PLAIN PASTRY FOR PIES—Continued
- If the dough sticks to the board, loosen it carefully with a knife. If it breaks or tears, fold the sheet of dough over once each way, sprinkle more flour on the board and rolling-pin, and roll the dough out again. It is important that there shall be no hole in the lower crust of a pie.
- Lay the sheet of dough in a pie-pan, and press it down against the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Dip one finger into cold water and moisten the dough around the edge of the pan.
- Pour in the fruit or whatever pie-filling is to be used. This must always be cold.
- Roll out the remaining dough, as described above, for the top crust.
- With a sharp knife make several cuts two or three inches long through the centre of the sheet of dough, forming a design if desired. These cuts are necessary to allow the steam to escape in baking.
- Lay the top crust over the top of the pie, and with the tines of a fork press the top and bottom crusts together all around the edge of the pan.
- Hold the pie-pan on the palm of the left hand, and with a knife trim off the overhanging portions of dough close to the rim of the pan all around.
- Cut the pieces of dough thus removed into thin strips, and press these strips into the dough all around the edge of the top crust.
- Place the pie in a hot oven, and immediately reduce the heat. If uncooked fruit is used for the filling, the heat must be very slow in order to cook the fruit thoroughly.
- Bake from thirty to fifty minutes, the length of time depending upon the nature of the filling used.
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