Baking Homemade Pies

There's nothing quite like biting into a slice of homemade pie. Many people are intimidated by the difficulty of making a good, flaky crust. Yet with a few helpful hints and some practice, you can turn out pies like Grandma used to bake. The key to making a nice, flaky crust is to keep everything cold including the ingredients and utensils. Serious bakers even use a marble slab that can be chilled in the refrigerator to roll the dough out on.

All purpose flour is high in gluten, a protein that adds strength and structure yet can make crusts brittle. Search for recipes that use at least some pastry or cake flour. Handle the dough as little as possible to prevent the butter, margarine or shortening in the recipe from completely blending into the flour. Fat between the layers of flour is what makes the pie crust flaky. Another suggested method for making pie crust without all the mess involves using reduced fat buttermilk and cooking oil as the fat that makes the crust flaky. Find the recipe at Associatedcontent.com.

For making pies with whipped cream, use heavy cream rather than a cream designated for whipping. The higher butterfat content will taste better. First, chill the bowl, cream and utensils. The cream is done when it forms soft peaks. Gently fold in any flavorings after the whipped cream reaches the perfect stage. Using confectioner's sugar instead of regular sugar will help keep the whipped cream stable. For a terrific, detailed start-to-finish tutorial with photos, check out Thehungrymouse.com.