Place rolling-pin across the centre of the piece of paste . . . roll the pin forward
to the edge of the paste... place pin again across centre of paste... roll it toward
you, to edge of paste.

After a couple of rolls forward and a couple back, either turn the paste, or roll
sideways—beginning each roll at the centre and going to the right one time, to
the left, the next.

How thin should paste be rolled?

For most uses, thin; the average called for is 14-inch thickness,

Check size of sheet of paste with pie pan, making sure there is enough to line
pan up to, and over, the rim.

TO LINE A PIE PAN

Having rolled out a piece of paste for a bottom crust or to make an open pie
shell, there is a right way to line a pie pan with it.

The paste should be large enough to line bottom and sides of pan easily—without
the least bit of stretching; if you stretch raw paste, you will have excessive shrinkage
when pastry is baked.

Fold the rolled-out paste in half, and then fold it lightly again, so that you
have four quarters in the stack.

Place on pan, so that bottom quarter is in the position in which it will remain.

Open one fold, and ease the paste down so it covers half the pie pan—try to do
this in such a way that you run the air out of that part of the pan ahead of the paste.

Open the other fold, and ease paste gradually down into the pan, again pushing
out the air ahead of the paste.

Next, the paste that lies up the sides of the pan should be gently pressed into
place from the bottom upward, to exclude air as much as possible.

(Why all this care to exclude air? Because if air is imprisoned beneath paste,
it will expand in the heat of the oven, and will raise the paste in bubbles or blisters—
particularly in the case of an open pie-shell.)

Trim paste neatly with a sharp knife.

If pan is to be lined for an open-faced pie or a pie shell, see all the special pointers
in ‘To Make Pie or Tart Shells.”

TO APPLY A TOP CRUST

For a two-crust pie: When the pie pan has been lined with paste and generously
filled with your choice of fruit, etc., you are ready for the pastry cover.

Roll out a sheet of paste a bit larger than your pie pan. Double the sheet of
paste and slash it or cut eyelets in it to allow for escape of the steam which will
rise from the filling. Dampen rim of under-paste. Lay top-paste over half of the
filling, then open this sheet of paste and ease it down over the other half of the
surface. Press around:edge to seal, then, with a sharp knife or scissors, trim around
edges; crimp border.

FOR DEEP-DISH PIES

Fresh or canned fruits make tempting deep-dish pies . . . serve them warm,
with pouring cream or custard sauce. The fruit filling can be made as directed

45 LESSON 7