Ever swooned over those gorgeous pies on instagram with all of the pretty detailing? Same.
I love making pie, and I have a pie crust recipe I swear by taste-wise, but I've had trouble using it when I've wanted to do detailing. I needed a new recipe that was a little less greasy and a little more...robust. I'm not painting the prettiest picture, am I? Well, just trust me, when you're making a pretty pie you want your dough to be workable! So, I modified my original pie crust recipe by substituting half of the shortening with cold butter and the crust worked like a charm! Pretty and still yummy!
Next I want to find a flaky pie crust, any suggestions?
Mixed Berry Pie with a Structured Pie Crust
This pie is so delicious and features a workable, structured pie crust perfect for creating detailing!
ingredients:
- 4 cups flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup cold, grated butter
- 2 beaten eggs
- 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 6 cups frozen mixed berries
- 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- For the dough, mix the flour, sugar and salt together.
- Beat the egg with the water and vinegar, and add the mixture to the dough. Combine until dough is moist.
- Add the shortening and cold grated butter and mix until to dough comes together.
- Chill for 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl combine the berries, brown sugar and lemon juice together. Then mix in the cornstarch. Let sit.
- Divide the dough in half.
- Knead half the dough for a few minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 13 in circle, about 1/4 in thick.
- Transfer the dough to a 10" pie plate.
- Pour in the berry mixture into the pie crust, and gently pat down as flat as possible.
- Repeat step 8 with the remaining dough. Cut into 3/4 in strips using a pizza cutter.
- Using the strips, lay out a woven lattice on the pie. With any extra strips, roll into "rose" shapes and decorate the pie. With any extra dough, cut leaf shapes and add details using a knife. Optional: brush pie with egg wash or melted butter.
- Bake for 50-65 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let sit for about 20 minutes, then enjoy!
NOTES:
• I have never made designs on my pie before, so don't feel pressure to make something like mine! Use small cookie cutters, cut out cool shapes, get creative and make it your own!
