I’m thinking about pie more and more lately so I thought I’d post the pie crust my Pennsylvania Dutch grandmother showed me how to make many many years ago. I rarely make my own pie crust now that pre-made crusts behave so predictably and are readily available, but this is my mother’s favorite when she used to bake more. What’s nice is when she uses her mother’s pie crust from scratch recipe with my father’s mother’s pumpkin pie (from scratch) recipe. It’s family love in every bite!
Snyder Family Pie Crust Recipe
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (omit for savoury pies)
1/3 cup very cold butter, cut into pea-sized bits
1/4 cup cold whole fat milk
1. Preheat the oven to 350F or 175C.
2. In a medium to large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together.
3. Cut in the butter, without warming the mixture (you can use a food processor if you have one) then gradually add milk. At this point, you can chill it overnight if you are making this ahead of time or if you are working in a warm kitchen.
4. On a cold, clean countertop or baking board, roll out the pastry fairly thin. You should have enough to make one standard single-crust pie (which is what you need for My Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie From Scratch Recipe). If you want to make two crusts, like for My Very Cherry Pie, simply double the ingredient quantities.
5. Lay out the rolled and cut crust in your pie dish then place a square of parchment paper over top. Fill with dry rice or beans, or baking beans (Amazon.com
