Milwaukee-area bakers offer tips for making the perfect pie crust

‘Tis that time of year when many amateur bakers take a stab at making a pie from scratch — for Thanksgiving, Christmas or another holiday gathering.

For some, the task can be daunting, especially when it comes to making the crust. So we asked some area bakers for help. Here are their top tips for baking the perfect crust this year.  

"I think a lot of people are afraid of crust, and it's actually one of the most rewarding and easy things to do once you develop a system," said Stephanie Shipley, who owns Amaranth Bakery & Café, 3229 W. Lisbon Ave.

Mr. Dye's Pies owner Johnathan Dye said some people think baking is a "super exact science," but it doesn't have to be that way.

"Don't take it too seriously," Dye said in a phone interview.

Pie crust basics: Water

More water in the dough will create a tough crust, said Valeri Lucks,  founder of Pie Inc., which operates Honeypie Cafe, SmallPie, Comet Cafe and Palomino Bar in Milwaukee.

Lucks suggested starting with the minimum amount of water a recipe calls for, then setting it in the fridge for 15 minutes if the dough feels too dry. If the dough still feels dry after the "water and flour work their magic" in the fridge, add more water so the flour is fully hydrated.

Shipley suggests adding a little lemon juice with the water to prevent more gluten from developing and make the crust less stretchy.

Dye said a pie crust also can be made with one of the ingredients of a screwdriver: either vodka or orange juice are acceptable substitutes for water. While he doesn't currently use either in his crusts, he has successfully made pies with them in the past, he said.

Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving classic. But making the pie's crust from scratch can be a daunting prospect.

Pie crust basics: Quality butter or lard

High-quality butter is key for a good crust.

Shipley, Lucks and Allison Collard, general manager of West Allis bakery The Bake Sale, all emphasized that butter with a higher fat content and lower water content is the key to a crispy, flaky crust. Lower quality butter has more water content and less fat content than "nicer" butters, like a European-style butter, Lucks said.

Bakers over at The Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago, which is known for its apple pies baked in paper bags, also emphasized the importance of not going cheap.

"Use good, quality ingredients, and the more butter the better," Marketing Manager Kari Day wrote in an email.

Shipley also suggested using cultured butter. She said the enzymes in it enhance a crust's flavor.

Pat McGinnis, co-owner of Kelly's Pot Pies & More, said the secret to a rich, flaky texture is to use lard instead of butter or shortening.

McGinnis also suggested a simple graham cracker crust made from crushed graham crackers, butter and sugar as an option for a dessert pie crust with fewer ingredients.

Cold, high-quality butter is a key ingredient for a good, flaky pie crust.

Keep it cool

Multiple bakers emphasized the importance of keeping everything as cold as possible while making the crust. It's one of the keys to flaky pie crust, Lucks, Reinhardtsen, Shipley and Collard all told the Journal Sentinel.

Reinhardtsen said keeping the dough as cold as possible ensures the butter doesn't get too "mushy" during the mixing process. A dough with more solidified butter creates flaky layers, she said. She suggested adding ice water instead of cold water straight from the faucet.

Preventing shrinkage

Along with keeping the dough cold and letting it rest, Reinhardtsen said Greig Patisserie bakes its pies from a frozen state to ensure the dough doesn't shrink in the oven.

The dough also gets lined with aluminum foil, which Reinhardtsen said is filled with beans or rice to weigh it down before putting it in the oven to partially bake. Once the crust is par-baked, bakers remove the beans and foil and add filling before putting it in the oven for a final round of baking.

Substitutes for sensitivities

Blooming Lotus Bakery gave the lowdown on what kind of flour and butter its bakers use to make its gluten- and dairy-free pies and other products.

The bakers don't use flours made from rice, corn or wheat since Blooming Lotus is a specialty bakery, according to owner Susan Goulet. They also don't use traditional butter, shortenings or oils. Instead, they opt for almond flour and a shop-made pecan butter.

"A lot of families now have somebody who is allergic to one of those ingredients," Goulet said. "Sometimes some older people have a heart condition, so they're not supposed to be eating all kinds of things."

Recipe: Chef Shane's Easy & Delicious Pie Crust

A cherry pie made with Chef Shane's Easy & Delicious Pie Crust, a recipe from Shane Rowe, owner of Bishop's Sweets in West Allis, Wisconsin.

Chef Shane Rowe, owner of Bishop's Sweets & Catering, said he's honored to "spread a little baking joy" by sharing his simple pie crust recipe.

"My philosophy is simple: keep it cold, keep it minimal, and let the butter do the talking," Rowe said in an email.

Servings: one double crust or two single crusts

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional for sweet pies)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 6–8 tablespoons ice-cold water

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar.

2. Cut in butter: Add cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or fork to blend until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces.

3. Add water: Slowly drizzle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork until the dough just starts to come together. Avoid overmixing — the dough should look slightly shaggy.

4. Form and chill: Gather the dough into a ball, divide in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight for best results).

5. Roll out: On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk into a 12-inch circle. Place into your pie pan, add filling, and top or crimp as desired.

6. Bake: For a golden finish, brush the top with an egg wash (1 beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water) and bake according to your pie recipe.