Editors of Adams Media - The 50 Best Pie Recipes. Tasty, Fresh, and Easy to Make!

The 50 Best
Pie Recipes

Tasty, fresh, and easy to make!

Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.

Avon, Massachusetts

Contents

Introduction

Pie, in its most basic form, is a baked food with a filling that is prepared in a pastry and often topped with a pastry crust or other topping. The tradition of pie spans the globe, with most cultures having some sort of pie that speaks to the food and the people of that region. What gives pie its universal appeal is that it can be made with what is available fresh, such as meat, produce, grains, and dairy, but it can also be made with preserved ingredients. In fact, pies are a great way to perk up preserved, dried, or frozen fruits, meats, and vegetables.

The term pie comes from medieval England where pastry cases, or coffyns as they were called, were used to house fillings. The crusts were very tough, being used primarily as the cooking vessel. Among the wealthy the filling was the only thing eaten and the crusts were given to the less fortunate or the servants. Pies traveled across the sea to America with the Pilgrims, who created new recipes to use what was locally available. Fruit pies, as they are known today, were most likely perfected by the Pennsylvania Dutch. As Americans settled the West, pies became a staple of most meals, with pioneer cooks making as many as twenty-one pies in a week!

Pie is a comfort food, bringing back memories of home, love, and tradition. Pies have a bad reputation for being difficult to make, and this is simply not true! These fifty recipes are a start to your new journey into pie making, so roll up your sleeves and have fun!

Flaky Crust

This recipe is best for pies where the crust is blind-baked, such as cream pies, or used as the top crust for fruit pies. This also works beautifully for a lattice top.

Yields 1 9-inch crust

Ingredients

1 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

teaspoons salt

6 tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled

2 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening, chilled

2-4 tablespoons ice water

1. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, and salt.

2. Add the chilled fats and rub them into the flour mixture with your fingers until 30% of the fat is between pea and hazelnut sized, while the rest is blended in well.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix until the dough forms a rough ball. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time, if needed.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least thirty minutes or up to three days.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator for ten minutes before rolling out. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to -inch thick, 12-inch circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour if needed.

6. Place the crust on a sheet pan and chill for thirty minutes before use.

Scrapping Around

Ever wonder what to do with your pie dough scraps? Re-roll them and use decorative cookie cutters to make festive decorations for your pie. Brush them with a little egg wash for a shiny finish.

Mealy Crust

Mealy pie crusts are best used as the bottom crust for fruit pies and custard pies.

Yields 1 9-inch crust

Ingredients

1 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled

cup lard or vegetable shortening, chilled

2-4 tablespoons ice water

1. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, and salt.

2. Add the butter and shortening and with your fingers rub the fat into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse sand with no large pieces of fat remaining.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix until the dough forms a rough ball. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time, if needed.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least thirty minutes or up to three days.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator for ten minutes before rolling out. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to -inch thick, about a 12-inche circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour if needed.

6. Fold the dough in half and place it into a 9-inch pie plate. Unfold and carefully push the dough into the pan. Use kitchen scissors or a paring knife to trim the dough to 1-inch of the pans edge.

7. Cover with plastic and chill until ready to bake.

Mealy Vs. Flaky

Flaky pie crusts use large pieces of fat to create flaky layers, but those layers can absorb liquid in the pie filling making them soggy. In a mealy crust the fat is better incorporated resulting in a denser crust that resists moisture absorption. It is still tender and crisp, just less flaky.

Graham Cracker Crust

A graham cracker crust belongs in every bakers repertoire. Heres a recipe to try with your favorite fruit pie recipe.

Yields 1 9-inch pie crust

Ingredients

1 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Heat the oven to 350F

2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a medium bowl until well combined. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the center is firm when pressed lightly. Cool completely before filling.

C is for Cookie

Cookie crusts are a good place to add a little extra flavor. Try adding teaspoon of cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice, to give the crust a spicy kick. If you want to add some chocolate flavor try adding 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

Pretzel Crust

Heres a non-traditional crust that tastes great when combined with chocolate and peanut butter! Opt for this when you have a few pretzels left in the bag that you want to use up.

Yields 1 9-inch pie crust

Ingredients

1 cups finely crushed pretzels

cup sugar

cup unsalted butter, melted

1. Heat the oven to 350F

2. Combine the pretzel crumbs, sugar, and butter in a medium bowl until well combined. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the center is firm when pressed lightly. Cool completely before filling.

Pick the Best Crumbs

The best way to get fine crumbs for cookie style pie crusts is to use a food processor. Profess until the mixture looks like sand. Large pieces of cookies or pretzels will make the crust too fragile and the slices will fall apart when sliced.

Tart Crust

If you find that this crust crumbles when you try to roll it out, try using a whole egg (instead of just the yolk) to help the dough stick together better. The end result is sublime like a shortbread!

Yields 1 10-inch tart crust

Ingredients