Episode 9-1 – Basic Pie Dough

Episode 9-1
July 16, 2010
Basic Pie Dough

Everybody should have a collection of basic recipes, commonly called master recipes, at their disposal.  These recipes should produce the most reliable results and should be some of the easiest requiring little skills and ingredients you consistently have on hand.  Master recipes should also be fairly easy to alter; Which is why the fewer the ingredients the more likely you’ll know how it’ll turn out should you adjust the ratios of the ingredients or add a new one.  One of the most basic things they taught me in school was how an ingredient should affect the finished product.

If you’re really into science then you should check out How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science.  This was a text book from school but it’s interesting enough to be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in baking.  In the book, the author goes into great depth about each ingredient (chemically for example) and explains how the ingredients will affect the finished product.  Reading this book will only enhance your skill in the kitchen.

Enjoy the basic pie dough recipe and feel free to alter the ratio of the fats in the recipe and try adding different flavorings, like cinnamon, to the dough.  In the video I feel I rolled out the dough a little thinner than what I was aiming for.  I’ve gotten into the habit of rolling out pie dough based on circumference instead of thickness – ideally you’ll want to cut off as little dough as possible.  That way you’re not wasting any pie dough.  You can reuse pie dough scraps but if you continue to rework the dough it may become too tough to use.  Tough over-worked pie dough tends to shrink while you handle it and while it bakes resulting in a warped shell.  This is really evident if you’re trying to par-bake (bake a pie shell without the filling) .  If you ever par-bake a pie shell make sure you gently score the dough with a fork and place something heavy in the shell such as another pie plate of the same size with something inside to weigh it down.

Anyway, par-baking is for another episode.  Enjoy the basic pie dough episode which also goes over how to shape a 9″ flute pie shell.