Easy pie crust: Tips for baking perfect pies

Making pies for a crowd?
The large amounts of fat can be difficult to manage. Using a box grater to break up the butter or shortening makes for short work and easy handling.

Butter, shortening, lard?
Different recipes call for different types of fat, and pie connoisseurs are unflinching in their loyalty to their preferred lipid:

• Shortening or lard will yield a flakier crust.
• Butter will give you a delicious melt-in-your-mouth flavour.
• Shortening is the choice for vegetarians and there are trans fat-free versions available on the market.
• Lard has a distinct flavour – a bit savoury that is delicious with apple pie.

Soggy pie crust?
Blind baking a pie crust for a custard pie ensures that the bottom of your pie will not be soggy. How to blind bake: Line your pie shell with parchment paper or foil, fill half-way with dry beans or a pie weight to weigh the pastry down and bake as directed. When the crust begins to turn lightly golden, remove the weights and paper and continue to bake for a fully-baked shell or fill and continue to bake as directed.

The incredible shrinking pie?
Pie dough will shrink to some extent when you are baking it. To have a perfect finish, do not roll the dough too thin, leave a generous overhang when you trim and crimp your pie, use well-chilled dough, use pie weights when blind baking.

Want to get a head start?
If you love to make pies, pie dough is the best pastry for making in large batches and freezing in individual portions to whip up a quick pie whenever the urge beckons you. Defrost pastry in the fridge overnight or store lined pie shells in your freezer for even quicker results.

Ready to bake your best pie ever? Satisfy your sweet tooth with one of these 18 Canadian Living pie recipes.