• Pies are usually made up of three parts: the CRUST, the FILLING and the TOPPING.

• These baked products, along with the pudding and the cobblers, belong to the family of country desserts.

• As mentioned earlier, the secret of a good pie lies not in the filling or topping but in the flakiness of the crust.

The Crust• The crust is the shell of a pie. It is what contains both filling and the topping.

• It should stay crisp and dry even if it comes in contact with the juice of the fruit filling.

• It should also remain sturdy when taken out of the pie tin to be able to contain the other parts of the pie.

• At the same time, the crust should not be too hard.

In order to achieve a quality pie crust we have to be very familiar with the proper steps to be taken in making it and to understand each ingredient’s role.

Basic Ingredients of a Pie Dough

A good quality crust is dependent on the technique employed and on the proportion of the ingredients used. Every ingredient in a pie crust has its own function and being made aware of these functions will enable you to achieve the crust that you desire.

FLOUR

The flour dictates the flakiness of the crust or dough, it would have the proper amount of gluten to hold the product together and yet it would not be so compact and hard to create the proper flake.

BUTTERShortening is the most appropriate fat to be used because it has the right plastic consistency to produce a flaky crust. Butter contributes to the flavor of the crust but is not recommended because it is expensive and it melts very easily which will make the dough harder to work with

LIQUID• water is necessary to produced gluten in the flour, which is important in achieving flakiness.

• Milk can also be used ,but it will give you a darker brown product and your crust will not be as crispy.

• Liquid should always be added cold to maintain proper dough temperature.

SALT

This has some tenderizing and conditioning effects on the gluten . This should always be mixed in with the liquids before adding it in the dough to ensure even distribution.