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Dessert

Pastry, Puddings, and Other Dainties

A simple pie crust made with flour, shortening, salt, and cold water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Pastry, Puddings, and Other Dainties

Oven, in the book's wordsA quick oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Make the dough

  1. Wash the butter in cold water to remove salt.

  2. Rub half of the shortening into two-thirds of the flour.

  3. Add 1 teaspoon of salt for each pound of flour.

  4. Mix in just enough cold water to make the dough moist enough to roll out.

  5. Divide the dough into two equal portions; set one aside for the top crust.

Line and fill

  1. Roll out the other portion thinly on a floured surface.

  2. Line buttered pie plates with the rolled dough.

  3. Fill the lined plates with fruit.

Top and bake

  1. Roll out the top crust thinly.

  2. Spread the reserved shortening on the rolled top crust.

  3. Sprinkle the top crust with flour.

  4. Cut the top crust into pieces for each pie.

  5. Roll each piece out about ½ inch thick.

  6. Cover the pies with the rolled pieces.

  7. Trim the edges neatly.

  8. Press down with a jagging iron to seal.

  9. Bake in a quick oven at 400°F (200°C).

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

All-purpose flour
Forms the structure of the crust when mixed with water and fat.
Shortening
Coats flour particles to limit gluten, producing a tender, flaky texture.
Cold water
Moistens the flour so the dough holds together and can be rolled.

The step that matters

Mix in just enough cold water. Water and flour form gluten when worked, and too much water or overworking makes the dough tough and hard to roll. Add water gradually until the dough is just moist enough to hold together.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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