Thanksgiving Pie Crust

Name: Thanksgiving Pie Crust
Yield: 2 pie crusts
Ingredients: 4 oz cold Crisco; 4 oz cold butter; 2 cups flour (16 fl oz); 1 tsp salt; 1 1/2 tsp sugar; 6 Pecan Sandie cookies, pulverized into fine cookie crumbs; 1/2 cup ice water

7 ingredients•13 steps•2 pie crusts

Fine Cooking, Vol. 38 (May 2000)

1
Slice butter and Crisco into long strips or pieces and place in freezer for 15 minutes in a metal bowl.
2
When chilled, remove and cut both into small pieces.
3
In food processor, combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar) by pulsing 3-4 times.
4
Add butter and Crisco and pulse 5 to 10 times until mixture looks mealy.
5
Sprinkle some water onto mix, starting with no more than 2/3 of the 1/2 cup measurement of ice water, and pulse to incorporate.
6
Toss in the cookie crumbs, add more water and pulse until mixture holds together when squeezed.
7
Form into ball, then press into disk.
8
Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes, covered in damp paper towel or inside plastic wrap.
9
When chilled, remove and place on pastry board covered with flexible cutting sheet (plastic).
10
Smear with flour, top and bottom, and put wax paper over top of dough.
11
Roll into pie crust to fit intended pie pans.
12
Remove chilled pans from freezer, place over dough, slide hand under plastic sheet and flip in one movement.
13
Form into pan and follow pre-baking instructions in Notes section.

💡 Cook's Notes

When dough goes into fridge, start preheating oven to 425°F and place two pie pans in freezer to chill. When formed into pans, poke holes in bottom with knife for venting steam. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes to rechill. Remove and put parchment paper on top of crust and weight it down with dried beans or pie weights. Place in 425°F oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, remove parchment and weights, and return to oven for another 15 minutes of baking. Remove to cooling rack. Don't fill with pie filling until thoroughly cooled. The night before, grate butter with cheese grater and then spread over large plate, placing that plate into the freezer. This will maximize the coldness of the butter when working with it later on. Two (or so) hours before working with dough, place 3 teaspoons of salt into one cup of water, stir and place this salt water in freezer. The salt water will reach temperatures well below 32°F without freezing. Dust work surface with powdered sugar. Unroll refrigerated pre-made dough onto sugared surface. Sprinkle evenly with 1/3 cup toasted, finely chopped pecans. Gently roll over dough with rolling pin. Place in pan and bake as usual. See also "Foolproof Pie Crust 101" for latest ideas from Cook's Illustrated.  Fine Cooking, Vol. 38 (May 2000), p. 18 "Perfecting Apple Pie" (with full page on flaky pie pastry): Fine Cooking, Vol. 81 (Nov. 2006), p. 65 For education on all pies/all crusts, see Fine Cooking, May 2001, Vol. 44, page 26B (pull-out section)