A GOOD CRUST IS KEY TO MAKING THE PERFECT PIE BECAUSE IT ’ S THE FOUNDATION OF THE DESSERT . JULIE MCKINNEY MAKES A OLD-TIMEY STYLE CRUST THAT COMES OUT PERFECTLY FLAKY EACH TIME .
A CRUST filled with
and building a bond through
STORY AND PHOTOS BY CHARLENE BELEW
Baking a pie from scratch can seem like a chore to many , but for Julie McKinney , it ’ s a labor of love fueled by family ties . Julie ’ s mom , Leona , is responsible for her love of pies . At a young age , Julie ’ s brother wanted to make one of his mother ’ s specials , a coo-la-la pie .
“ My brother told my mom that he needs a little help ,” she recalled with a chuckle . “ Then I , being the little sister , demanded , since I ’ m a girl , I should know how to bake that pie . So that ’ s how it all started .”
Her mother continued working with Julie and soon , they dove into the crust — one of the key components and the most important , Julie says , for a delicious pie .
“ She taught me how to make a crust , to not let it get hot or anything like that . And she taught me how to throw the crust with one finger ,” Julie said .
The crust with one finger trick is very important , because the crust is the foundation .
“ You want it flaky , but not tough and you don ’ t want it so flaky that it ’ ll kind of melt away with the