The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking - Donna Diegel [69]
Making a Double-Crusted Piecrust
So you want to make an apple pie, but you need a top and a bottom crust. What recipe will you use? Not all piecrust recipes can be used to make a double-crusted pie. Although it sounds delicious, cookie crusts like the Gingersnap Crust won’t work for this application. Instead, use the Flaky Piecrust or Whole-Wheat Piecrust recipes, or your favorite pastry piecrust recipe.
After mixing the piecrust dough, place the bottom crust in the pan as directed earlier. Fill the crust with your favorite filling. Then, unfold the top crust and place it over the top of the fruit filling. Fold the edges of the top crust over and under the edges of the bottom crust, and crimp with your fingertips. You can also seal the crust with the tines of a dinner fork.
Brush the piecrust with soy milk, and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Cut small decorative vent holes into the top crust using a knife or a very small cookie cutter.
VEGAN VOCAB
Vent holes are cuts made in the top crust of a double-crusted pie to allow steam to escape from the hot bubbling filling. They can be as simple as straight knife cuts or decorative cuts made with small cookie cutter shapes.
Making a Lattice Piecrust
There may be times when you want to serve a really elegant pie with a lattice crust. Southern Peach Pie, Raspberry Pie, and Blueberry Pie will all look stunning with a lattice top, especially if the filling is colorful and sets off the beige piecrust after the juices bubble through. Lattice crusts may look intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be making beautiful pies just like Grandma did.
After mixing the piecrust dough, place the bottom crust in the pan as directed earlier. Fill the crust with your favorite filling. Then, unfold the top crust. With a ruler and a sharp paring knife, pizza wheel, or crimped pastry wheel, measure and cut the top crust into strips ¾ inch wide. You should have a total of 10 to 12 strips. Some of the pieces may be shorter than others. This is normal and will all even out in the end.
Starting from one side of the pie, lay the smallest strip down over the pie filling, followed by the next size up, and so on, with the longest strip right down the center. Leave an inch between strips. You should have 5 or 6 strips across the pie all equally spaced apart. Lay back every other strip. Fold down, fold in half, and fold over.
Turn the pie 90 degrees. Starting in the middle, lay the longest strip perpendicular and right next to the laid-back strips. Unfold the laid-back strips over the long strip you just placed. Lay back the alternate strips. Place the next-longest strip 1 inch from the first. Unfold more laid-back strips. Fold back the other strips and repeat until all strips are down and you have a lovely lattice pattern.
Trim the edges, leaving enough to fold under, and crimp the edges to seal the crust. Lightly brush nondairy milk over the crust, sprinkle with sugar if desired, and bake as directed.
BAKER’S BONUS
Try this simple trick: make the lattice top on a baking sheet, and freeze it solid. You can then pick it up and place it right on the pie. Let it defrost, crimp the edges, and bake as directed.
Flaky Piecrust
Contrary to popular belief, not all piecrust recipes require ice water and a chilled rolling pin to produce perfect results! This simple crust is flaky and tender, perfect for fruit pies, Pumpkin Pie, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, and many more.
Yield:
3 or 4 (8- to 9-inch) piecrusts
Prep time:
30 to 45 minutes
3¼ cups unbleached all-purpose
flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup solid vegetable shortening,
nonhydrogenated vegan margarine,
or a combination of both
¾ cup cool (not cold) water, or as
needed
1. In a large bowl, combine unbleached all-purpose flour and salt. Make a well in the middle, and add vegetable shortening to the well.
2. Coat both hands with flour, and being careful not to touch shortening