Sweet & Easy Homemade Pie Crust

Homemade pie crust is easy if you know a few simple secrets! This easy pie crust recipe is slightly sweet, and makes enough for one standard double-crust pie, two standard single-crust pies, or ten 6-inch hand-pies.

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

My mother made the best pies: berry pies of all kinds, pumpkin pies, and of course, her famous cherry-rhubarb pie. The secret, she always said, was in the crust.

It was magic, watching Mama make a pie crust, like a dancer on a stage. I can still see her – bending over our shiny yellow Formica kitchen table, dusting the surface with a sweep of her hand and flouring her rolling pin in one graceful motion. Then leaning forward, she would roll out the dough in smooth, perfect strokes.

Mama’s crust was always even and flawless. Once rolled, she turned the pie plate upside-down on the dough and cut a clean circle with her paring knife exactly two inches away from the edge, all the way around. Then, lifting the edge of the pastry circle, she would roll the dough up onto the pin and then gently roll it out again over the righted pie plate, forming it to the dish’s curves; her delicate hands deftly fluting the edges with perfectly practiced pinches.

Look for these recipes, coming soon to GHW: Classic Blueberry Pie, Blueberry Hand-Pies (with precooked pie filling), and Easy Pie Dough Roses.

Three Secrets to a Perfect Pie Crust

Mom taught me three simple rules for making pie crust.

Keep everything COLD. – Refrigerate or freeze everything you are using to make your pastry dough, including your mixing bowl! The colder you can keep things, the more successful your crust will be. If your dough starts feeling melty or too soft to work with, immediately put everything back in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. You will never ruin your crust by taking some extra chill time.
Incorporate fats by hand. – This allows you to keep the bits of shortening and butter bigger, up to the size of a cooked butter bean. One of the leading causes of tough crust is that bits of fat in it are too small. (This is why I avoid using a food processor for making pastry crust.) I do, however, always grate my butter. (I usually chill it in the freezer for about an hour first.) I find that this allows me to distribute it quicker, therein keeping everything colder.
Do not overmix. – The more you mix the dough, the more gluten strands are formed. Gluten formation in pastry dough results a tough, chewy crust, and is to be avoided whenever possible. DO NOT, under any circumstances, knead your pastry dough.

There are plenty more tips and tricks out there to help you achieve that perfect pie crust, but in my experience, the three guidelines above are the ones that make or break your pastry crust.

This tender, flaky, slightly sweet crust recipe is perfect making pastries like our Classic Fresh Blueberry Pie (pictured below), and holiday favorite Triple-Ginger Pumpkin Pie.

The pastry roses on this pie are ridiculously easy to make, and will immediately up your pie-making game!

How long should I bake pastry dough?

Standard Pastry Baking Times

These are general guidelines only. Please consult the recipe for which you employ the pie dough for specific baking times and temperatures.

Single Crust Pie [Filled] • 400 – 425°F [205-218 °C] • 30-40 minutes
Pie Shell Only [Unfilled] • 400°F [232°C] • 15-17 minutes (blind bake) | 28-30 minutes (fully baked)
Double-Crust [Uncooked Filling] • 400 – 425°F [205-218°C] • 45-55 minutes
Double-Crust [Cooked Filling] • 425 – 450°F [205-232°C] • 30-45 minutes
Turnovers & Hand-Pies [Cooked Filling] • 425 – 450°F [205-232 °C] • 20-22 minutes

5 from 6 votes

Sweet & Easy Homemade Pie Crust

Homemade pie crust is easy if you know a few simple secrets! This easy pie crust recipe is slightly sweet, and makes enough for one standard double-crust pie, two standard single-crust pies, or ten 6-inch hand-pies.

Prep Time15 mins

Chilling Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Basic, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Comfort Food

Keyword: baking, pastry

Servings: standard double-crust pie

Calories: 3363kcal

Author: Renée | The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening chilled for one hour
1/2 cup butter chilled & coarsely grated
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons white sugar
¼ cup ice water
¼ cup vodka* [Optional: If omitted, use an additional ¼ cup ice water.]
½ teaspoon table salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, and salt together with a fork.
Using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers (my personal choice) work the cold shortening into the flour mixture until the texture resembles that of strudel crumble.
Add grated or cut ice-cold butter to flour mixture.
Work butter in using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers. It's OK to leave large pieces of butter (balls up to the size of a lima bean): this is what makes your pie crust flakey!
[Optional] Cool flour mixture in freezer 5 minutes before proceeding.
[Optional] If you are using vodka, mix ice water and vodka together.
Sprinkle ½ cup ice cold liquid (ice water, or ice water+vodka) over the top of the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a ball begins to form.
IMPORTANT: Do not pour liquid onto flour mixture: sprinkle it.
Turn dough out onto counter.
Press together into a large ball or disk.
Divide dough in half. (This will make it easier to work with later.)
Press each half into a disk. (Do not overwork the dough. Just press it together.)
Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate prepared dough for at least one hour, and up to two days.
Roll out and bake according to directions for whatever you are making.
TIP: I like to roll pastry dough out between sheets of parchment. It allows me to flip the dough easily, and place it without concerns over tearing.

Notes

Standard Pastry Baking Times

Single Crust Pie [Filled] • 400 - 425 °F [205-218 °C] • 30-40 minutes
Pie Shell Only [Unfilled] • 450 °F [232 °C] • 12-12 minutes
Double-Crust [Uncooked Filling] • 400 - 425 °F [205-218 °C] • 45-55 minutes
Double-Crust [Cooked Filling] • 425 - 450 °F [205-232 °C] • 30-45 minutes
Turnovers & Hand-Pies [Cooked Filling] • 425 - 450 °F [205-232 °C] • 20-22 minutes

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

Looking for a savory pie crust recipe? Try our delicious Herbed Pie Crust – perfect for pot pies and other savory baked treats!

Does your recipe call for pre-baking or blind baking the crust? Here are some great tips for successful blind baking!

Does vodka in pie crust really make a difference?

I first read about using vodka in a pie crust recipe in a long-forgotten issue of Cook’s Illustrated. The science behind it is that the alcohol in the vodka adds moisture to the dough without encouraging gluten formation, since gluten doesn’t form in alcohol. Also, the vodka evaporates more efficiently than water during the baking process, removing more moisture and resulting in a flakier and crispier crust.

I wanted to know if the theory plays out in real life, so I did a side by side comparison to see if there was any noticeable difference between crust made with vodka and crust made with plain ice water.

The hand-pie below on the left has vodka in the dough; the dough on the right was made with ice-water only. They were baked at the same time on the same baking tray.

I expected there to be a more noticeable distinction, but there really wasn’t any significant differences in taste or texture between the two pastries once they were baked. (You cannot taste any alcohol, of course, because it has all cooks out.)

There were, however, a few differences in the dough before baking. The vodka dough was a bit softer than the all ice-water dough, and while it did require slightly longer chilling time, it was also more supple and easier to roll out.

Final Thoughts: The vodka in this recipe is optional, and using the all ice water method will still result in a delicious, flaky crust as long as you keep everything ice-cold. However, if you have the vodka and want to give it a try, I encourage you to do so; you may find that this is just the trick to raise your pastry making to the next level.

Can I freeze this pie dough?

Absolutely! Pie dough keeps very well in the freezer. Wrap it tightly in freezer-weight plastic wrap and seal it in a freezer bag. (Or do what I do and suck-n-seal it with a FoodSaver.) Tightly-wrapped dough should keep up to six months in the freezer.

For even easier use later, roll the dough out ahead of time and freeze pie crusts in the pan.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

How to Make Rye Sourdough Starter [100% Hydration]

March 14 By Renée 31 Comments

Rye Sourdough Starter is – by far – the easiest sourdough to start. All you need is rye flour and water.

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

My mother kept a sourdough starter when I was young, and the pancakes and bread she made are now a treasured food memory. It’s time to continue the tradition.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It takes about 5 days to establish a new Rye Sourdough Starter. Once established, Starter can easily be converted to a white or whole wheat flour starter: it all depends on what kind of flour you choose to use going forward.

How to Make Rye Sourdough Starter

Rye Sourdough Starter is – by far – the easiest sourdough to start. All you need is rye flour and water.

The Flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill Organic Dark Rye Flour.
The Water: Best Practices – use distilled water.

What does 100% hydration mean?

This Rye Sourdough Starter is a what is referred to in the sourdough world as a “100% hydration starter.” A 100% hydration sourdough starter is a sourdough culture which is kept and fed with equal weights of water and flour. (For example, 2.25 ounces water to 2.25 ounces of flour.)

By contrast, a 166% hydration starter is fed with equal volumes of flour and water. For example, 1/2 cup of water (4 ounces) to 1/2 cup flour (2.25 ounces).

A Note about Water: When I made this starter the first time, I used plain old tap water, and everything bubbled up just fine.

Nevertheless, many sourdough professionals discourage the use of tap water in favor of distilled water, as the chlorine and other chemicals found in treated water can kill the microorganisms that need to flourish to create sourdough.

I now use distilled water for all my sourdough, but I wanted to share my experience with tap water because unless your city uses an excessive amount of chlorine in your water supply, it’s not a deal-breaker. (If you would rather use tap water, but want to remove at least some of the chlorine, there are a couple of ways you can dechlorinate water at home.)

Keep your Starter Cozy, Not Sweltering

According to those aforementioned sourdough pros, 70°-80° F [21° – 27° C] is the ideal temperature range at which to keep your sourdough starter.

If I am actively using my starter on a regular basis, I keep it on my kitchen counter near my stove. (I’ve also had good luck in the past keeping it on top of the fridge.) If I am taking a break from sourdough baking, I let my starter chill in the fridge.

If kept below 70°F [21°C], the natural yeast in the starter incubates very slowly; above 80°F [27°C], the starter will tend to ferment alcoholically, which is not desirable. NEVER leave the starter in direct sun.

Troubleshooting: If you ever forget your starter in the back of the fridge and it looks scary when you take it out, be sure to check out The Lazy Caretaker’s Guide to Sourdough.

Get a kitchen scale!

If you don’t already own a kitchen scale, now might be the time to get one – and this is coming from someone who usually measures everything by pinch and palm!

I honestly don’t know how I ever lived without a good kitchen scale. Weighing the water and flour for your sourdough starter keeps the hydration consistent, which in turn gives you more consistent results in your cooking and baking. (I don’t even use measuring cups anymore when I make bread – I weigh everything!)

Yield: 1 Rye Sourdough Starter

How to Make Rye Sourdough Starter

Rye Sourdough Starter is – by far – the easiest sourdough to start. All you need is rye flour and water.

[100% Hydration Starter]

Prep Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 5 days

Total Time 5 days 25 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Materials

Tools

Wooden Spoon
Kitchen Scale

Instructions

Day 1 - - 2 ¼ ounces rye flour + 2 ¼ ounces water

Using a wooden spoon, mix the rye flour and water in a mason jar or non-reactive bowl. Cover loosely and place in a dark place at 70°F for 24 hours. (I put mine up against the counter right next to my stove.) Rye Sourdough Starter - Day 1 Your unfermented Starter will be the consistency of thick cook dough. It will loosen up over time.

Day 2 - - 2 ¼ ounces rye flour + 2 ¼ ounces water

Add the rye flour and water to the starter. Mix with a clean wooden spoon for 30 seconds until the flour has been incorporated. Cover loosely and place in a dark place at 70°F for 24 hours. Rye Sourdough Starter - Day 2

Day 3 - - 1 ⅛ ounces rye flour + 1 ⅛ ounces water

Day 4 - - 1 ⅛ ounces rye flour + 1 ⅛ ounces water

If bubbles have started to form and the flour has begun to ferment, discard ⅔ of the mixture in the jar. Add the flour and water to the remaining ⅓ and mix for 30 seconds until the flour is well incorporated. (If the mixture has not started to ferment repeat step 3.) Rye SOurdough Starter - Day 4

Day 5

The starter should be mature by this point and is ready to use. Use the starter as needed. After use, see feeding instructions. blank If you want to convert your starter to a white flour or whole wheat Starter, you may begin feeding it with all-purpose flour from this point on.

Notes

Weekly feeding (or every time starter gets used):

Healthy Starter can be refrigerated for up to a week between feedings. (Honestly, I often leave it FAR longer with no problems.) However, most sourdough experts recommend feeding Sourdough Starter at least twice a week for best results.

This is a 100% Hydration starter. A 100% hydration sourdough starter is a sourdough culture which is kept and fed with equal weights of water and flour. (If you don’t have a kitchen scale, that equates to about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of water for every cup of flour.)

The amount you feed your sourdough starter depends on how much of it you have to start with. You want to approximately double your starter each time you feed it. So, for example, if you have 8 ounces of Starter, you will feed it 4 ounces of water and 4 ounces of flour.

If, however, you have more starter on hand than you anticipate using for baking, you can toss (or share!) a cup or more of Starter and then double what remains.You always want to have at least 8 ounces of Starter after baking to keep the process going.

Always use a wooden spoon to stir when you feed your Starter. (Never allow metal to come in contact with your sourdough starter.)
Always leave enough room in your Sourdough Jar for the Starter to triple in size! (It usually only doubles, but you want to leave some wiggle room!)
Allow the starter rest in a dark 70°F place for 12 hours and then place in the refrigerator if you will not be using it in the next 24 hours.

Recommended Products

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won't cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running.

What should I do with my Starter if I want to bake with it?

First, you need a mature Starter. Then you need to determine if your recipe calls for Fed, Active, Ripe, Unfed Starter or Discard. (For example, my Easy Sourdough Bread recipe calls for Unfed Starter).

Stages of a Healthy Sourdough Starter

Fed Starter – Fed Starter is active, healthy starter that has been fed within about 2 hours. By hour 2, it will be producing little bubbles on the surface.
Active Starter – Starter is Active about 5 hours after feeding. By hour 5, you should be able to watch large bubbles actively rising through the Starter and making their way to surface.
Ripe Starter – Starter is considered Ripe about 8 hours after feeding. The volume has doubled, and the top is just beginning to show signs of sagging under its own weight.
Unfed Starter – Unfed Starter is healthy, vigorous Starter that has not been fed for 12 hours or more. By hour 12, it collapsed after Ripening, and is ready to be fed again or put in the fridge until next time. (Note that this is NOT neglected Starter that hasn’t been fed in days.)
Discard – Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that you get rid of when you do a feeding. It should be healthy and vigorous, with some small bubbling activity.

NOTE: Many recipes, including most bread recipes, call for feeding your starter the night before and using it in the morning. When you do this, you are technically using Ripe or Unfed Starter, depending upon the vigor of your starter and how much time elapses between last feeding and usage.

DID YOU KNOW? You don’t need a special recipe to sourdough starter. Nearly all of your favorite yeast bread recipes can be adapted to use sourdough starter, as can many quick breads.

Covering your Starter

I thought I’d close this post with an important piece of advice: NEVER use a solid lid to cover your Sourdough Starter!

The natural fermentation process creates gas, and that gas need to have a place to go, so you need to cover your container with something that will allow some of that gas to escape.

I have successfully used all of the following methods:

Rubber Band and a clean cloth. Not pretty, but it works.
Mason jar ring and a piece of clean cloth. I usually use muslin in this case.
Pickle Pipes (or other lid designed for fermentation)

I discovered Pickle Pipes about a year ago, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! For the money, they are (IMHO) the best solution for the job. (Just to clarify, this is NOT a Sponsored post.)

- Pickle Pipes feature one-way airlocks that vent gas automatically so they require no burping or babysitting.
- Prevent spoilage by releasing the gas that builds up during the fermentation process.
- Some people like to call them Pickle Nipples, which is fun to say. (Try it 3 times fast… and GO!)
- They prevent oxygen and airborne contaminants from getting inside.
- They are food-safe. (e.g., BPA-free, no phthalates)
- They are Dishwasher-safe.

Easy Sourdough Recipes & Advice for Beginners

Kaylen's Bread [Easy Sourdough]

Rye Sourdough Starter

Lazy Sourdough Caretaker's Guide

Mom's Sourdough Hotcakes

Buttery & Flaky Sourdough Biscuits

Photo Credit: www.baking-sense.com

Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

Photo Credit: www.recipesmadeeasy.co.uk

Reactivating Dry Sourdough Starter

Rye Sourdough Spaetzle

Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Donuts

Photo Credit: www.baking-sense.com

Sourdough Rye Hearth Bread

Photo Credit: adamantkitchen.com

Date Molasses Sourdough Pancakes

Photo Credit: www.theschizochef.com

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Photo Credit: www.farmhouseonboone.com

Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Scones

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter
of The Good Hearted Woman. ? Be sure to PIN this post!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

UPDATED: Originally published September 14, 2015

Easy Basic Sweet Vanilla Crepes

December 1 By Renée 5 Comments

If you’ve ever been intimidated by crêpes, try these Easy Basic Sweet Vanilla Crêpes and you’ll wonder why you ever worried.

If you can make a pancakes, you can make crêpes. Before you get started though, here are a few tips that will make the process even easier.

Crêpe Batter

Crêpe batter should be thinner and smoother than pancake batter – just thick enough to thoroughly coat a wooden spoon. If your batter seems too thick when you take it out of the refrigerator, add additional milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
Crêpe batter can be made the night before and left in the refrigerator until you are ready to make them.
When pouring crepe batter into the pan, I pour with my my left hand and simultaneously swirl the the pan with my right hand. (I’m mostly right-handed.) The batter sets up very quickly, and this allows me to distribute it around the pan before it sets.

Flipping Crêpes

Crêpes are ready to flip when the edges start showing the slightest color brown and the center is no longer glossy.
I don’t actually use a spatula to “flip” my crêpes. Instead, I use the spatula to gently lift the edge up enough so that I can get hold of it, and then I flip it quickly using my fingers. I cannot, however, encourage you to do this because it may lead to burnt fingers, and I will not be responsible for that. So whatever you do, don’t flip your crêpes with your fingers. 😉

Filling Crêpes

The are two basic methods for filling crêpes: the Roll and the Quarter-fold (or Cone). For most applications, I personally prefer the Roll method, but that’s just me. However, the Quarter-fold method makes a better presentation for unfilled crepes that just have toppings.

Serving Crêpes

Sweet Vanilla Crêpes can be served plain with just a dusting of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of lemon juice, or filled with your favorite sweet filling.
I prefer to serve my crepes with the second side out: I think it is more interesting to look at. Nevertheless, this is in direct conflict with common practice, which is to hide the second side. It’s all just a matter of personal taste as far as I’m concerned, but I thought you should know… just in case you are planning to host a group of snooty French gastronomes for brunch, because then you will probably want to put the browned, first side out.

Easy Basic Sweet Vanilla Crêpes | The Good Hearted Woman

Basic Sweet Vanilla Crêpes {Recipe}

This versatile sweet vanilla crepe recipe is perfect for all your dessert crepes ideas!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Resting Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 25 mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Breakfast, Breakfast or Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: crepes

Servings: crepes

Calories: 137kcal

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Equipment

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk* see note
3 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups flour sifted

Simple fillings or toppings for sweet crêpes include:

A dusting of powdered sugar and a sprinkling of fresh lemon juice
Fresh fruits or berries
Whipped cream
Jam or jelly

Instructions

Put milk, eggs, melted butter, sugar, and salt in blender and process to combine. Add flour and process until smooth.
Allow crepe mixture to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before using.

Prepare Crepes

Heat a crêpe pan (or an 8- or 9-inch non-stick sauté pan) over medium-low heat. It is important to find the right temperature for crêpes. When done, crêpes should be very lightly golden.
Start your pan on medium low and work from there.
If you are worried about your crêpes sticking, rub a little coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil over the surface with a paper towel. Remove any visible oil before proceeding.
Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup crêpe batter into the middle of the heated pan. Immediately swirl it around to create a thin flat crepe that reaches just slightly up the sides of the pan.
(I usually lift it off the burner for this step: it makes it much easier to manipulate the pan.)
Cook for about 1 minute.
The crêpe is ready to flip when the edges are just beginning to turn brown and the batter in the middle is no longer glossy or wet looking.
Using a large, thin rubber spatula, loosen the edges, and then gently flip the crepe. Allow it to cook an additional 30 seconds to a minute.
If you are making another crêpe, don’t let the pan set empty on the burner for more than a few seconds or it will get too hot.
Carefully lift edge of crepe with a spatula to test for doneness. The crepe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is lightly browned. Turn crepe over; cook 30 seconds on other side.

Notes

Flipping Crepes

I usually don't use the spatula to do the actual flipping. I flip the crepe by lifting the edges with the spatula, then I peel it up carefully with my fingers and I flip it over in one fluid motion. If you use this method, be sure to keep you fingers off the hot pan!

Refrigerating Crepe Batter

DO NOT SKIP the refrigeration step.

Refrigerating the batter after it’s been mixed relaxes the gluten, resulting in light, airy crêpes.

Refrigerating and/or Freezing Cooked Crepes

If you wish to store your crepes in the refrigerator, place a stack of cooked, cooled crepes inside a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag.
Crepes may be refrigerated for up to a week, and can be frozen for up to two months.
To defrost frozen crepes, place them in the refrigerator.
Reheat single crepes in a hot, dry pan for a few seconds, or reheat stacks of defrosted crepes in the microwave at 15 seconds intervals.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

“Hey, Renée! That’s a pretty groovy little crepe pan you have there! Where’d you get it?”

Well, yes it is, and thank you for asking! I received this sweet crepe pan as a gift from Anolon, for attending a class they sponsored at IFBC 2015 called “How to Create Standout Holiday Content.” Besides being the perfect size and shape to create beautiful crepes, it has a hard-anodized PFOA-free non-stick coating that is (drum-roll, please) safe for Metal Utensils and guaranteed for life. So cool. So far, I am loving it.

How to Make Perfectly Poached Eggs

December 2 By Renée 15 Comments

Knowing how to poach eggs isn’t magic. In fact, it’s astonishingly easy it is to cook a velvety soft, perfectly poached egg – all you need are a few simple tricks.

I never really liked poached eggs as a kid. But then again, I wasn’t really eating real poached eggs. I was eating little rubber egg-shaped patties posing as poached eggs. My poor mom poached our eggs in a little aluminum poaching pan, and (like many cooks of her era) she cooked them until they were “good and done”; more suitable for bouncing than eating.

I knew that poached eggs had to be better than that. However, when I first tried to poach an egg myself, I got some very bad advice: “Create a swirling pool of boiling water and drop the egg in the middle.” Unfortunately, in the absence of better counsel, I clung to that “expert” advice for over a decade, so it has only been in the last few years that I have discovered just how astonishingly easy it is to cook a velvety soft, perfectly poached egg.

Let me save you some time.

When you poach an egg, you are essentially adding a liquid to a liquid and hoping that one of the liquids sets up before it mixes with the other. When done incorrectly, you can end up with a pot full of “egg-feathers” and foam instead of an egg yolk surrounded by white. There are a number of things you can do to reduce this feathering.

Eggs: Use the freshest eggs you can find. As eggs age, the white breaks down and becomes more watery, so the fresher the egg, the more viscous the white.

Simmer, don’t boil: You want the water to be hot enough to immediately begin to cook the egg when it submerges, but you don’t want the water to move the egg around in the pan. In fact, you don’t want anything to move the egg in the pan, especially for the first minute. That’s means no shaking, no stirring, and for Pete’s sake, no swirling!

Use a sieve: For about a dollar-fifty, you can buy what I consider the Key to Perfectly Poached eggs. A small kitchen sieve allows you to strain off any watery white from the egg, and also gives you the perfect vessel from which to gently roll the egg into the water.

Add vinegar: This is science in action! Vinegar helps the proteins (albumin) to denature (unwind) more quickly and link up to form a network of proteins, thus setting the egg. The quicker the proteins denature the less feathering there will be. (Want to learn more? Check here.) Just do it – it works.

How to Perfectly Poach an Egg

Fill a pot or deep skillet with 2 inches deep with water. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. Bring to a rolling boil and then reduce heat so that the water is just barely simmering. There should still be bubbles on the bottom of the pan, but the surface of the water should look calm.
Crack egg into small sieve and allow watery albumin to drain off. Don’t worry; the white and yolk will stay intact inside the sieve.
Holding the egg in the sieve just above the water, gently roll the egg out of the sieve and into the water.
Leave the egg alone. You can put about four or five eggs into the pan at the same time, but be sure they all have enough room. After about a minute, use a slotted spoon to unstick the egg from the bottom of the pan. Allow it to cook a minute or two, and then use the slotted spoon to lift it up out of the water and gently poke it with your finger to see if it is done to your liking. If it is, remove it to a plate. If it needs to cook longer, simply lower it back into the water for another minute and check it again.

That’s it. It seems like it should be more complicated, but it isn’t. Try it a couple of times and you too will be poaching like a pro.

What’s your favorite way to use a poached egg? Let us know in the comments!

Seahawks 7-Layer Dip & Superbowl Snack Round-up

January 31 By Renée 17 Comments

UPDATE: January 2015 – I would like to sincerely thank the Seahawks franchise for making this post relevant for the second year in a row.

Here in the PNW, we are all about the the Big Game this weekend – our very own Seattle Seahawks are in the Superbowl!! (OK, as a Portlander, saying “our very own” and “Seattle” in the same sentence hurts just a little bit, but we don’t have our own football franchise, so it’s time to ~~suck it up and take one for the team~~ embrace and support our brothers and sisters to the north.)

Believe it or not, this will be my very first Superbowl, ever. True story. I’m pretty excited about it too, because as far as I can tell based on the publicity and the Pinterest boards, at least half the hoopla is all about the party food. And beer. (OMGosh – have you seen the new Budweiser commercial with the puppy and the horse? It is so freaking sweet – it seriously made me cry.) Anyway, Mr B. and I are going over to the home of one of his poker buddies to watch the Game, and since I do have my reputation to uphold, I’ve been trying to think of something unique and easy to make for the party. Here’s my PNW-proud take on a classic – Seahawks Seven-Layer Dip:

I love those little cupcake toppers! You can get them FREE, along with lots of other cool free Superbowl Party printables, from Jen at Thrifty NW Mom!

Seahawks Seven-Layer Dip

This is WAY easier to put together than it looks – it should only take about 30 minutes tops, start to finish, including making the tomatilla salsa. For 1- 9×9 or 8×12 Layered Dip you will need:

1 batch Black Bean Dip Base (recipe below)
2 cups Guacamole (fresh or store-bought)
1 cup Plain Sour Cream
1 cup Blue Sour Cream (directions below)
Tomatillo Salsa (recipe below)
6 oz. Low-fat Cotija Cheese, grated (or finely chopped)
Top with cilantro and olives

Layer in the order above, beginning with Black Bean Base. I put the sour cream and guac in ziploc bags and cut a hole on the end to squeeze them out with more consistent, controlled distribution. For a festive, easy-to-hold option, layer individual servings into clear plastic cups instead.

Serve with:

Blue Corn Chips
Guacamole-flavored corn chips

Black Bean Dip Base

1 Tbls olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 cups cooked black beans (or 2 [15 oz] cans, rinsed and drained)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small jalapeño, seeds removed and diced
Juice and zest of one lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Saute chopped onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and saute one minute more.
Put half the beans, all of the sauteed onions, and the remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor. Pulse until chunky-smooth. Add the remaining whole beans and stir to combine.
(I like a little texture in my bean dip – if you like yours completely smooth, then add all the beans at the beginning. Can be made ahead of time – easily keeps for a couple of days to a week in the fridge.)

Blue Sour Cream:

Mix 1 cup of light Sour Cream with a few drops of Homemade Natural (or Store-bought Artificial) Blue Food Coloring, until you achieve the color you want. (I’m not a big fan of food-coloring, but this is a special occasion. If you avoid artificial coloring all together, the Homemade Natural Food Coloring takes just a few minutes: you will need a few leaves of red cabbage to make it.) Or you can just use blue food coloring from a tiny little plastic bottle.

Tomatillo Salsa

This is the best stuff!! You can make it when you need it, or way ahead of time. It does thicken up as it cools. Keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

10 tomatillos, husked
½ large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Place tomatillos in a saucepan and barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer, cooking until tomatillos soften and begin to burst (about 10-12 minutes).

Drain tomatillos and place in a blender or food processor or blender with onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper. Pulse until chunky-smooth, but don’t get too carried away.

Weight Watchers: One cup (as shown above with 1/3 cup beans, 3 Tbls light sour cream, 2 Tbls guacamole and a generous sprinkle of cotillja) is just 5 little PointsPlus! Serve it with carrot rounds or little peppers for dipping and you are good to go!

I’m not the only PNW blogger who has the party spirit though! Check out these great recipes from some of my favorite blogger buddies!

Kale Chips & Cocoa-Chili Spiced Nuts from Killer Pickles (Sarah says, “Try Oregon hazelnuts for the Spiced Nuts!”)

Chilled Vegetable Pizza from Pechluck’s Food Adventures (Pech lives in a mixed-eating household, and has a ton of Veggie-friendly recipes on her blog!)

Game Day Eats from Spabettie (This is a marvelous collection of Vegan recipes!)

More Game Day Recipes from Spabettie!

Northwest Bruschetta and Fried Pickles from Noble Pig (The bruschetta looks absolutely melt-in-your-mouth devine!)

How to Build a Snackadium from Sunshine & Sippy Cups

Homemade Steak Fries from The Coupon Project

Homemade Pumpkin Spice {Using FRESH Spices}

October 9 By Renée 7 Comments

Made with fresh spices in just minutes, this Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix is a must-have for fall baking!

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

The thing is, Pumpkin Spice in those little bottles at the store costs a fortune (relatively speaking), and you never know how long it’s been been sitting on that shelf. What’s more, they never have just the right balance of nutmeg to everything else for me. (I love nutmeg!)

A few years ago, I decided it was time to start making my own homemade Pumpkin Spice, and as it turns out, it’s pretty darned easy to make. Plus, the price differential will blow you away!

To put things in perspective, the ingredients for this recipe collectively cost less than 40 cents. By comparison, bottled Pumpkin Pie Spice can run more than twenty times that much, especially if you are buying organic.

To make fresh, homemade Pumpkin Spice, you first need to gather the freshest ingredients you can. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves are easy – buy them whole in the bulk section and grind them yourself. Grinding your own ginger, however, is another thing entirely, so you probably just want to buy pre-ground ginger.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix

Made with fresh spices in just minutes, this homemade Pumpkin Spice is a must-have for fall baking!

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Seasonings

Keyword: fall, pumpkin spice

Calories: 120kcal

Author: Renée | The Good Hearted Woman

Equipment

Ingredients

4 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1 whole fresh nutmeg
15-20 whole ground allspice
14-16 whole cloves
4 teaspoons ground ginger

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pound cinnamon sticks with a hammer or meat tenderizer to make smaller pieces.
In a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder, combine cinnamon stick pieces, whole cloves, whole allspice and grind into powder.
Leave it in the grinder and set aside.
Grate nutmeg on a nutmeg grater or microplane and add to cinnamon spice mix in grinder.
Freshly ground nutmeg is much more “lofty” than the kind you buy in the store, and much more aromatic!
Measure this. If you like nutmeg, use 2 teaspoons. If you aren’t as much a fan, use only 1 1/2 teaspoons.
Add ground ginger to grinder and give everything a whirl to combine.
Store mix in tightly sealed jar until ready to use.

Notes

Stored properly, this Pumpkin Spice Mix will last up to four years.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

It's so easy to make your own homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice using fresh spices!! Click through to get the How-to!!

**Do you love pumpkin? So do we! Here are a few more of our favorite pumpkin recipes!**

Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin (Makes a perfect vegetarian holiday meal centerpiece!)
Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Scones (Soooo good!)
Nana’s Old-fashioned Pumpkin Gingerbread
10 Best Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipes

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Rich & Hearty Homemade Vegetable Stock

October 30 By Renée 1 Comment

Every cook needs a great vegetable stock recipe – for soups, sauces, and enhancing all kinds of dishes. Canned stocks work in a pinch, but take the time to make this Homemade Vegetable Stock – made from roasted vegetables – just once and you’ll become a true believer.

When I was growing up, I didn’t even know that you could buy soup broth or stock from a can, because we always made it at home. Then I grew up, moved out, and learned that for the price of a cheap hamburger, you can buy it ready-made. Cool!

Well…as it turns out, canned stock isn’t so cool after all. What it is is flat and flavorless. So I went back to making my own, and I’ve been doing so ever since.

Homemade stock is cheap, easy to make, and amazingly versatile – and essential for cooking soups and stews and sauces. The basic vegetarian version includes onion, celery and carrots – add or delete vegetables according to your own tastes and the produce you have on hand.

The parsnip, by the way, is homage to my grandpa.?

Homemade Vegetable Stock from Roasted Vegetables | The Good Hearted Woman

Rich & Hearty Roasted Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock is cheap, easy to make, and amazingly versatile - and essential for cooking vegetarian soups and stews and sauces. The basic version includes onion, celery and carrots – add or delete vegetables according to your own tastes and the produce you have on hand.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 20 mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Basic

Servings:

Author: Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1 large sweet onion peeled and sliced vertically
½ a bunch of celery chopped into chunks
6-8 medium carrots cut in big chunks
1 parsnip peeled and sliced thick
½ pound tomatoes quartered
5 cloves garlic smashed
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 gallon water
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
4-5 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
Dash or two of hot sauce I use Cholula

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Put the prepared vegetables and thyme in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle with kosher salt and a little freshly ground pepper, and toss with olive oil.
Place vegetables in the preheated oven. Stir the vegetable every 20 minutes. Cook until all of the vegetables have browned and the onions start to caramelize, this will take about an hour.
Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large large stock pot. Add water, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf, and a dash or two of hot sauce. Bring to a full boil, and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered until liquid is reduced by about half (I tend to boil it a little longer - I like my stock rich and robust. Plus, you can water it down later if you want to. Taste and season with more kosher salt, pepper, etc, until it fits your personal tastes. (I usually add a teaspoon or so of brown sugar and some garlic powder.)
Pour the stock through a sieve. Stock can be used immediately, or stored in the refridgerator for later use, or frozen.
Makes about 2 quarts.
P.S. Technically, since this is seasoned when prepared, it is a broth, but "broth" sounds like something you eat when you're sick, so I'm calling it stock.

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

Prepped vegetables ready for roasting. They look so pretty.

Roasted vegetables ~ Can’t you just smell the flavors!? After you put the vegetables into the stock pot, deglaze the roasting dish with a little of the stock-water to loosen the caramelized bits and get every bit of flavor into your stock.

It takes about an hour and a half to reduce the stock. Stir every once and awhile, but otherwise, just let it do its thing. Season toward the end when the flavors of the vegetables have permeated the stock; do it too early in the process and it is easy to over-season.

Homemade pie crust is easy if you know a few simple secrets! This easy pie crust recipe is slightly sweet, and makes enough for one standard double-crust pie, two standard single-crust pies, or ten 6-inch hand-pies.

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

Three Secrets to a Perfect Pie Crust

How long should I bake pastry dough?

Sweet & Easy Homemade Pie Crust

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Standard Pastry Baking Times

Nutrition

Can I freeze this pie dough?

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Rye Sourdough Starter is – by far – the easiest sourdough to start. All you need is rye flour and water.

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

My mother kept a sourdough starter when I was young, and the pancakes and bread she made are now a treasured food memory. It’s time to continue the tradition.

How to Make Rye Sourdough Starter

What does 100% hydration mean?

Keep your Starter Cozy, Not Sweltering

Get a kitchen scale!

Materials

Tools

Instructions

Day 1 - - 2 ¼ ounces rye flour + 2 ¼ ounces water

Day 2 - - 2 ¼ ounces rye flour + 2 ¼ ounces water

Day 3 - - 1 ⅛ ounces rye flour + 1 ⅛ ounces water

Day 4 - - 1 ⅛ ounces rye flour + 1 ⅛ ounces water

Day 5

Notes

Weekly feeding (or every time starter gets used):

Recommended Products

Did you make this project?

What should I do with my Starter if I want to bake with it?

Stages of a Healthy Sourdough Starter

Covering your Starter

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If you’ve ever been intimidated by crêpes, try these Easy Basic Sweet Vanilla Crêpes and you’ll wonder why you ever worried.

Basic Sweet Vanilla Crêpes {Recipe}

Equipment

Ingredients

Simple fillings or toppings for sweet crêpes include:

Instructions

Prepare Crepes

Notes

Nutrition

Knowing how to poach eggs isn’t magic. In fact, it’s astonishingly easy it is to cook a velvety soft, perfectly poached egg – all you need are a few simple tricks.

How to Perfectly Poach an Egg

What’s your favorite way to use a poached egg? Let us know in the comments!

Seahawks Seven-Layer Dip

Black Bean Dip Base

Blue Sour Cream:

Tomatillo Salsa

Made with fresh spices in just minutes, this Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix is a must-have for fall baking!

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition

Do you love pumpkin? So do we! Here are a few more of our favorite pumpkin recipes!

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. 🌻 Be sure to PIN this post!

Every cook needs a great vegetable stock recipe – for soups, sauces, and enhancing all kinds of dishes. Canned stocks work in a pinch, but take the time to make this Homemade Vegetable Stock – made from roasted vegetables – just once and you’ll become a true believer.

Rich & Hearty Roasted Vegetable Stock

Ingredients

Instructions

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter
of The Good Hearted Woman. 🌻 Be sure to PIN this post!

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter
of The Good Hearted Woman. ? Be sure to PIN this post!

**Do you love pumpkin? So do we! Here are a few more of our favorite pumpkin recipes!**

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter
of The Good Hearted Woman. 🌻 Be sure to PIN this post!