I tried making my first pie from scratch most of this afternoon and I botched it. It was a learning experience and I don’t regret it. I called my Mom twice for advice: my Dough Hotline. I felt I was taxing her because she clearly thought she was better at showing how to make pie then telling me, but I found if I asked her 100 questions I could coax the technique out of her.
First dough batch: Dry and crumbly; could not resuscitate.
Problem: I didn’t use enough shortening and the shortening I did use I didn’t cut-in well enough (nor did I cut it in small enough; it was big ol’ chunks instead of the pea-sized bits it’s supposed to be in my mom’s recipe).
Second dough batch: Seemingly excellent consistency at first. However....
Problem: I didn’t roll it out enough before giving up on it. It kept falling apart whenever I picked it up. Also it was super-sticky—I had put the dough-ball in the freezer but only for 15 minutes; I should have left it in there longer, especially given the high humidity in my un-air-conditioned apartment.
At this point, I had to give up because I’d run out of shortening and patience. I ended up tossing six cups of Gala and Granny Smith apple slices, mixed with sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. I definitely could have done something with it—bought a ready-made crust, obviously. Mom suggested additional ideas, such as making a sort of apple crisp or applesauce out of it. But I was in an Ultra Mega-Stubborn mood and dumped everything. My garbage smelled great for the remainder of the day.
I will try again. Because although I can be stubborn, I am also tenacious. Next time I will prepare the crust before the filling, while ensuring I have 16 pounds of Crisco and flour on hand.