Perfect (really!) Pie Crust Tutorial - "Bake it don't Buy it"

Hello Bakers,

Here is the tutorial as promised. Making a perfect pie crust can cause a lot of anxiety - the most challenging part is that the water is the variable. This means we really don't have an exact measurement of how much we need.  Most of the time - when the dough is perfect - it still looks dry and we go ahead and add more water - add there is no fix for that - adding more flour just makes it worse. With all the culinary pressure Thanksgiving puts on us - you might think about reaching for those pristine frozen pie crust...it's ok bake it don't buy it. You will be happier making it yourself.

Watch the video - I will show you exactly what the dough should look like when enough water has been added.

This recipe for pie crust holds it shape. I played with the baker's percentages and it is "just right". There is nothing new about pie crust recipes - but I put a lot of thought into the ratios of fat to flour - and then I make it every day for a week until I am happy. I feel that's what being a CMB is all about. 

All your hard work of getting the dough, expertly, in the pan and getting the edge fluted perfectly will not be in vain. What's the trick - part of it is in the percentage of the ingredients - there is shortening and butter - the shortening provides extra moisture and we have the flavor of the butter. There is also apple cider vinegar in the recipe - this tenderizes the gluten strands as the are developed during mixing. The acid cuts the gluten strands inhibiting their formation. 

If butter and shortening need to be cold - if you remember and weigh out your shortening in advance and freeze it - that's great - but if not the recipe will still be a success.

Also, try to use unbleached flour as bleached flour tends to shrink more. it's the bleaching process tightening up the gluten strands.

This pie crust can be used for sweet or savory pies. I don't usually adjust the sugar (I heard your question, bakers) it is not enough to throw off a savory pie like a quiche. Mainly it is there to give your crust a beautiful color. The sugar encourages caramelization.

The dough can be made up to 1 month in advance and frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight or up to one day ahead. Wrap in plastic wrap and then foil. Why - wrapping in foil blocks light - a little extra insurance that your dough will not turn gray or oxidize. 

Here is the recipe: Gather your ingredients and mix right along with me. Let's bake! 

Yield: Enough dough for three pie crusts

• 16 ounces (454g) of unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon, 1/2 ounce (15g) sugar
• 1 teaspoons, (6g) salt
• 5 ounces (170g) butter - cubed and chilled
• 102g shortening - chilled or frozen if possible
• 4g (1 teaspoon) apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 150g plus extra ice cold water ***please weigh this out and pour off the ice. Ice in the water will throw off the weight

1. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. 
2. Add the chilled butter. Using a bowl scraper or pastry blender, cut in the butter until it looks like corn flakes, lightly coated with flour. 
3. Sprinkle the apple cider vinegar on the butter and flour mixture.
4. Add the shortening and cut it in too - even frozen it will break down quickly. The pieces of both butter and shortening should be uniform in size and be about the size of peas.
   1. Sprinkle the 150g of cold water on top of the mixture. As shown in the video, begin to fold the water into the dough - working from the side of the bowl and "folding and mashing it" into the center. Do this until the dough is a semi cohesive mass. Check for dryness on the bottom of the bowl - add water if necessary (1 tablespoon at a time) - drizzling it around the side of the bowl and then use the bowl scraper to work it through the dough - check again. 
   2. Once the dough is a cohesive mass and you can lift it off the bottom of the bowl and there is no residual flour - dump it out onto your work surface. Shape into a flat disk (about 1/2 inch thick), wrap in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of one hour. If making the night before or freezing, wrap in plastic wrap and then foil. 

Easiest Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving - "Bake it don't buy it"

Hello Bakers,

Here is the Libby's Pumpkin pie recipe that I promised you in last Friday's edition of Ingredient Function Friday on my Facebook.com/BakingwithColette page.

This is one of the best and easiest recipes for pumpkin pie out there. If you forget the can of evaporated milk you can substitute heavy cream or half and half. 

If you ever wondered where the evaporated milk came from...evaporated milk became widely available in the 1920s before modern refrigeration was a thing. The pie itself became a Thanksgiving staple around the time that Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday in 1863.

And one last thing Libby's has been canning pumpkin for 144 years...so here is the recipe for the filling. The recipe made its debut on the label in the last century. As promised I will be filming a pie crust tutorial later today so a great recipe for pie crust is coming soon.

It's best to get all your pie baking out of the way before you have to start cooking the rest of the dinner. The day before would be ideal. Then chill the pie in the refrigerator and bring it up to room temperature before serving. For perfect slices, use a serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water and dried in between each slice. Whipped cream makes a perfect garnish.

Happy Baking! Colette

To fill one 8 or 9" pie = serves 8.

• 3/4 cup (5 ounces) 142g sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves 
• 2 large eggs (96g)
• 1 can pumpkin (15 ounces)
• 1 can evaporated milk (12 ounces)
• Variations: reduce cloves to 1/8 teaspoon and add 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg

1. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, (nutmeg if using) eggs and pumpkin. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add the evaporated milk. Whisk until smooth.
2. Pour into partially baked pie shell - directions will be in the pie crust tutorial.
3. Check in 35 minutes - the filling should "jiggle like jello and not ripple like soup". There is another way to test for doneness and that is by inserting a paring knife or skewer close to the center - it should come out clean when the pie is done. 

Bacon, Cheddar and Scallion quiche made with Pate Brisee - Ingredient Function Friday

Hello Bakers,

Welcome to the blog post for Ingredient Function Friday's Episode 5 - Pastry flour. 

Today I used pastry flour to make Pate Brisee is flaky pie dough's fancy French cousin. It is a perfect companion recipe to today's show.

We are using the dough to make a quiche. Quiche is back - at least - it is at 5250 Cafe in North Hollywood. I am selling two a day. And that is great because they are fun and easy to make. 

This dough can also be used for pies and tarts - it is versatile and a great dough to have in your repertoire.

The dough does need to rest a minimum of 30 minutes before rolling out so that the flour particles can hydrate and the gluten (that we have activated by mixing can relax). It can also be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator or frozen up to one month.

We will be partially baking this crust before filling it. That way we will not get a "soggy bottom" as former Great British Baking Show judge and baking icon, Mary Berry is so fond of saying. When she retires, Bakers, I want her job.

Quiche can be baked in a pie pan or in a tart pan with a removable bottom. I am using a tart pan for this one - today's flavors are bacon, cheddar and scallion. You can get very creative with quiche.  Of course, the classic Quiche Lorraine (named for Alsace-Lorraine) is ham, gruyere cheese and a pinch of nutmeg in the custard. But you can do anything you want bakers - just make sure if you are using ingredients like are on the wet side (like spinach and tomatoes) that they are well drained. Whatever you are using you need 4-5 ounces of that ingredient - just to make sure that each flavor is represented in every bite.

If making quiche for brunch or a light dinner - know that (if the dough is made) you can have this on the table in 1 hour.  Watch for my five star technique in the body of the recipe....

Pate Brisee with pastry flour...(I used Arrowhead Mills)

Equipment: large mixing bowl, bowl scraper or pastry blender **you can also make this in a food processor or mixer - let me know in the comments or via email (bakingwithcolette@gmail.com) if you have questions on how to do that. 

Happy Baking! Colette

Ingredients:

284g (10 ounces) pastry or all purpose flour

6g (3/4 teaspoon) salt

4g (1/2 teaspoon) sugar

1g baking powder

170g (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed or grated and chilled

1 large egg (48g)

1 ounce cold milk.

Pate Brisee Mise en Place

1.  In a large mixing bowl combine flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. 
2.  Add the butter and cut it into the flour with the bowl scraper or pastry blender until it looks like coarse meal. The pieces of butter will be very small - you may have to use you fingers in the last few minutes to break the butter down into smaller pieces - but if you have hot hands - stick with the bowl scraper.

Cut in butter - texture is like coarse meal

    3. Whisk together the milk and the egg. Add to flour and butter mixture. Using the bowl scraper fold the ingredients together, using the side of the bowl - it is almost as if you are mashing them together. As you work the moisture through the dough - it will form a cohesive mass. Scrape the dough together, if the edges of the dough are scrappy use the heel of your hand to smooth them out. This technique is called fraisage in French. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. The dough can be made the day before and refrigerated or frozen for up to one month.

Rolling out and partially baking the crust: Equipment: rolling pin, all purpose or bread flour for dusting, pie pan or a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom - if using a tart pan wrap it in foil, parchment paper and pie weights or beans.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

1. Dust your work surface with all purpose or bread flour. Place the dough on the floured surface and tap it with the rolling pin, turning it a quarter turn every so often so that there is no stickage. If the dough sticks to the work surface it will tear - keep throwing flour underneath the dough if it sticks. Once it is 1/4" thick then roll the dough until it is 1/8" thick. Roll the dough onto your rolling pin and carefully drop it on to the pie or tart pan. Make sure the dough is flat against the sides of the pan and crimp the top edge if using a pie plate (you may have to trim it) or if using a tart pan trim the dough flush to the top. Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Chill for 20 minutes if you have time - this helps the crust retain it's shape.

Tapped to 1/4 inch - this helps the gluten not get over activated and then shrink back in the pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The crust should have no color but should not look raw. Remove the beans and bake for 5-7 more minutes or until the shell looks baked and not raw.

Ready for the pan

Quiche Filling:

3 eggs

8 ounces heavy cream

good pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper

a few drops of tabasco sauce - optional

6 ounces bacon, cubed, cooked and drained

5 ounces cubed or grated cheddar cheese

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Quiche mise en place

1. Whisk together eggs, cream, salt, pepper and tabasco. 
2. Arrange bacon, cheddar and scallions on the dough. 
3. Pour in custard - fill until the top of the pan. There will be custard left over. We will use this for our five star technique.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes. Remove from oven. The custard will have formed a light skin, break into the center and pour in as much of the remaining custard as the it will hold. ****
5. Return the quiche to the oven and bake and additional 20-25 minutes or until the custard is set. If the crust is getting too dark and the custard is not set. Then reduce the temperature 25 degrees and cover lightly with a piece of foil, shiny side down and finish baking.

****This is my five star technique with quiche. I learned this when I was a cook at a five star hotel in Boston back in the 1990s. Quiche was served in the impossibly chic cafe and the executive chef wanted the quiche to be more of a souffle en croute (crust) then a flat everyday quiche - so the "topping off at 14 minutes technique" was born.

Ingredient Function Friday - Substituting Cake Flour - the results are in.

Hello Bakers, 

The real cake flour cake is on the right and the all purpose/cornstarch blend is on the left.

As noted in the episode the normal substitution for cake flour is to remove 2 Tablespoons of cake flour from each cup and then add 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch. So if a cup if all purpose flour weighs 4 1/4 ounces and 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch weighs 1 ounce, after removing the 2 Tablespoons of flour and replacing them with cornstarch - I was back to 4 1/4 ounces.

The directions then say to sift this mixture together 5 or 6 times.

 Not one Internet source or cookbook source (I checked the classics too) mentioned anything about measuring by weight. That was interesting. I used 312g of cake flour and for the test, 253g of all purpose and 59g of cornstarch, that I sifted 5-6 times. Remember we weigh before sifting. As sifting lightens and throws your measurement off. It doesn't matter if you are measuring by volume or by weight.

Here is the recipe I used for both. This is a high ratio cake, as it has more sugar then flour.

I hope you enjoy this experiment and learning about ingredient function.

Happy Baking!

Colette

Equipment:

• Stand Mixer fitted with paddle attachment or handheld mixer fitted with standard beaters.
• Sifter
• Spatula
• 2 8" cake pans, greased and lined with a parchment paper circle or a 12 cup muffin tin, lined with muffin papers - batter will make 10-12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Mise en Place for both cakes

• 11 ounces (312g) cake flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (15g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (4g) fine sea salt 
• 12 ounces (340g) sugar
• 4 ounces (113g) butter, softened
• 3 ounces (85g) vegetable shortening
• 2 teaspoons (10g) vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon (2g) almond extract
• 2 ounces (57g) milk5 ounces (142g) egg whites
• 6 ounces (170g) milk

1. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Place in mixer bowl.
2. Add butter, vegetable shortening, extracts and the 2 ounces of milk.
3. Mix on low speed for 2 timed minutes.
4. Turn off mixer and scrape down. Mix on medium speed for 2 timed minutes.
5.  Combine the egg whites and 6 ounces of milk. 
6.  Add half the liquid to the batter. Mix on low speed for 1 minute and then on medium speed for 1 minute. Turn off mixer and scrape down.
7.  Add the remaining liquid and repeat mixing sequence - low for 1 minute. Scrape down and mix on medium speed for I more minute. Remove the bowl from the mixer and mix briefly with a spatula - make sure to scrape the bottom of the mixer too. 
8.  Divide batter between prepared pans. (using cake flour I had 1222g of batter and with the homemade cake flour I had 1192g of batter) Fascinating!
9.  Bake the cakes at 350 for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 and set the timer for 12 minutes - the cake will probably need an additional 5-7 minutes. But since everyone’s oven is different it is best to check at 12 minutes.

Let the cakes sit in the pan for 10 minutes and un mold onto a wire rack to cool completely before using.

Dry ingredients, butter, shortening, 2 ounces of milk and extracts...

Batter mixed - ready for the wet ingredients to be added

Cake Flour on the right - all purpose and cornstarch blend on the left.