It’s Pi day! Plus, last week was International Women’s Day and coming up soon is Mother’s Day. For me, all of these days remind me of the amazing women in my life – both of my grandmothers and my mother.
Pie has been a big part of my relationship with all of these women. Since we lived states away from both grandparents, baking pie was a ritual we did nearly every time we were together. My dad’s mom, Joan, was an especially masterful pie baker. She was one of those amazing cooks who didn’t even need a recipe or measuring cups for most things, and pie was one of her specialties.
She taught me how to keep the butter cool so that you can cut it into the flour mixture easily and that the secret to the flaky crust was cutting in the butter until it was a fine mixture but not overworking it when forming the dough into a ball. She would masterfully roll out the dough and pinch the edges to be a beautiful ring around whatever homemade filling was going inside.
When I made pie with grandma it was both a bonding experience and a learning experience. Making pie with her I learned the baking skills, but I also learned patience. I always wanted to rush through cutting the butter but she had me keep going until it was a very fine mixture. She knew the end result was worth the extra work to get that fine dough, and she instilled that patience in me.
Now when I make pie it is a ritual. It takes me to a place of intentionality. One where I am not focused on my to-do list or problems. It is just me and the dough, working in the butter to make something delicious. I often want to eat the whole pie myself, but it is the act of sharing that makes the effort even sweeter.
Don’t get me wrong – sometimes you have to make a pie quickly and the only option is the store-bought dough. But anytime I can make the dough myself, it is always worth the time and it always brings me back to the cherished women in my life.
I don’t have my grandma’s recipe for pie dough since she never really used one, only pinches of this and handfuls of that. So, I found the one my mom and I make. It’s the Hot Water Pie Crust recipe below. Some of the ingredients may sound odd (I’m looking at you, vinegar) but it tastes amazing, doesn’t require chilling, and it never fails.
I hope you can make time today to celebrate the wonderfully nerdy holiday of Pi Day (3.141592654 is all I can remember from math class) and take a moment to get back to the heart of baking. Do you have any baking or pie related traditions in your family?
Hot Water Pie Crust
1 & 1/2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 C. crisco
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. boiling water
1 tsp. vinegar
Mix dry ingredients; cut in crisco. Add vinegar to boiling water; add all at once to flour mixture. Mix with hands until a ball forms. Cut dough in half. On lightly floured board, roll dough thin; fit into pie plate with approximately 1” overhang.
You can either pre-bake the crust or add your filling and bake according to the directions of the filling used. Don’t forget to poke holes in the bottom of the crust to prevent air pockets and use a ring of foil to keep the top of the crust from burning when baking!
