March 14th is a day worthy of multiple celebrations! Pie Day, here in St.Louis, it’s 3.14 day (after our area code), and in my personal life, the birthday of my longest dearest friend, Stephanie. Happy Birthday!
Over the years, I have enjoyed teaching numerous pie classes. Pot pies, slab pies, sweet pies, apple pies. And the one thing I share with anyone trying to understand the world of pie backing is the temperature of your ingredients. The flakey, buttery crust we all melt over is dependent on cold ingredients from the very start. I typically put all my bowls, food processor blade, butter, flour, and water in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This ensures a great start. The other trick is adding just a touch of acid to your pie crust. While there are a thousand pie crust recipes out there, when doing a buttery crust, the acid helps to reduce the formation of gluten in your dough, equally, a flakier crust.
I’ve comprised my favorite recipes and class favorites from over the years. This is a mix of pot pies, slab pies with flavored crusts, and a collection of sweet pies. Click on the Celebrate 314 Day to download your pdf version of 10 pie recipes and a few pages of details on pie making. Happy Pie Making Day!
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