Recipe: All-Purpose Fruit Pie Crust (with variations including seeds added)

Hi Joan,

I think it's as easy as adding the seeds you'd like when mixing your pie crust. Here is a recipe example but I would experiment with different seeds to find what you like - poppy seeds and sesame seeds would be a nice combination for pumpkin pie - toasted sesame seed will add even more flavor.

All-Purpose Fruit Pie Crust (with variations including seeds added)
rec.food.cooking/Beth Sopko (1996)

This is the pie crust recipe I use for every pie I bake, just about; of course I vary it accordingly, and two things I like to do are:

* Use a mix of 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 all-purpose flour

* Add 1 tbsp. sesame seeds (or poppy seeds, or fennel for apple pie) to the flour mixture

* Brush the edge with egg wash before baking; especially if the pie is going to travel

All-Purpose Fruit Pie Crust
Source: Cobblers, Crumbles, and Crisps, c1991 by Linda Zimmerman and Peggy Mellody

3 cups all-purpose flour (preferably, use whole-wheat pastry flour)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4-8 tbsp. cold water

Put the flour in a large bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

With a large fork, stir in the lemon juice, then add the water one tablespoon at a time just until the dough is firm, moist and pliable.

Divide the dough in half. Roll into two balls. Wrap in was paper and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, flatten one ball of dough in a thick disk.

Lightly dust the dough and a rolling pin with flour. Using short, even strokes, evenly roll the dough from the center into a 12-or 13-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick, turning the dough every few strokes and dusting it with flour as needed.

Lift the dough from the surface with a pastry scraper. Fold it in half and then into quarters to form a triangle. Place the pointed and of the triangle into the center of the pie pan and unfold so the dough drapes about 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the pan. (Or carefully roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the pie pan.) [Note: my preferred method for rolling pie dough is to roll it through a sheet of wax paper, then lift the wax paper and position the dough over the pan before scraping it onto the pan.] With your fingertips, press the dough into the pan. Fill as directed.

Roll the remaining ball of dough into a 12-inch round about 1/8-inch thick.

Brush the rim of the shell with water (before placing top crust).

Happy Baking!

Betsy
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