Perfect Pie Crusts: Easy Tricks For Placing Pastry In Pans

Making a pie crust is a fun and easy process. There are a few different ways to make a pie crust. One way is to roll out the dough and place it in the pan. Another way is to mix the ingredients in the pan and press the dough into the pan. Both ways are simple and can be done by anyone.

To make a pie crust by rolling out the dough, first, make sure your dough has been chilling for at least an hour. Then, get out your rolling pin, pie pan, and a small dish of flour. Flour your surface and place the dough in the middle. Get rolling! Start by pressing down lightly with the pin and moving it from the center out. Roll the dough a few times in one direction, lift it up, and rotate it a quarter-turn. Keep repeating this process, re-flouring the counter and the top of the dough as needed.

To transfer the crust to the pan, you can either roll it around the pin and unroll it in the pan, or fold it very loosely into quarters and unfold it into the pan. Press it gently into the pan, making sure it is centered. You should have a half-inch overhang, which you will fold under so that the pie dough becomes the size of the pan.

To make a pie crust by pressing the dough into the pan, first, combine the flour, salt, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Mix until you have crumbs. Then, add two tablespoons of cold water and mix until bigger clumps of dough form. Use your hands to form the dough into a disc and place it in a deep-dish pie pan. Press the dough out and up the sides of the dish with your fingers. If it cracks, that's okay! You can smooth it out as you go.

Roll the dough

Rolling the dough is the most important step in making a pie crust. Here are some tips to help you roll the dough like a pro:

• Make sure your dough is well-chilled before rolling. A cold pie dough is much easier to roll than a slightly chilled one. Aim for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator, or even better, chill it for 24 hours.
• Choose a suitable surface for rolling. A wooden surface is a good option as it has texture that can grab the dough, but any surface will work if your dough is extremely cold.
• Lightly flour the surface and the dough to prevent sticking. Just add flour as needed, as too much flour can toughen the dough.
• Make the dough pliable without warming it. You can do this by whacking it a few times with a rolling pin—about 10 to 15 whacks evenly distributed over the dough should be enough.
• Move the dough while rolling to prevent it from sticking. Don't forget to reapply flour as you go.
• Roll the dough into a circle that is 2 to 3 inches wider than your pie pan. Focus on getting the right size rather than thickness.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the dough away from you in singular strokes. Lift the pin up before reaching the edge of the dough, then place it back on the table and roll again. Repeat this process, lifting and turning the dough a quarter turn each time, until the dough is the desired size and thickness.
• If the dough starts to stick, sprinkle more flour on the sticky spots or on your rolling pin. If the dough becomes too soft, place it in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes.

Trim the dough

Trimming the dough is an important step in the pie-making process. The goal is to get a 12-inch circle for a standard-size pie tin. You can use a ruler or a bowl with a 12-inch diameter rim as a stencil. Using the tip of a knife, trim the dough into the desired size.

If you are making a double-crust pie, you will want to wait to trim the excess dough and crimp the edges until after you have sealed the top and bottom crusts together.

Transfer the crust

Transferring the crust is a crucial step in the pie-making process. Here are some detailed instructions on how to transfer the crust to the pie pan:

• Once you have rolled out your dough to the desired thickness, it's time to transfer it to the pie pan. There are a few different methods you can use.
• One popular method is to drape the dough over your rolling pin and then unroll it into the pie pan. This method works well if your dough is nice and flexible.
• Another method is to fold the dough loosely into quarters and then unfold it into the pie pan. This method is a bit more delicate but can give you a more precise placement.
• If you're using a top crust for a double-crust pie, simply roll out the second piece of dough and place it on top of the filling. You can then crimp the edges of the two crusts together to seal them.
• For a single-crust pie, trim the dough to about a 12-inch circle using a knife or a pizza cutter. This will give you a neat edge and ensure that the crust fits snugly in the pan.
• Gently lift the dough and place it into the pie pan. Be careful not to stretch the dough, as this can cause it to shrink during baking.
• Press the dough gently into the pan, making sure it is centred. You should have about a half-inch overhang around the pan.
• If you're making a double-crust pie, you can wait to fold the excess dough under and crimp the edges until you have sealed the top and bottom crusts together.
• For a single-crust pie, fold the excess dough under, creating a neat edge. You can use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edges decoratively.
• Once the crust is in the pan, you can fill it with your desired filling and bake according to your recipe instructions.

Fold the excess under

Once you've rolled out your pie dough, you'll want to transfer it to your pie pan. There are a few ways to do this. One way is to drape the dough over your rolling pin and then unroll it over the pan. Another way is to fold the dough loosely into quarters and unfold it into the pan.

Once the dough is in the pan, gently press it in, making sure it's centered. You should have about a half-inch overhang around the pan. Fold this overhang under so that the pie dough is the size of the pan. If you're making a double-crust pie, you'll want to wait to fold the excess under and crimp the edges until you've sealed the top and bottom crusts together.

If you're making a single-crust pie, you can crimp the edges decoratively. One way to do this is to form a "V" with the tips of your thumb and index finger of one hand and press the dough into this "V" with the index finger of your other hand. Go around the rim until the whole thing is done.

If you have extra dough scraps, you can get crafty with them. You can re-roll the scraps, use cookie cutters to make shapes, and decorate the top of your pie. You could also skip the crimping and create a leaf wreath around the edges of your pie.

Crimp the edges decoratively

Once you’ve got the excess folded under, you can make a traditional decorative crimp by forming a “V” with the tips of the thumb and index finger of one hand and pressing the dough into this “V” with the index finger of your other hand. Go around the rim until the whole thing is so cute, you can barely take it.

• Cross Hatch Crimp: After you have pressed the tines of your fork into the edge of your dough all the way around your pie plate, change the position of the fork and press the tines along the edge so that they are now perpendicular to the filling (as opposed to facing the filling) and to the lines you just made – you are basically making lots of little tick-tac-toe patterns all along the edge of the dough.
• Citrus Reamer Crimp: Roll the reamer around the edge of the dough, leaving an impression of thick lines.
• Basic or Classic Crimp: This might be the most popular crimp. It requires both of your index fingers and one of your thumbs. In short, you make a v-shaped crimp all around the edge of the dough, by gently pressing the dough with the thumb and forefinger of one hand from the outside, almost squeezing the dough into a “v,” with the pointy end of the “v” pointing away from the filling, as it were; while you simultaneously press the center of the “v” (the inside of the point) with the forefinger of the other hand from the inside.
• Cookie Cutter Crimp: Grab your favorite tiny cutters and after rolling out a little extra dough – or making extra, depending on how industrious you’re feeling, if you don’t have any leftover – cut out tiny flowers or hearts or circles. Brush the edge of the dough with egg wash, as well as the shapes, and place the shapes all around the edge, overlapping them as you go.
• Scalloped Edge: Slightly flatten the thickened dough around the edge of your pie plate and makes small diagonal snips in the dough. Gently fold the flaps down, towards the filling, one after another, following the angle of the cuts you just made, and keep folding until you’ve come all the way around.
• Braided Edge: Make three braids of three strips each, straightening and flattening as you go. Brush the edge of the pie dough with an egg wash to help the braids adhere to the edge and lay the three braids along the edge, pressing gently.
• Tabbed Edge: Snip wide, straight tabs around the pie-dough edge. Bend every other tab in toward the center.
• Ribbon Edge: Make this ribbon edge by folding a strip of dough over itself in big loops. Trim the overhang close to the rim; you won’t need a double thickness here. Attach the ribbon in three sections to an edge brushed with beaten egg.

Frequently asked questions