it. Where do you get it?
Also check with more ethnic grocery stores ( Hispanic or Asian), they tend to use more of the whole animal than our typical grocery stores so you may find either lard or leaf fat there.
Now before you scoff at the idea of paying $20-40 for pure leaf lard fat, just realize that 1 lbs of pure leaf lard can last you a long time and the taste of a pastry that includes pure leaf lard is absolutely superior to pies made with either all butter or shortenings (I think a mix of butter and lard produces the best). A 5 lbs tub last a looong time in the freezer. If I'm making a pie for a special occasion, I'm simply not going to skimp on the quality of ingredients, and when you average out the cost of lard per pie that you need, it isn't that much (people will also pay $10 or more for a pie from a bakery).
If the cost of pure leaf lard is still prohibitive to you, get to know your butcher at a local store or farmers market! These people love to talk to you about meat and meat products. Often times they're more than willing to talk to their supplier or farmer, call them up on the phone, and say "hey would you mind saving the fat off a pig for me, I have a customer that would like it". From there you can render your own fat for a weekend project.
Biscuits made with lard too are absolutely amazing.
Last edited by fibonacci; 11-19-2013 at 10:47 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.