Fabulous No Roll Pie Crust

I just had to drop by today to share the BEST recipe I have ever discovered (okay, I discover great recipes all the time, but this is in the Top Five, DEFNITELY)! For me, desperation is usually always the mother of invention. Since, I am generally always trying to squeeze at least three seperate things in the same time increments, desperation is USUALLY my middle name. If multi tasking were an Olympic sport, I would be in the running for the Gold! Anyway, I digress.

I had an obscenely large amount of browning apple slices left over from a little party I hosted over the weekend (more about that later).  Of course, you all know that throwing said apples away would pain me GREATLY! Unfortunately, all efforts to feed the unattractive apples to my Dear Family, backfired! Apparently, eating brownish orange apple slices did not appeal to them. On to Plan B, then! I will just turn them into pie! Oh, wait! I only have nano seconds to throw a pie together........STINK! What to do? What to do?

Allrecipes to the RESCUE! No Roll Pie Crust is one of the best inventions, EVER in my book! It as easy as can be.  Spray your pie plate with cooking spray. Toss all the dry ingredients together  in the pie plate. Then stir in the wet ingredients. Pat the dough along the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Fill with your favorite fruit filling. Top with a crumb crust (so the apple don't dry out), and bake for 350 degrees for 50 minutes. No chilling, no rolling, no swearing.......it's FOOL PROOF, and flaky, too. I don't think I will be going back to the old fashioned, labor intensive pie crust, any time soon.

Fool Proof Pie Crust
(makes enough dough for one 8 inch pie)
Find original recipe HERE

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk (I used half and half)

Follow the directions above. If you want to bake the empty crust , bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Don't forget to prick the crust all over with a fork, cover crust with aluminum foil, and fill with dry beans to keep it from shrinking and bubbling.

You may have noticed from the picture at the top of the post, that nobody had a problem eating the icky apples once it was turned into pie.

P.S, For the crumb topping, I sifted together:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Then I cut in 3 tablespoons cold butter until it resembled coarse crumbs.

Fool Proof Pie Crust

I've been wanting to share this recipe for awhile, and with Easter coming up, I thought it would be the perfect time. I love to make pie, but it has taken me years to find the perfect crust recipe. I have tried several methods, but most seem either hard to roll out, or are not light and flaky. Since I married into a pie baking family, and my pie is constantly being compared to my mother in laws. I am always feeling the pressure. If you don't believe me, last Thanksgiving more time was put into planning the pie menu than the actual dinner. We ended up with twenty seven pies between my mother in law, sister in law, and myself (there were more pies present than guests). Anyway, this crust is easy to mix together, and fairly forgiving. The best part is that is rolls out like a dream, and is light and flaky.

Fool Proof Pie Crust

4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup shortening
3/4 cold unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 large egg
1/2 cup ice water ( I place several ice cubes in a glass of water and let it sit. When I'm ready for the ice water I remove the ice cubes and measure out 1/2 cup)

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Cut butter and shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, your fingers, or if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer use the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. In a separate bowl whisk together egg, vinegar, and ice water. Mix into the flour mixture until just combined. Gently press together to form a dough. Divide into four equal parts and form into balls. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let chill for at least an hour. Roll out and place into greased pie plate. Follow pie recipe for baking instructions.

It also freezes well. When ever I make a batch I double or triple it. There are several ways you can freeze uncooked pie crust.

1. Divide the extra into individual portions. Shape into a ball. Wrap them tightly in wax paper and freeze them. When the pie crust is frozen I place them all in a gallon freezer bag for extra protection. When you are ready to use them let the frozen balls of dough thaw out on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator. Roll them out while they are still cold, but not frozen. Place in a greased pie plate.

2. You an also save yourself time later and roll the crust out between layers of wax paper. Freeze them between the layers of wax paper flat on a cookie sheet (you can stack them two high). When they are frozen slide the frozen sheets into a gallon freezer bag. Just thaw out and place in a greased pie plate.

3. I have also bought aluminum pie plates at the Dollar Store. Roll the crust out and placed them in the greased pie plates. Freeze them. Wrap them well with plastic wrap after they are frozen and stack them in the freezer. Just thaw out and fill when you are ready to use.
Pie crust will stay good in the freezer for six months.