Double Crust Pie Dough for Fruit Pies - Vegan
Bake together. Eat pie forever.
I’ve got such vivid memories of being a tiny kid sitting at the table while my mom made pie. Watching her work the dough into small crumbles and roll it out on a floured counter mesmerized me. She’d start at the center, the rolling pin making a soft click and thump as it landed. She’d roll lightly out to each edge, away and to each side and toward herself, in even, practiced strokes that seemed marvelous, magical.
She and my dad loved to eat pie, and she enjoyed making them. Her recipe for pumpkin pie, loaded with spices and a bit of molasses, is legendary in our family. I remember her efforts to make lemon meringue pie – sometimes involving a bit of motherly cursing – that was never easy, but no matter how the meringue turned out, always tasted delicious to me.
When I got older and learned to make piecrust, I learned just how much practice it takes to achieve that even crust. “Don’t push the dough,” she said to me countless times, and “Work it all the way out to the edges.” My early efforts left divots in the dough or too thin edges where I had indeed pressed too hard. I’d learned first by watching and was eager to keep trying and emulate that rhythmic rolling from the center in different directions.
My brothers and I loved when there was dough left over and Mom would roll out what she called “pie pockets.” She’d take the scraps and roll them again into a smaller circle, brush half with butter and sprinkle that with sugar and cinnamon. She’d fold this over and crimp the edges to make a half moon shape and then slice it into strips. While the pie baked and we had to wait all the way until evening to taste it, the pie pockets would tuck into the oven and be ready in a few minutes. Even then it was hard to wait for them to cool and not burn our mouths.
Taste Test Kitchen
Here’s a great crust that bakes up perfectly with a fresh fruit filling. With both vegan margarine and shortening in it, the crust is sturdy enough for a juicy fruit filling and yet has some great flaky texture from the shortening. A bit of vinegar in the mix also adds to the tender texture. Like many fruit pie crusts, the addition of a little sugar enhances the fruit filling.
So why bother making crust from scratch when the holidays get so busy? I find it’s exactly what I need in the midst of all the busy-ness. It helps me to slow down and make a sensory connection.
~ Lee
Try this crust with our Grammy’s Fresh Peach Pie – you’ll love it.
Double Crust Pie Dough for Fruit Pies - Vegan
ingredients:
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons shortening
- 10 tablespoons vegan margarine
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 9-11 tablespoons ice water
instructions:
How to cook Double Crust Pie Dough for Fruit Pies - Vegan
- Cut the shortening and margarine into 1/2" pieces and freeze for 15 minutes.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. With a pastry cutter, work in the shortening and margarine pieces until the mixture resembles course meal.
- Sprinkle the mixture with 5 tablespoons of the water and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Stir in gently with a fork. Add 4 tablespoons more of the cold water and stir in with the fork. Add remaining 1-2 tablespoons water, as needed, to achieve a moist crust. Stir just enough to moisten all the dough. Don't over stir.
- In the bowl, bring the dough together into a ball and divide in half. On pieces of plastic wrap, flatten each half into a 4-inch disk. Wrap each disk tightly, and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 2 days. (Freeze dough disks for up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight to be ready to use.)
- When ready to shape for pie, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Let rest 5-10 minutes until beginning to be pliable. (Vegan margarine will warm faster than a butter-based pie dough.)
- On a lightly floured silpat mat or parchment paper, roll out one of the disks into a 12-inch circle. Slide dough and parchment onto an un-rimmed baking sheet. With a sharp knife, begin in a pattern at the center of the dough and cut 8 or more 1 1/2 inch slits in a decorative pattern to vent the top crust. Cover loosely and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- When ready to shape for pie, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Let rest 5-10 minutes until beginning to be pliable. (Vegan margarine will warm faster than a butter-based pie dough.)
- On a lightly floured silpat mat or parchment paper, roll out one of the disks into a 12-inch circle. Slide dough and parchment onto an un-rimmed baking sheet. With a long knife, pizza cutter or pastry wheel, cut dough into 10 even strips, about 1 1/4 inch wide. Cover loosely and freeze for about 30 minutes.
- Prepare the fruit filling, preheat the oven and position the oven rack according to the recipe.
- Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch circle. Gently roll up the dough around the rolling pin and transfer to the pie plate. Center and unroll, then lift edges slightly to allow the dough to drop completely into the inner corners of the pan. Allow edges to hang over – don’t trim yet. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.
- Bring out the pie pan from the refrigerator. Fill the dough in pie pan according to the recipe.
- Let the dough for the top crust warm at room temperature for about 5 minutes until pliable.
- Gently roll up the dough around the rolling pin. Center and transfer to the top of the pie. Release dough so that edges hang over the rim of the pan. Trim to 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the plate. Press the top edge into the bottom and fold the edges under to be flush with the rim of the pie plate. Crimp dough evenly around the edge of the pie with handle of a table knife, tines of a fork or with your fingers.
- If creating a lattice top to the crust, remove the dough strips from the freezer for 5-10 minutes until just beginning to be pliable. Lay the 2 longest strips over the center of the pie across one another in perpendicular lines. Place the 4 shortest pieces near the edge of the pie, 2 parallel to each long, center strip. For the last 4 strips, lay each one between a center strip and edge strip, running parallel. This will create an interesting and easy to assemble lattice, not a perfect weave.
- Trim the overhang to 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the plate. Press the top edge into the bottom and fold the edges under to be flush with the rim of the pie plate. Crimp dough evenly around the edge of the pie with handle of a table knife, tines of a fork or with your fingers.
- Sprinkle the crust with 1 tablespoon sugar and place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any fruit filling that bubbles over). Bake according to fruit pie recipe.
