My Final Weight Loss Journey

While this was a bit strange to make it was easy!  The end result was fantastic and I am happy to report this is now my pie crust recipe of choice!  YUM!  It is flaky and good!  I hope you will try it.  Pie Crusts are easy if you have some tools to help you.  My most favorite tool and it is the one that got me over the fear of making pie crusts is my pie rings.  I got mine through Taste of Home but you can search the Internet and find others.  They are not that expensive.  I promise you it will give you total freedom and take away all fear of making pie crusts!

Yield 1 pie crust (8 servings)

HU's:  3 per serving
Servings:  8  serving size 1/8 of the crust

Ingredients:

5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1  1/4 cups)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup boiling water

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a bowl; cut in shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.  (See picture below:)

Make a well in enter of flour mixture.  Combine butter and boiling water.  Pour butter mixture into center of well. 

Gently draw flour mixture into butter mixture until moist clumps form.

Press dough into a 4-inch circle.  Wrap, and chill 30 minutes.

Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap.  Unwrap dough; place on plastic.  Cover dough with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap.  Roll dough into a 13-inch circle.  (See my yellow pie crust ring.  It is a must have!)

Spray pie plate with cooking spray before placing dough in pie plate.

NOTE:

The dough is very soft once it is rolled out.  I found it a little tricky once I peeled the top layer of plastic wrap off to flip it into my pie plate.  I read in another Cooking Light recipe to stick the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes at this point.  Next time I try this recipe I am going to do that.  It also said to let the crust sit till it is pliable enough to fit into the pie plate and to flute the edges.  When I try this again I will update the recipe.

HOWEVER, I was able to get it in to the pie plate and both of them tore a little on the edges.  But the dough is soft enough it is easy to repair and continue.  (You don't have to do the water/paste trick, the dough is moist enough to just press it together again).  One thing was I could not lift the crust once I flipped it into the pie plate to move it around.  Where it landed it landed so make sure you have a good aim.  This is why I think putting it in the freezer for 10 minutes would help getting it into the pie plate easier. 

I also would like to say at this point the pie crust ring makes the crust even and just the right size.  You just keep rolling that crust till it feels the edges.  Some will spill over onto the yellow ring and I just scoot it back off onto the crust.  (Geeze I hope this makes sense to you all!)

Here is what it looks like once in the pie plate before baking or adding a filling to bake:

If you need a pre-baked shell you need to preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prick the crust all over with a fork.  Don't be shy doing it.  I prick mine alot!  Then you place a sheet of aluminum foil inside the pie crust and very carefully mold it to the bottom and up the sides.  Do not press hard on the crust.  Fill the bottom of the crust with pie weights or any dry bean.  Bake for 25 minutes.until browned.

ONE FINAL THING...

This recipe does not make any reference to making a 2 crust pie.  Knowing how the dough is I do not recommend it.  This is a great recipe for cream pies or custard type pies (pecan too!)  ENJOY!

(Totals are for entire pie crust) CALORIES 1,018, FAT 56.3g (sat 22.6g, mono 24.9g, poly 5.4g), PROTEIN 14.8g, CARB 112.6g, FIBER 3.8g, CHOL 40mg, IRON 6.7mg, SODIUM 1,172mg, CALC 112mg

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