Lesson Learned: Pie Crust

I have made exactly three pie crusts in my life, before this weekend. I couldn't figure out why everyone complained about pie crusts being finicky, because my three were perfect! Maybe not perfect, but they certainly were not failures. I used the same basic recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. But looking back, maybe the pie crusts were just okay, because I definitely don't remember them being fabulous compared to the actual pecan and cherry pies themselves.

So. This weekend I decided to make homemade chicken pot pie! With a real official top and bottom pie crust (man I love crust!). All I can say is...Epic Fail. The recipe I used called for like two cubes of butter- and Shenli and I don't need that! So I tried substituting some shortening (yah, because that's better for you. not.). In short, the pie crust wouldn't even roll out, was way too mushy and butter, so I ended up dropping spoonfuls of it onto the pot pie like it was biscuit dough! Then when it baked, it never browned, it got all floury and dry, and was basically just horrible.

What did I do wrong??? I started researching pie crusts, and I realized--I did everything wrong. Warm ingredients (my kitchen is so warm that my shortening is always almost liquid) and definitely over mixing. So I decided to give in and actually try a pie crust recipe the right way. Luckily, beef empanadas were on the menu this week!

So the day before, I made the pie dough. I used this wonderful recipe and it will be my go to recipe for savory crusts now! I tried to do everything perfectly. I froze the butter before, then cut it into little chunks. I washed my hands in cold water, and I made sure the water in the recipe was ice cold. I only mashed in the butter until I had little smaller-than-pea size butter balls (I read somewhere that pie dough isn't mixed together. It's just coating the butter in flour! Weird concept). I only kneaded the dough once with my palm and then let it "relax" in the fridge overnight.

The next day I took out the dough, floured up my work surface all nice, and rolled it out thin- rolling in only one direction. I read I'm supposed to roll one way, then turn the dough a quarter turn, roll some more, etc.

Man. Can I just say, AMAZING? Even Shenli noticed how good this dough was (I baked the empanadas in the oven so they turned nice and golden brown!). It was flaky, crisp, it tasted amazing, and it truly stole the show from the beef filling. This dough was PERFECT! The pictures are horrible, but I am officially converted to pie dough the right way. Doing it the night before made it much easier- and the relaxing in the fridge was just what it needed. WOW. I can't get over it. So flaky! Thank goodness Thanksgiving is almost here because I want to try my new found pie dough skills on apple pie, peach pie, pecan pie, cherry pie, everything! (except pumpkin. ew.) This was not just a lesson of pie dough though, this is a lesson to me to learn all I can about why recipes call for the strange methods they do!