The Newark journal., 1922-03-16

(Prspared by the United States Department
 of Agriculture.)
 Every housekeeper, Ill the secret places in her soul, longs t0 have some one praise her pie. She can have pie that can be praised if she follows carefully the recipe for mixing and handling the dough that is used by food specialists In the United States Department of Agriculture.
 Plain Pastry for DoubIe-crus Pie. 1k cupfuls flour 1-3 cupful fat Ca lit- l-3 tablespoonfuls tie more than 5 water level tablespoon
 fuls)
 2-3 teaspoonful salt
 Place the four, salt and lard into a bowl and cut with q biscuit cutter until it looks mealy. Take out one- fourth cupful of the finely divided fiour-and-fat mixture to be used later on the upper and under crusts. Add the water gradually to the remaining four-and-fat mixture, cutting with the biscuit cutter until the water is eyen- ly mixed in.
 Divide the dough Into two approxi- mately equal parts, one for the upper and the other for the under crust. Shape each into fiattened ball and roll until about five inches in diameter.
 Take one of these flat cakes of dough; place about one eighth eupful of the finely divided fiour-and-fat mix ture which was reserved, onto the half of the dough nearest the worker, and fold the other half over this, pressing the edges together. Roll slightly and fold the right side over two-thirds of the way toward the op- posite edge; then fold the left side similarly toward the right edge, thus making an oblong piece of three thick nesses. Fold this oblong piece of dough through the center to form a square.
 Shape the dough with the hands so as 10 round the corners, thus making a round cake. Roll lightly until the dough is large enough to cover the pan. Cover the pan with the dough taking pains to see that no air is in closed between the pan and dough Put the pie filling in place.
 Roll the upper crust in the same manner as that described for the low CT. Cut perforations in the upper crust to allow for the escape of steam. Moisten the rim of the under crust with water, place the top crust in po- l sition, and press the two edges to- gether with the thumb. Trim the edges with knife and press the edges together again, using the tines of a fork.
 Bake 9 to 30 minutes in mod crate hot oven, i. e., at about 450 de- grees F.
 Special Points to Be Observed.
 No more water should be added than the recipe calls for. The propor- tions given have been tested innumer- able times, and the addition of extra water will only result in cracker like pastry Extra flour will not off set extra water because the propor- tions of the entire recipe will then be altered. If handled and measured cor rectly this recipe is always satisfac- tory.
 
 should be used for all kinds of pastry is more or less of a superstition. On the contrary, If the fat is very cold, as it will be if it is kept in cold room or out-of-doors in freezing weather, hot water is better than cold for mix ing the dough. In very warm weather, however, 1t Is well to use cold water if the fat seems very soft.
 h putting the pie crust on the pan it should be cut enough larger than the pan to allow for shrinkage. It should be well pressed into the pan and around the bottom with the fin gers so that no air can be enclosed beneath 1t. A single pie crust or she'll baked as undercrust for lemon or chocolate or custard pie, should be pricked with fork in.many places to allow any air that is below the crust to escape; otherwise it will puff up in the middle. The upper edge of this undercrust should be rolled under the edge of the pan. This gives good appearance to the fipished pie.
 In making custard pies, or those containing juicy fruits like cherries or blueberries, a soggy undercrust can be avoided if, before the filling is put in, the crust is baked for about ten niin- utes or until the color starts to change. It must not be baked until brown te- fore filling, for fear that the pie would be dark and unpalatahle. The fruit or custard should be heated and added to the partially baked crust while the | latter is still in the oven; the baking is then finished as usual. When making number of pies it is worth while to glaze them by brush ing the upper crust with a mixture of three tablespoonfuls of milk to one well-beaten egg. For single pie it would hardly pay to use the egg un- less what remained of the mixture could be utilized for pudding, French toast, or some other cooking. Brush the glaze on with a fork wrapped In a bif of clean muslin.
 Custard Pie.
 lH eupfuls milk If teaspoonful Va. aeges nliia cul s''' st~a" Nutmeg - ss~sS -...s