Plain Pastry for Pies
From Observatory
1111
- Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup shortening—butter and lard
- Ice-water
- Utensils
- Mixing-bowl
- Palette-knife
- Bread-board
- Rolling-pin
- Fork
- Pie-pan
- Directions for Making
- Sift the flour into a mixing-bowl.
- Cut the shortening into tiny bits.
- Wash the hands in cold water, and dry them. With the finger-tips work the shortening into the flour as quickly as possible.
- When thoroughly mixed, add a little ice-water, mixing it into the flour and shortening with a palette-knife. Use barely enough water to moisten the mixture, keeping the dough as stiff as possible.
- Directions for Using
- Sprinkle the bread-board with flour, place the dough on the board, and cut it into two equal parts.
- Set one part aside, and after sprinkling flour over the rolling-pin, roll out the remaining part into a sheet a little less than a quarter of an inch thick. If the dough sticks to the board, loosen it carefully with a knife. If it breaks or tears, fold the sheet of dough over once each way, sprinkle more flour on the board and rolling-pin, and roll the dough out again. It is important that there shall be no hole in the lower crust of a pie.
- Lay the sheet of dough in a pie-pan, and press it down against the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Dip one finger into cold water and moisten the dough around the edge of the pan.
- Pour in the fruit or whatever pie-filling is to be used. This must always be cold.
- Roll out the remaining dough, as described above, for the top crust.
- With a sharp knife make several cuts two or three inches long through the centre of the sheet of dough, forming a design if desired. These cuts are necessary to allow the steam to escape in baking.
- Lay the top crust over the top of the pie, and with the tines of a fork press the top and bottom crusts together all around the edge of the pan.
- Hold the pie-pan on the palm of the left hand, and with a knife trim off the overhanging portions of dough close to the rim of the pan all around.
- Cut the pieces of dough thus removed into thin strips, and press these strips into the dough all around the edge of the top crust.
- Place the pie in a hot oven, and immediately reduce the heat. If uncooked fruit is used for the filling, the heat must be very slow in order to cook the fruit thoroughly.
- Bake from thirty to fifty minutes, the length of time depending upon the nature of the filling used.
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