It’s almost Pi Day!

For the few of you who don’t know what that means, March 14 is universally known as the day of Pi (3.14 – get it?). But this holiday isn’t just for the mathematically inclined. It’s basically the best excuse to make pie in the middle of a school week. Why am I baking at 10 p.m.? Because math. Can’t argue with that.

In my opinion, the best part of a pie is the crust. Flaky, buttery, crisp-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside…You can fill it in with whatever you like, but a good crust will make or break a pie. I never have pre-made pie crusts on me when I feel like doing some impulsive baking, so this recipe is really handy. I used to be intimidated by pie crust, but it’s actually really easy.

Click these links for more Pi Day recipes:

Chocolate Pi

Caramel Apple Pi

Egg Pi (A.K.A. Spinach and Cheddar Quiche)

Homemade Pie Crust

(from FoodWishes.com)

Ingredients (yields 2 9-inch pie crusts)

12 oz. flour (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 sticks (1 cup) ice cold butter, cut into pieces

1/2 tsp. salt

7 tbsp. ice water

1 tbsp. vinegar

Directions

Cut up the sticks of butter into small chunks and throw them in the freezer for half an hour or so.

Place flour, salt, and chopped butter into a food processor. Grind until a meal forms, with butter pieces being about the size of small peas.

Combine the vinegar and the water, and pour half of the liquid into the food processor. Pulse the food processor two or three times. Then add the rest of the liquid, and pulse until the mixture just starts to come together. It shouldn’t be a big clump, but if you press the mixture between your fingers, it should form a dough.

Dump the mixture onto a surface and form it into a round shape. Don’t knead the dough so much as press it together. Then, cut the dough in half.

Form each piece of dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but preferably longer.

Take the discs out one at a time and roll out into a circle about 11 inches in diameter.

Carefully lift and place into the pie dish. Smooth out the edges, and voila! Pie crust!

But wait, you say! What goes in the pie crust? Just hold your horses, everyone…and keep checking back with The SCOOP. Pi Week is far from over.

~Hafsa Razi