2024 the best pie crust recipe review

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A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 

Look no further than The Book on Pie for the only book on pie you'll ever want or need.

Erin Jeanne McDowell, New York Times contributing baker extraordinaire and top food stylist, wrote the book on pie, a comprehensive handbook that distills all you'll ever need to know for making perfect pies. The Book on Pie starts with the basics, including ways to mix pie dough for extra flaky crusts, storage and freezing, recipe size conversions, and expert tips for decorating and styling, before diving into the recipes for all the different kinds of pies: fruit, custard, cream, chiffon, cold set, savory, and mini. Find everything from classics like Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie, to more inspired recipes like Birthday-Cake Pie and Caramel Pork Pie with Chile and Scallions.

Erin also suggests recommended pie doughs and toppings with each recipe for infinitely customizable pies: Mix and match Pumpkin Spice Pie Dough and Dark Chocolate Drippy Glaze with the Pumpkin Pie, or sub in the Chive Compound-Butter Crust for the Croque Madame Pielets . . . the possibilities are endless. With helpful tips, photographic guides, and inspirations—pie-deas—it's almost like having Erin in the kitchen baking pies with you.

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JAM COOKIE TART: A classic recipe you should keep in your back pocket. It’s simple and adaptable, and you can dress it up or down.

MAKES ONE 9- OR 10-INCH / 23- OR 25-CM TART. DIFFICULTY: EASY.

1. Place a 9- or 10-inch / 23- or 25-cm tart pan with a removable bottom on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

2. On a lightly floured surface (or between two pieces of parchment paper), roll out half of the dough into a circle slightly larger than the tart pan. Use the rolling pin to gently unfurl the dough over the tart pan, then gently lift the crust up at the edges and nudge downward so it’s flush against the bottom and sides of the pan. Use scissors or a paring knife to remove the excess dough, leaving about 1⁄4 inch / 3 mm all around the outside edge. Chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C with a rack in the middle (preferably with a Baking Steel or stone on it).

4. Spoon the jam onto the center of the bottom crust and spread into an even layer. Roll out the second half of the dough; You can leave it as a full crust, or do cutouts to reveal the jam below (see p. 90), or cut strips and weave a lattice; see p. 94).

Transfer the top crust to the top of the tart. Use your fingers to pinch the top crust to the excess bottom crust all the way around. Use a paring knife to trim the excess dough from the edges of the pie, holding the blade flush with the edge of the pan as you cut.

5. Transfer the tart to the oven and bake until the dough appears matte, set in the center, & golden around the edges, 40-45 minutes.

6. Let the tart cool completely, then, if using, sift powdered sugar over the top before slicing and serving.

Make Ahead and Storage:

This tart can be made up to 24 hours ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature.

NOTE:

If desired, you can brush the top crust with egg wash (see page 98) or beaten egg white to help it brown evenly and give it a little sheen.

INGREDIENTS Double recipe Roll-Out Cookie Crust (page 62), divided in half, formed into disks, and chilled 510 g / ½ cups jam Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvest (November 10, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0358229286
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0358229285
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.08 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.94 x 1.31 x 10 inches
Reviewer: DeeDiDee
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Worth the Hype
Review: If you are already familiar with Erin McDowell from her previous book, The Fearless Baker, you know her recipes have that something special. If you already live in a home filled with dessert cookbooks, you may be asking yourself if this book is really worth adding one more book to your already straining bookcase. The answer to that question is undoubtedly yes. This isn't just a book on pie; it's the most joyful but exhaustive text on pies I've seen to date.The chapters are arranged by introductory material; doughs and crust; fruit pies; custard pies cream, chiffon, & cold-set pies; and savory pies. The book ends with a page of resources to help you locate any uncommon items. First and foremost, I want to convey that I have enough baking experience that I typically skip over the introductory notes in any cookbook, unless we're talking about something I haven't excelled in such as pastry. I confess that when it comes to pie making, I have developed a certain laziness that hasn't been helpful in learning to consistently make a good pie crust. This material will painlessly walk you through the bare elements of equipment (pie weights, pie plates, and rolling pins) and then continues on into such need to know material such as storing pies and freezing pies. Many of the pieces of equipment, I didn't even know existed such as dough dockers and crust tampers. I am ordering some straightaway.The next chapter is probably the most helpful in the entire book to me: doughs and crusts. As any pie baker or pie eater will tell you, if the crust isn't "right" the whole pie suffers. The chapter begins by talking about the ingredients that make up a crust , talks about substituting different fats, whether to use vinegar or vodka (as many of us do!), and then gives step-by-step pictorials on how to mix pie dough by hand or by food processor. The strongest attribute of this book is that it has boxes on every page which troubleshoot potential problems ("Is your dough too dry or wet?") or answer your potential questions ("What is a lightly floured surface?"). From here, the chapter moves into teaching you how to chill and then roll out pie dough and what to do with scraps. A handy chart is included that tells you how much dough you need based on what size pan you're using. After this, it's time to learn about preparing crust edges and parbaking and blindbaking. Next follows an array of crusts so varied that it will be a pleasure to master them. The options are all there, from all butter to vegan, and from gluten-free to press-in cookie crust. You can even make cornmeal crusts, hot-water crusts, and phyllo dough crusts. If the author wanted to write an exhaustive text on pie dough, I'd gladly buy it, but I am quite confident making pie dough now.The following chapter on pie decor and toppings is just as helpful. This is where you'll be introduced to crimping, braids, and checkboards, as well as a very helpful pictorial involving two different colored doughs in order to show you how to make a lattice. From there, toppings, glazes, and fillings being used in a visually pleasing way are discussed as well as how to neatly slice pie. All the major players have recipes from fruit fillings to chocolate glazes, from caramel sauce to biscuit topping.What follows are recipes arranged by type of pie filling. When most of us think of pie, we think of fruit pie. This chapter is very nice and includes a good assortment of both pies and hand pies. I suspect the number of ordinary pies like your mother might make will be too low to satisfy some cooks, but as far as I'm concerned, the addition of recipes such as "Any-Fruit Puff Pastry Tart" and "Any-Fruit Crumb Crostata" more than makes up for this. The array of custard and cream, chiffon, and cold-set pies is satisfying. Many of these are upscale twists on old favorites. Others are homey, delicious, comforting affairs. In other words, the broad scope of these recipes provides something wonderful for everyone, even if every single recipe may not appeal to some bakers. The savory pie chapter is a revelation. I've long said savory pies aren't given their due, and this book, there are both vegetarian and meat-lover's options. Everything from chicken pot slab pie to ratatouille galette to bacon jam mini pies on sharp cheddar crust is here.The finished pies are stunningly photographed by Mark Weinberg. They are charming in range from looking like they just came out of your home oven to looking like something that might be sitting in a sophisticated bakery window. Measurements are given by weight and volume. The recipes are well-written and easy to follow, but some take more work than others. While most pies in this book can be made with ingredients from your big box grocery chain, a few involve specialty items which have to be special ordered and can be quite expensive. For example, the Triple-Chocolate Caramel Truffle Pie is an example of gilding the lily; it is topped by three types of chocolate pearls.The Earl Grey Caramel Custard Pie in the Gingersnap Crumb Crust was a thing of wonder and beauty. I am also a fan of the Any Fruit Crumb Crostata. Although I own many books on pie, if I only had to choose one to bake from, it would be this book. With a wide range of recipes and the ability to provide troubleshooting material at every stage of pie-making, this book is simply the best currently on the market. Even if you've never made pie in your life, I daresay this cookbook would be all you need in order to turn out a successful pie on your first attempt. Highly recommended.

Reviewer: Sika6061
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Magnum Opus on Pie
Review: *Edit: So, in my review below I mentioned that I wasn't a huge pie person. I take that back. I've made 2 pies so far, and I'm about to make a third this weekend for Hanukkah. The first two I made were a caramel apple pie with her All Buttah Crust recipe, and the cheesecake and pumpkin pie with the cookie crust. This weekend I'll be making her Cardamom Crème Brule Pie. I get pies now. It's the crust. Her All Buttah Crust is DA BOMB!! I cannot believe how perfect this crust is. It was like eating a croissant/pie crust thing. The flakiness was so freaking good, I can't get over it. Buttery, crunchy, flaky, scrumptious goodness. The key is the size of the butter in the dough. I've been doing it all wrong for YEARS! Everyone tells you to cut butter into pea size, and that is B.S.! I'm not going to give away the secret because you should buy this book. I've never made pies this good. OMG. I'm a convert now. Thanks Erin (if you ever read this)! You're a goddess! I'll post pics later. Buy this book! You're welcome.First, a disclaimer. I have not tried to make any of the pies in this incredible book by Erin McDowell...Although, don't you worry, I will...So this review is content oriented rather than through experimentation. As to the content, when I pre-ordered this, I expected a book that was highly informative, fun to read and filled with delicious recipes, which is what you get when you watch Erin on Food 52 or The New York Times. She is fun, engaging, and filled with an encyclopedic knowledge on everything pastry. She is my all-time favorite cooking personality to watch, AND WHY DOESN'T SHE HAVE A COOKING SHOW ON THE FOOD NETWORK ALREADY?! Seriously, she is the pastry version of Alton Brown but without the starch. She is so awesome. Absolutely love her.Anyway, moving on, my point is I expected good things from this book. What I received was a masterpiece. I don't use that word lightly folks. If you've ever read The Cake Bible from Rose Levy Beranbaum, it is a dense, informative book on everything you could ever want to know about cake. This is that but with pies, and it is much more fun to read.The recipes have everything you could possibly imagine. They're creative, fun, modern and not stodgy. She gives you the tools you need to know how to bake pies, and more importantly, WHY. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous. She tells you categorically everything from how to form the dough based on what type you're making, decorative techniques to make it pretty, a million filling ideas with décor suggestions, and beautiful ways to make the topping stand out. She has savory pies, fruit pies, custard pies, cream pies, hand pies, etc. And yes, she even has gluten-free pies.If you can dream it, she gives you the tools and knowledge to build and bake it. It's really an incredible book, and she should be so proud of this achievement. Ironically, I'm not a huge pie person. I like pie, but I can't say that it's my favorite thing to bake. After reading just a few chapters, Erin's enthusiasm for pies has made me want to start baking them - which is what makes her such a great teacher. I have every confidence that I can create a great pie this Thanksgiving or at any other time of the year. If this doesn't become one of the top cookbooks on pastry, I'll eat my pie plate. Buy this book. You won't be sorry.

Reviewer: MadMeg
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Wonderful book
Review: Erin is an amazing teacher online and her book doesn’t disappoint. Lots of pictures and tips. Interesting pie recipes. I’ve made her dough four times and it’s quite easy. Made the blueberry swamp pie which was an interesting take on traditional blueberry. I’d highly recommend for any baker and especially nervous pie bakers.

Reviewer: Jan
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Book of pie
Review: It was for my daughter and she loved it! We made the striped ribbon pie and it was amazing

Reviewer: Mitch G
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Well yes!!
Review: What can’t Erin do? I’m consistently surprised that the recipes she makes work as they’re so beautiful. Sometimes you have to choose between beauty, easy recipes, or tasty ones but these are truly all the above… and I LOVE a book with variations there’s a LOT of that here!

Reviewer: Linda Bubeck
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The book is awesome. Amazon’s packaging not so much! Mere minutes from being a SOGGY BOOK!
Review: A box padded with crumpled brown paper does not keep a book dry! The pages seem dry but I think the humidity slightly warped the edges. I’ll stack a bunch of books on it to fix that. The point is …books needed to be sealed in plastic!!!!!!

Reviewer: Víctor Legaspi
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Haré una reseña del libro físico, ya que Amazon vende el producto y no el contenido del libro.El libro venía bien empacado para evitar que se maltratara durante el traslado, aún así llegó con un pequeño golpe en una esquina, no es algo que le quite funcionalidad así que lo conserve, es de pasta dura y se ve muy resistente, las hojas y las impresiones son de buena calidad.

Reviewer: Thiago
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Fotos de tirar o fôlego, dicas incríveis, receitas com todos os passos e explicações, fácil de consultar e duro de largar. Agora é ir pra cozinha e preparar as melhores tortas, com bordas crocantes, massas incríveis, recheios de pura delicia que vão deslumbrar os convidados tanto por beleza como por sabor.

Reviewer: cinders
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Lovely book. Great recipes that work. Definitive guide to pies.

Reviewer: W.R. B.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is fabulous. I don’t usually enthuse about books, and have been buying cookbooks for 40 years or so. This book is super. Beautiful to look at, gorgeous photos, and every pie you could ever imagine and more. Also like the choice of metric and US conversions.Recommended this. HIGHLY!

Reviewer: Jodi
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I LOVE this book! It has everything I could ever want to know about pie and even more than I thought I could do with pie! It has many helpful tips to be successful at making pastry. And it has many recipe options on crusts, toppings and fillings. Gets my creative mojo going! I’ve tried a few recipes in it so far and we have loved them all. Thanks for such a great book!