Can I use bread flour for a pie crust?

If you have never played with the different types of wheat I recommend that you do it can REALLY make a world of difference in your products.

breads need lots of gluten so bread flour is best and cakes and pastries need very little gluten as to not be tough so cake flour is much better. all purpose is a mix of bread and cake flour or hard and soft wheat. it works but with any compromise you loose some quality. Different brands can also make a big difference.

My mom used the same flour for everything. She also had a sifter. I don't know if one can even buy one of them these days. The cooks at the senior lunch program all use boxed cake mix. They are very convenient. Convenience always costs money.

Biggest problem with pie crust dough is over working it.

OK ladies - I'm gonna tell you how to make a pie crust that is easy to make and flakey - yes I use all purpose flour - into a bowel put 2 cups of flour - a little salt - one half cup oil - one quarter cup milk or water - mix by hand - cut into two pieces - wet counter and put piece of wax paper on counter - (if you wet the counter a little the wax paper won't slide around) - place one piece of dough on wax paper - put another piece of wax paper on top of dough - roll out the dough to fit bottom and sides of pie pan - once rolled out remove top wax paper and take lower wax paper and flip the dough over pie plate - do the same with the other piece of dough that you will use for the top of the pie - that's it - the finished pie will be as flakey as you can get and it will be best pie crust you ever made - making the pie crust should take you about 10 minutes - at most -

You mean some sorta special flour is the reason most cake is so awfull?
Ive noticed most commercial cakes are like eating fluff.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/flours/learn-more.html

this may help explain this. Commercial mixes can not be reproduced by home bakers.

My tip for flaky pie crust is to shred frozen butter with your cheese grater. And never ever ever overwork it, mix it just enough that it sticks together into a ball, use ice water, and keep everything as cold as possible. I also mix up the pie crust before I need it and chill it in the fridge for an hour or so before rolling it out.

The same way I know!!! LOL

But.... it is still edible, so if that is all you have then use it.

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Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

I have never made a pie crust in my life (yet I cook everything else from scratch!) but I think I could do this! Thanks.

As for flours, I'm in the all-pupose for everything camp. I add gluten for pizza dough. I don't like fluffy breads or cakes, I think they should have some 'omph' to them. I do sift flour for cakes as my mom always did. But then I make a cake maybe once a year.

This is the best and easiest pie crust you can make - and it is healthy too because it doesn't use any lard - also there is no worry or fuss about keeping things cold - I don't know why anyone would make any other pie crust - I can have a pie in the oven in about 20 minutes after I decide to make one -

BUT, BUT, BUTTTT!!! That vodka is going to evaporate!! What a shame!!!

I have a chest freezer and the top is ice cold. I've often wondered if using that surface would help in making pie crusts because it's so cold?

I use organic stone ground flour for baking breading and a finer pastry whole wheat flour for pie crusts and baking cookies. when I run out of the pastry flour I have used the regular whole wheat flour. I roll the pie crust thinner so it isn't thick like bread. I have made pizza thin crust the same way. It is not as good as pastry flour for crust but will do in a pinch. I don't have recipes for such things as I tend to throw things together until the feel right kneading. Basically bread is yeast, water, oil and flour. Of course many variations happen if you add eggs, fruit, milk, oabran or anything else. Making a pie crust I use milk, butter and flour . When I can't afford butter I use olive oil and sometimes add an egg. Nothing I make turns out exactly the same each time but my husband always likes it!