How do you make pastry (pie crust) light and flakey?

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Lets Make Pie!

• How do you make pastry (pie crust) light and
  flakey?

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Pastry (Pie)

• Ingredients flour, fat, salt water
• Mixing how much?
• Handling how carefully?

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Ingredients Flour

• To create flaky pastry, low protein flour must be
  used so a limited amount of gluten will form.
• Pastry flour is made of soft wheat, and makes a
  more tender pastry.
• If pastry flour is not available, a combination
  of 1 part all-purpose flour and 2 parts cake
  flour gives similar results.

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Ingredients Fat

• A number of fats can be used in pastry. They
  each have distinct characteristics. 
• General Function Fat surrounds the flour
  molecules and prevents too much water from coming
  in contact with the flour and forming excess
  gluten. Fat is called shortening because it
  shortens the strands of gluten. 

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Ingredients Liquid

• The liquid used to make pastry should be very
  cold to prevent softening the fat. 
• Function Water (or other liquid) moistens the
  dry ingredients and binds them together to form
  dough. The amount will vary because of the
  absorptive properties of flour.
• Always add half of the required liquid. Pat or
  fold the dough together. Add more liquid (1-2
  Tablespoons at a time) as needed to achieve the
  proper consistency.
•  

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Epicurious Pie Technique

• http//www.epicurious.com/video/technique-videos/t
  echnique-videos-pies/1915458783/pies-making-pie-do
  ugh-by-hand/1915433346

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Two Crust Pies

• Double a basic one-crust recipe
• Roll, then insert the bottom crust
• Fill the pie
• Roll, then cover the filling
• Seal, then flute the edges
• Vent the top crust
• Bake as directed

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One Crust Pies

• Roll the Pastry Out
• Transfer Crust to the Pie Pan
• Cut the Excess Crust
• Flute the Edge
• Bake or Fill and Bake

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Freezing

• Pie Shells Baked 4 months Unbaked
  2 months
• Fruit pies Bake first 4-6 months Thaw or
  warm to serve

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Freezing, Cont.

• Custard, Cream or Chiffon Pies DO NOT
  Freeze
• Chiffon Pies 1 month thaw 2-4 hours at room
  temperature
• Freeze pies first, then seal in foil or plastic,
  and label.

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Fun Stuff! Flavored Pastry

• Add one of the following
• to the flour before mixing
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 ½ t. citrus peel
• 2 T. chopped nuts
• ½ C. cheddar
• 1 t. celery seed

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Fun Stuff! -- Garnishes

• Place a doily or stencil on top of pie. Sprinkle
  with powdered sugar, cocoa powder or ground nuts.
• Drizzle syrup on the plate before placing pie on
  it, or place pie on the plate, and drizzle over
  pie and plate.
• Blend fruit and pour a thin layer of sauce on
  the plate. Drop chocolate syrup or heavy cream
  at intervals, and drag a knife blade through the
  dots to Sauce Paint.
• Pastry cut-outs can be placed on, or around the
  edge of an un-cooked shell. They may also be
  baked at 450 for 10 minutes, and arranged on top
  of a cooked pie.