BYOP (Bring Your Own Pie)

Asa Naiditch

When the editorial staff of Digest asked for a recipe of one of my staples, I knew I was making pie. A staple is something you make all the time, a part of your repertoire, a go-to. For me, that is always pie. Why pie you ask? Because anything can be turned into pie. Sweet, savory, big, small, festive or consolatory -- pie is good for every occasion. What doesn’t taste better wrapped in flaky pastry? What I love the most about pie is the feeling you get when you take a bite. There is a sense of comfort you get when eating pie you can’t get from anything else.

Since anything can really be put in a pie, I couldn’t decide what recipe to give. There were too many options. Then I realized I didn’t have to choose. I give you the dough, and the basic method, you bring your own filling depending on preference. Take a dish you already love, whether it be stewed lentils, mac & cheese, cheeseburgers, pizza or you just have a lot of fruit on your counter or in your freezer. This will be your filling. If you are at a loss, I have given a very basic fruit pie recipe. I encourage you to take risks and try any and everything. Put a crumble on top instead of the top crust. Make a selection of hand pies instead of one large pie. I’ve made a pie with chocolate covered potato sticks on top! Even if it’s not perfect, there is no such thing as bad pie. 

The best part? You don’t need any equipment. If you don’t have a pie dish? No worries! You can use any baking dish you have on hand, or even make it free form on a baking sheet. If you have a rolling pin, great. If not, find something similar like a wine bottle. 

Pie Crust

300g flour

200g very cold butter* 

4g salt

120g - 140g ice cold water

1 egg (whisked, to egg wash your pie at the end)

*Butter is the most important ingredient, so use the best quality available. If there is a shop that sells artisan butter from a local dairy, go for it. Otherwise a European-style butter from the grocery store will work well too. European butter has a higher fat content than normal American butter. It costs a little more but it’s worth it. You can find it in your normal butter aisle. My favorite brand to use in the US is Kerrygold. I usually use unsalted, but either is fine. In London, I use a hand-crafted cultured butter from Ampersand Dairy.

Crust Method

Get a large bowl and mix flour and salt together. Cube your very cold butter and add it to the flour. Using your fingertips, smoosh the butter into the flour until you have almond and walnut size pieces (these will be quite large). Some recipes have you smoosh the butter into pea size (or smaller) pieces, but this makes for a mealier dough. Basic rule of thumb, bigger chunks of butter equals flakier dough. 

Once your butter is smooshed, make a well in the center, and pour 120g of water in. Using your hands, gently toss the water with the flour to mix them together. Add more water if needed. Depending on your climate and flour, you might need more or less water. I usually need 140g. You want the dough to hold together but not be wet. 

Cut in half and form into two disks. Wrap each disk well in cling film. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. I find it easiest to roll out if you leave it at least two hours/overnight. It will last a few days in the fridge. You want the dough to be cold and firm.

Filling Preparation

Prepare your filling. If it’s something hot like stew or pasta, let it cool to room temperature. You can even make it in advance and leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to use. 

If using the fruit recipe below, combine all the ingredients. Adjust sweetness and add-ins to your taste.

Basic Fruit Frilling

700g-900g fruit cleaned, pitted, and chopped (buy pieces if frozen, but if you only have whole pieces, it will be okay)

150-200g sugar  — his is based on the sweetness of the fruit your using

28g cornstarch

16g butter

Optionals

1g-2g extract — vanilla, almond, mint, or anything else you might have on hand. 

Pinch of spice — Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, the choices are endless.

Herbs, or anything else you think might taste good with it. 

Assembly

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Before you start pie making, make sure you have a clean flat surface to roll your dough on, and your filling is prepared. Take your slab out, lightly flour your surface, and get rolling! 

Roll your dough out into the general shape of your baking dish but with some overhang. Place the dough in the dish. If you are making it free form, just roll it out in a general circle and put it on a baking sheet with parchment paper. If your dough is no longer chilled, put it back in the fridge to chill again. 

Put your filling in the pie shell. If you are doing it free form, place your filling in the center of the rolled out dough leaving a good 1 1/2 - 2 inches around the edge.

If you want the pie to be open faced, just fold the excess dough in towards the center. If you want a top crust, paint a little egg wash on the excess edges of your pie dough, roll out the second half of your pie dough, and lay it over the filling, sealing the edges. If you have a pie crust design in mind, got for it. Otherwise, take a fork, and use the tines to crimp around the pie rim. Using a sharp knife, cut some slits in the top of your pie. You can do as many as you want, but make sure you have at least two big ones. You can do something simple or go all out. Paint the top crust with egg wash. 

Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven temperature down to 375F and continue baking for 30 - 45 minutes more until the pie is nicely browned. If you want to top your top crust with something special, 15 minutes before the end of baking, pull the pie out and sprinkle sugar or cheese on top. 

Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for 20 - 30 minutes if you put a filling you want to eat hot. For a fruit filling, let it cool completely so the filling is set. 

Eat Pie. Be Happy.

P.S. Don’t throw away those extra pie scraps! They can be re-rolled and turned into scrumptious treats! Shape them in twists and sprinkle some cheese, or roll some cinnamon swirls!

Asa Naiditch is a Le Cordon Bleu trained Pastry Chef & Bread Baker. She currently resides in London where she runs a microbakery called Blame Butter which specializes in American pies. Follow her on Instagram @blamebutter for all your pie porn needs.