Perfect Pie Crust

I've been wanting to make chicken pot pie from scratch for a long time but I was always intimidated by the crust. Such a flaky thing to be afraid of :) Then I found the perfect easy recipe!! I stole this from Tomato Lady. She has wonderful instructions and perfect pictures to go with them. My next post will be a recipe for chicken pot pie using this crust recipe.

Perfect Pie Crust

2 cups flour, lightly spooned into measuring cup
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup milk

1. Mix together flour and salt.

2. Combine oil and milk in a small bowl. Do not stir.

3. Add oil and milk to flour.

4. Stir it up.

5. Form it into a ball.

6. Divide the ball into two, one slightly larger than the other. The larger (for the bottom crust) is about 8 oz., the smaller (for the top crust) is a little more than 6 oz.

7. Form the dough into 2 hockey pucks.

8. Sandwich the larger puck between two sheets of waxed paper, about 12 inches square.

9. Using a rolling pin, roll from the center up, gently, taking care not to roll off at the ends (this flattens the edges down to infinity–not good. You want uniform width.)

10. Again starting from the center, roll toward yourself.

11. Roll to the left and the right of center.

12. Then roll from the center to 2 o’clock and 8 o’clock, center to 10 o’clock and 4 o’clock, and repeat, gently expanding the circle.

13. Continue to roll out pastry in this way until it is about a 12-inch circle.

14. Peel off the top layer of waxed paper.

15. Pick up the pastry with the waxed paper still stuck to it and invert the pastry over the empty pie pan, paper side up, centering it over the pan.

16. Carefully peel away the waxed paper.

17. Ease the pastry down into the pan.

18. Add the pie filling and roll out the top crust as the first. Drape it over the filling and remove the waxed paper.

19. Fold the top crust over the bottom crust, tucking them both into the pan.

20. Flute the edge of the crust, angling one finger against the tips of the finger and thumb of the other hand, forming the pastry in between. Repeat all around the edge.