Well now, let me tell ya ’bout makin’ a walnut pie crust. It ain’t rocket science, but there’s a few things you gotta know, or you’ll end up with a mess, not a pie.
First off, you need flour. Don’t go gettin’ all fancy, just plain ol’ flour is fine. I use about, oh, I don’t know, maybe two cups? Give or take. It depends on how big your pie plate is, ya see. And you’ll need some salt, just a pinch, ya know, like how you salt your eggs in the mornin’.
Then comes the fat. Now, some folks use lard, some use butter, some use that Crisco stuff. Me? I like butter, gives it a nice taste. But if you ain’t got butter, lard works just fine. You gotta cut that butter into the flour. I use my fingers, but if you got one of them fancy pastry cutters, well, go ahead and use it. Just make sure that butter gets all mixed in with the flour, like little pebbles, not big lumps. And we’re making a walnut pie crust, so don’t forget the walnuts! Chop ‘em up real fine, not too big, not too small. And mix ‘em in with the flour and butter.
- You need flour. Just the regular kind.
- A pinch of salt, just like for your eggs.
- Butter or lard, it’s all the same to me. Cut it in real good, mind ya.
- And walnuts, of course! Gotta chop ’em up though.
Now, here’s where some folks mess up. You need water, but it gotta be cold, cold, cold. Like, from the well, not that warm stuff from the tap. And you gotta add it little by little. Don’t go pourin’ in a whole bunch at once, or you’ll have a sticky mess. Just a tablespoon at a time, mixin’ it with a fork, until the dough comes together. It shouldn’t be too wet, and it shouldn’t be too dry neither. If it’s too dry, it’ll crumble. If it’s too wet, well, it’ll stick to everything and you’ll be cussin’ up a storm.
Once the dough comes together, you gotta wrap it up in somethin’ and stick it in the fridge. For at least an hour, but longer is better. This lets the gluten relax, whatever that means. All I know is it makes the crust flakier. And nobody wants a tough pie crust, right?
Okay, so the dough’s chilled. Now comes the rollin’ part. Flour your counter real good, or the dough will stick. And don’t be scared to use a little elbow grease. You gotta roll it out thin, but not so thin that it tears. And you gotta turn it, a little bit at a time, to keep it from stickin’. If it does stick, just scrape it up and start again. Ain’t no shame in that.
Once it’s rolled out, you gotta get it into your pie plate. Now, this can be tricky. Some folks fold it in half, some folks roll it up on the rolling pin. Me? I just kinda fold it over my arm and plop it in there. Then you gotta crimp the edges. You can use a fork, or your fingers, or you can get fancy and do one of them pretty fluted edges. But honestly, nobody cares what the edges look like as long as the pie tastes good.
And speakin’ of tastin’ good, if the oven’s too cold, your crust won’t bake right. It’ll be all soggy and whatnot. Gotta have that oven hot, real hot. I usually bake my pie crust at, oh, around 375 or 400 degrees, depends on my old stove. But you gotta keep an eye on it, ya know. Every oven’s different, and you don’t want it to burn. And remember, if your dough is too dry, well, it’ll just fall apart. So make sure you add enough of that cold water. Not too much, mind you, just enough so it holds together.
So there you have it. That’s how I make a walnut pie crust. It ain’t perfect, but it’s good. And that’s all that matters, ain’t it?
Tags: [pie crust, walnut pie, baking, homemade pie, pastry, dessert, pie recipe, flaky crust, kitchen tips, old fashioned]