1. Pie Crust 101 COME ON EVERYBODY! WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ALL ABOUT PIE CRUST AND FILLING

2. Pies Crust  Pastry- dough used to make pie crust, tarts, and turnovers  Pastry is used in desserts, but main dishes as well I bet you have all had chicken pot pie  Can add flavoring to pastry Citrus zest, flavor extracts

3. There are  4 Types of pie Fruit Cream Custard Chiffon Scrumptious!

4. Types of Pies  Fruit Two crust Solid top crust or lattice Fruit filling from canned, frozen, dried, or fresh Galette is a free form pie which brings the pie crust up on the sides of this filling, without a top.  Cream One crust Use cornstarch-thickened pudding to make the filling Key lime, fruit, banana cream Often have meringue topping

5. Continued  Custard One crust Filled with custard made from milk, eggs, and sugar Bake in pie crust or in separate pie plate  Slip cooled filling into crust  Pumpkin most popular  Chiffon This can be an example of a frozen pie. Light and airy One crust Filled with mixture containing gelatin and cooked beaten egg whites Filling may contain whip cream Chill until filling sets

6. Ingredients for Pastry  4 basic ingredients Flour, fat, salt, water When combined correctly, pastry is tender and flaky  Flour give structure Can use pastry or all purpose flour Pastry has lower percentage of protein and uses a smaller amount of fat

7. Continued: Mrs. T. hopes you are paying attention!  Fat makes the pastry tender Inhibits the development of gluten Contributes to flakiness by separating layers of gluten Lard and hydrogenated vegetable shortening produce most tender and flaky crust Oil can be used, but will be mealy instead of flaky

8. Best ingredients to use & why  The best flour is all-purpose or pastry flour because of gluten content.  Hydrogenated fat (Crisco) makes a pie flaky and is inexpensive.  Butter costs more but is very flaky and has the best flavor

9. Continued  Water provides moisture needed for development of gluten and production of steam Small amounts needed  1 cup flour = 2 Tbsp  Salt contributes flavor If eliminated, will not affect the pastry except for flavor

10. Preparing Pastry  Use correct ingredients and measure accurately  Handle dough gently and as little as possible  Don’t stretch the dough, it will shrink when it is baked.

11. Graham Cracker Crust  Always weigh graham crackers before processing in food processor.  Use melted butter.  Use a dry measuring cup to press down crumbs when making graham cracker crust.

12. Measuring Ingredients  All ingredients must be ice cold.  Poor quality pastry will result if flour, fat, and liquid are not measured correctly  Gluten forms a framework when you moisten and stir the flour Gluten holds air and steam during baking  Pastry needs the trapped air for flakiness  Correct amount of flour will produce enough gluten to hold the air and steam  Too much flour will make pastry tough  This information is all on the test.

13. Continued  Fat forms a waterproof coating around the flour particles Prevents too much water from coming in contact with the proteins in the flour Prevents development of too much gluten  Layers of fat separate the layers of gluten  Too little fat produces a tough pastry  Too much fat produces a pastry that will be crumbly  Not paying attention to what Mrs. T says is a bad thing!

14. Continued  Liquid hydrates the flour so gluten will develop  Produces the steam needed for flakiness  Correct amount of liquid will develop the correct amount of gluten  Too much liquid will make the pastry tough  Too little liquid will make it crumbly and difficult to roll

15. Handling the Dough  Handling causes gluten to develop The more gluten that develops the tougher the pastry  Don’t over mix the dough when adding liquid  Don’t use a lot of speed or force when using the rolling pin  Don’t stretch the pastry when fitting it into a pie plate

16. Preparing Pastry  Food Processor method most popular: Process dry ingredients together Add butter cut into small pieces Add liquid- remember to listen for change ICE COLD INGREDIENTS!  Flute edges, bake, then fill  Prick bottom and sides of crust before baking, unless you are filling before baking

17. Blind Baking  Blind baking is baking a one crust pie shell without any filling.  The bottom & sides of the pastry must be pricked with a fork to avoid it puffing during baking.  The pan is lined with parchment paper, coffee filter or foil and weighed down with pie weights, beans, or other small objects for part of the baking period.

18. Rolling Pins  Traditional Rolling Pin  Pros:  Handles make it easier to control  Soft, more porous wood retains flour for rolling out pie crusts and pizza dough  Cons:  The spaces between the handles and the rolling pin may retain pieces of dough  The rollers can become jammed if food gets stuck inside  French Pin  Pros:  Smooth finish on the surface  Easy on hands because no grip is required  Better for delicate products  Cons:  May be more difficult to control without handles  Some shorter styles may require more time and effort

19. Things Mrs. T. wants you to know about meringue  Cream of tartar stabilizes egg foam when making meringue.  Meringue is beaten egg whites.  Eggs should always be a room temperature when beaten to have the best results.  Meringue can insulate cream fillings when being baked  SIDE NOTE: Citrus reacts to egg yolk similar to cooking it. Example-Key Lime

20. Characteristics of Pastry  Tender and flaky  Flakiness is determined by layers of gluten separated by layers of fat puffed up with steam  Tender: cuts easy with a fork, “melts in your mouth” when eaten  Flaky: see thin layers of dough separated by empty spaces when cut with a fork