Did you know that we're having a Pie Bakeoff this month? Time to get baking! Whether it's your first pie, third pie, or eighteen-hundredth pie, you've got a shot to win one of our pretty prizes. (The scoop on prizes at the end of the day today!)
Pie crust can be the most intimidating part of making a pie. Well, it doesn't need to be. We are big fans of making a large batch of pie dough and freezing it for quick and easy pie-baking later. Here are three of our favorite recipes: basic, sour cream, and graham cracker.
Three favorite pie crusts
• Basic Pie Crust - Our recipe here uses part shortening and part butter.
• Sour Cream Pie Crust - A flaky, light crust with an ingredient recommended by Shirley Corriher.
• Graham Cracker Pie Crust - Don't want to mess with the shortening/butter/lard debate? Want something ultra easy? Press some graham cracker crumbs and butter into a pie pan and call it done. We love a pumpkin pie with this kind of crust!
Do you have a favorite pie crust? What the best recipe you've ever used? What recipe will use for our Best Pie Bakeoff?
• Enter here! The Kitchn's Best Pie Bakeoff 2008
My husband and I both hate shortening (we've never liked the mouth-feel of it), and so we use an all-butter piecrust. Our go-to recipe is Martha Stewart's Pate Brisée recipe. It is always a success.
When we make strudel (every Christmas), we sometimes make a traditional stretched dough (probably for the sheer sense of accomplishment), however usually we rely on a sour cream and butter dough, which is amazingly flaky.
view mschatelaine's profile
I feel like using a food processor just makes a pie crust so much more accessible (and therefore easier). Not that I didn't make pies before I had one, but it's cut out the hardest part of making a pie.
view Eliza's profile
I'm with mschatelaine on the buttery side of things. Two sticks in my double-crust apple pie.
view elkit's profile
Elkit -- your pie recipe looks amazing! I've bookmarked it, and will be trying it soon!
view mschatelaine's profile
I like a cornmeal pate brisee. Its so sturdy but bakes up really well! Love it.
view Tara blogs about everything's profile