I'm want to make a pumpkin
pie. I grind my own whole
wheat flour and wondered if I
used my sourdough starter, if
it might be a bit lighter
because I'd rather use olive
oil instead of use lard.

I found a pizza crust recipe,
would that work?

Please advise and thanks in
advance

Nicki

Hello "Nicki Sinclair" & all;

"Nicki Sinclair" wrote in message
t...
I'm want to make a pumpkin pie. I grind my own whole wheat flour and
wondered if I
Ambitious, that.

used my sourdough starter, if it might be a bit lighter because I'd rather
use olive oil instead of use lard.
Why? There's a reason one uses "solid" fats in pie crusts. And, as a
dyed-in-the-wool sourdough user, I can't for the life of me think of a
reason that I'd want a leavened pie crust.

I found a pizza crust recipe, would that work?
Well, yes and no.

Yes if you're looking for a baked, somewhat chewy "container" to hold the
pumpkin material.

No, if you're looking for a typical, flakey, brittle & light pie crust.
There are many pie-crust recipes on the web, including this one that I use:
http://www.innerlodge.com/Recipes/Co...es/Pumpkin.htm


HTH,
Dusty -- Everett, Wa.


Please advise and thanks in advance

Nicki

Hi Nicki,

Nicki Sinclair wrote:
I'm want to make a pumpkin pie. I grind my own whole wheat flour and wondered if I
used my sourdough starter, if it might be a bit lighter because I'd rather use olive
oil instead of use lard.

I found a pizza crust recipe, would that work?


I wouldn't go there. Pie crusts are supposed to be light through the
layering of the dough brought about by the lard, butter or shortening,
and the water in the oil boiling off. The lightness should be a
pastry-like flakiness, not a bread like risen-ness.

Next, I wouldn't use home ground wheat to make a pie crust. I might go
to the health food store and buy some whole wheat pastry flour.

But, honestly, pie is an indulgence. The pumpkin pie filling will have
all sorts of things in it that are not terribly good for us. Sugar,
molasses or honey. Unless you switch to artificial sweeteners, which
have their own problems. C'mon, not everything in our lives has to be
"healthy."

Here's my favorite pie crust recipe. In 30+ years, it has only failed
me once. And that taught me not to make pie crusts when drunk. But,
that's another story.

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14

Title: Superb Pie Crust
Keywords: Pie, Crust, Pie Crust, Mama, Egg, Vinegar, Favorite, No Fail

A wonderful recipe, which has yet to fail to produce a
wonderful, flaky, tender crust. My mother gave me this
recipe, and I have no idea where she got it. This recipe
produces 1 covered, or 2 uncovered 10" pie shells.


INGREDIENT LIST

3 cups flour,
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg, well beaten,
5 TBSP water,
1 TBSP vinegar,
1 tsp salt,
sessame seeds (optional), and
caraway seeds (optional).



INSTRUCTIONS

Blend:
3 cups flour, and
1 1/4 cups shortening

with a fork or pastry knife until the mixture resembles
coarse corn meal. Then mix:
1 egg, well beaten,
5 TBSP water,
1 TBSP vinegar, and
1 tsp salt

in a second bowl. Once this is well mixed, add it to the
flour - shortening mixture above. Mix only enough that the
mixture will hold together. DON'T OVERWORK THE DOUGH!!

At this point the dough can be rolled to the desired
thickness, etc. Bake at 400 F., or at the temperature your
pie recipe calls for.

Left over dough can be kept up to 2 weeks if wrapped tightly
in the refrigerator, or it can be rolled into a 1/8
to 1/4 inch thick layer, sprinkled with:
sessame seeds, or
caraway seeds,

baked at 400 F for 15 minutes and used as appetizers.

-End Recipe Export- From the kitchen of Mike Avery
)

The easiest way to measure shortening or lard is to get a measuring cup
larger than what you need, fill it with water to the point where the
added lard or shortening would fill the measuring cup. So, in this
case, I'd put 2 3/4 cups of water in a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup and
then add shortening or lard to the cup until the water level was at the
4 cup point. Lots easier than using a 1 cup and a 1/4 cup measure and
having to clean them both.

Also, the recipe will work with butter or a mix of butter and
shortening, or butter and lard. I wouldn't use olive oil. A liquid oil
is more likely to soak into the flour than to help build the separation
layers needed to make a flaky crust.

Hope this helps,
Mike


--
Mike Avery mavery at mail dot otherwhen dot com
part time baker ICQ 16241692
networking guru AIM, yahoo and skype mavery81230
wordsmith

A Randomly Selected Berber Saying Of The Day:
Don't be decieved by the whiteness of the turban; soap is bought on credit.

Mike Avery wrote:

I wouldn't go there. Pie crusts are supposed to be light through the
layering of the dough brought about by the lard, butter or shortening,
and the water in the oil boiling off. The lightness should be a
pastry-like flakiness, not a bread like risen-ness.


I will second everything that Mike said 'and' his results with the
recipe he uses.

I use the same recipe and have great success with it. I prefer lard for
the fat though, I seem to get a flakier result with it.

Mike

I'm want to make a pumpkin
pie. I grind my own whole
wheat flour and wondered if I
used my sourdough starter, if
it might be a bit lighter
because I'd rather use olive
oil instead of use lard.

Hello Nicki:

Pie crust for custard pies (pumpkin pie filling is a custard) can be a
pain because of soggy-crust issues. Cooked custard is firm and will
maintain it's shape when plated. I do not bother with a crust for sweet
potato and pumpkin pies. Butter your pie plate and fill with custard,
then cook as usual. It is good eating.

Kitamun

--

Interesting recipe, Mike;

"Mike Avery" wrote in message
news:mailman.2.1197073423.36895.rec.food.sourdough @mail.otherwhen.com...
....
Title: Superb Pie Crust
Keywords: Pie, Crust, Pie Crust, Mama, Egg, Vinegar, Favorite, No Fail

A wonderful recipe, which has yet to fail to produce a wonderful,
flaky, tender crust. My mother gave me this
recipe, and I have no idea where she got it. This recipe
produces 1 covered, or 2 uncovered 10" pie shells.


INGREDIENT LIST

3 cups flour,
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg, well beaten,
5 TBSP water,
1 TBSP vinegar,
Now that's an ingredient I've not heard of using in a pie crust before. Any
hint as to what kind of vinegar: white, cider, wine, or balsamic? Any
suggestions? Also, what does it do? Is it for flavor, or does it emulsify
the fats?


TIA,
Dusty
....

Dusty da baker wrote:
Interesting recipe, Mike;



Now that's an ingredient I've not heard of using in a pie crust before. Any
hint as to what kind of vinegar: white, cider, wine, or balsamic? Any
suggestions? Also, what does it do? Is it for flavor, or does it emulsify
the fats?

I usually use cider vinegar, because that's what I have around. You
don't taste it, so there's no point in using balsamic or other exotic
vinegars. Because you don't taste it, it works for sweet or savory pies.

As to what it does, heck if I know. All I know is the recipe has only
failed to work out once in 30+ years, and I can't blame the recipe for
that incident.

Let me know how it works for you, and how it works without the vinegar
(I have a feeling you'll try it without the vinegar, but I won't tell my
mom).

Later,
Mike

"Mike Avery" wrote in message
news:mailman.10.1197175601.36895.rec.food.sourdoug ...
Dusty da baker wrote:
Interesting recipe, Mike;
Now that's an ingredient I've not heard of using in a pie crust before.
Any hint as to what kind of vinegar: white, cider, wine, or balsamic?
Any suggestions? Also, what does it do? Is it for flavor, or does it
emulsify the fats?

I usually use cider vinegar, because that's what I have around. You don't
taste it, so there's no point in using balsamic or other exotic vinegars.
Because you don't taste it, it works for sweet or savory pies.
Okay. Super! That means I can safely use white vinegar, since taste
doesn't seem to play a part in this.

As to what it does, heck if I know. All I know is the recipe has only
failed to work out once in 30+ years, and I can't blame the recipe for
that incident.
No prob! I promise to uphold your mom's faith in that recipe. Besides, I
love making pumpkin pies, mostly cuz my granddaughter always has a cow when
I bring up a pumpkin for her to clean. She can't understand why I can't
just buy the canned mix like everybody else does...(:-o)!

I keep telling her that I'm not like everybody else...but that just doesn't
seem to get any traction with her. Oh well, she always loves the taste, so
maybe there's hope after all...

Let me know how it works for you, and how it works without the vinegar (I
have a feeling you'll try it without the vinegar, but I won't tell my
mom).
Bingo! You know that after I make one with the vinegar, I'm going to make
another without...(:-o)!

Mostly I'm curious as to what the vinegar will do. Interesting, that...

I've come across a number of pie-crust recipes over the years, but I've
NEVER run across one that used vinegar, always being the family baking
curmudgeon, I'm keenly interested in that variation.


Thanks again,
Dusty


Later,
Mike

Dusty da baker wrote:

Okay. Super! That means I can safely use white vinegar, since taste
doesn't seem to play a part in this.

I use white vinegar in mine (which the recipe calls for by the way) and
always have flaky bottoms, even in a custard or lemon meringue pie.

Bingo! You know that after I make one with the vinegar, I'm going to
make another without...(:-o)!

I have tried without and the crust is 'much' tougher for some reason.


I've come across a number of pie-crust recipes over the years, but I've
NEVER run across one that used vinegar, always being the family baking
curmudgeon, I'm keenly interested in that variation.

Wow, I got the recipe from my mom and grandma, then I bought a tub of
Tenderflake Lard and low and behold, 'there' is the recipe right on the
back of the tub....

Mike

G'day "Mike Romain" & all;

"Mike Romain" wrote in message
g.com...
....
I use white vinegar in mine (which the recipe calls for by the way) and
always have flaky bottoms, even in a custard or lemon meringue pie.
Ah, hah! That I didn't know. Given Mike A's comments, I took it as the
flavor being unaffected, so WW should work well. No real "flavor", and
something I have lots of because I use it for other things as well.

Bingo! You know that after I make one with the vinegar, I'm going to
make another without...(:-o)!

I have tried without and the crust is 'much' tougher for some reason.
Most interesting! Thanks for that bit of elucidation. My pie crusts
usually come out well...but they've always lacked a certain "something" that
I couldn't put my finger on. This little tip may well be the turning
point...

I've come across a number of pie-crust recipes over the years, but I've
NEVER run across one that used vinegar, always being the family baking
curmudgeon, I'm keenly interested in that variation.

Wow, I got the recipe from my mom and grandma, then I bought a tub of
Tenderflake Lard and low and behold, 'there' is the recipe right on the
back of the tub....
Aw, darn it! There goes the new innovation factor ... (:-o)!

Thanks again to both of the Mike's for this tip about the vinegar.

Dusty

Mike