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 the Pastry
1.
Sift the flour into a mixing-bowl.
2.
Cut the shortening into tiny bits.
3.
Wash the hands in cold water, and dry them. With the finger-tips work the shortening into the flour as quickly as possible.
4.
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 the Pastry
1.
Sprinkle the bread-board with flour, place the dough on the board, and cut it into two equal parts.
2.
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.
3.
Lay the sheet of dough in a pie-pan, and press it down against the bottom and sides of the pan.
4.
Dip one finger into cold water and moisten the dough around the edge of the pan.
5.
Pour in the fruit or whatever pie-filling is to be used. This must always be cold.
6.
Roll out the remaining dough, as described above, for the top crust.
7.
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.
8.
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.
9.
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.
10.
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.
11.
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.
12.
Bake from thirty to fifty minutes, the length of time depending upon the nature of the filling used.
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