High on Homemade Pie

Here’s a small confession: I have never made pie dough. From scratch, honest-to-goodness, work your upper body strength pie dough. All the lovely pies I’ve made over the years have used premade crusts straight from the grocery store’s refrigerated section. Much like how sushi was a mystery to me prior to traveling to Japan, the art of making my own pie dough still holds that same mystique. So when Rachel (formally Going) Caygill from Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant offered to demonstrate her pie making skills at a recent food bloggers meeting, I could not resist.

The effervescent Rachel is the pastry chef at Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant and I’ve heard wonderful things about all her pastries — particularly her pies.

While most pies are filled with a variety of delicious fruit fillings, after tasting one of Rachel’s pies, it’s the dough that defines it. Light, flaky and not to sweet, and sugar to top everything. It’s delicious to the last crumb.

If you can stand a bit of shakiness and my finger making an occasional appearance, here’s Rachel revealing all her secrets to making perfect pie dough — just in time for Thanksgiving!

Don’t have enough time to make pie for Thanksgiving? Consider purchasing a pie from Mama’s Pie — the biggest annual bake sale on the West Coast. Each pie sold provides more than six home-delivered meals to a neighbor struggling with a critical illness such as cancer or HIV/AIDS. Pies are $20 each and include apple, pumpkin, and pecan, as well as no-sugar-added apple pies. The deadline to reserve a pie is November 20. More information or to reserve your pie, please visit the website or call 619-233-6262.

Rachel Cayhill is also selling her spectacular pies on her website as well. Prices range between $20-$33 with Thanksgiving favorites such as bourbon pumpkin and maple pecan! Gluten-free options are also offered and all baked in her wood-fired oven.
With all these options available, why not save some time in the kitchen and order one (or both) of the choices above!