It's easy to pick up a graham cracker crust or other pie crust pastry at the store, but homemade crust gives so much more flexibility. It's easy to change the flavor based on your filling, the recipes use ingredients from the pantry, and it's less expensive than buying premade crust.

Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking has some great recipes for pie crust that can be used with sweet or savory pies. The cookbook was published in 1933, which gives you an idea of how long these recipes have been used in pie making.

Below is a list of items to be kept on hand in order to make any of these homemade crusts in the spur of the moment. Many of the items are ones most of us have on hand to begin with, which makes things much easier.

SHOPPING LIST

Pound butter or margarine

Light brown sugar

Cinnamon

Nut meats

Gingersnaps

Graham crackers

Flour

Salt

Regular shortening

Granulated sugar

Potatoes

Bread

*In case there is a question on how to make fresh bread crumbs, the following method works well.

Homemade Soft Bread Crumbs

You'll need:

8-9 slices of homemade or purchased bread

This will make about 2 cups of crumbs depending on how thick the bread is. If the bread is very soft allow it to sit out on the counter uncovered for a couple of hours before cutting.

Remove the crust with a sharp knife, and use for something else, or chop and put out for the wildlife.

Using a serrated knife, or a chopper, cut the pieces over and over until they resemble crumbs. If you start to do this and the bread is smashing rather than cutting, let it sit out longer and try again in a bit.

Bread Crumb Pie Crust

1/3 cup soft butter or margarine

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup fresh, fine, dry bread crumbs

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Press firmly in a layer of uniform thickness over bottom and sides of a buttered 8 inch pie pan. Make sure the rim of the crust is uniform in thickness and symmetrical in shape. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) for 10 minutes. Cool and fill with any precooked or chiffon pie filling. Makes one crust.

Gingersnap Pie Crust

1/4 pound gingersnaps

(1 1/4 cups fine crumbs)

1/4 cup soft butter or margarine

Dash of salt

Lay gingersnaps between two sheets of waxed paper and crush with a rolling pin to make fine crumbs. Combine with the butter and salt and mix well. Press firmly in a layer of uniform thickness over the bottom and sides of a buttered 8 inch pie pan. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator for at least 45 minutes before filling with precooked or chiffon pie fillings. If pie is to be topped with meringue, spread on meringue and bake at 325 degrees F. for 6 to 8 minutes. Makes one pie.

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

16 graham crackers

(1 1/2 cups crumbs)

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. flour

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

Lay crackers between two sheets of waxed paper and crush with a rolling pin to make fine crumbs. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Press firmly into a 9 inch buttered pie pan to make an even level of uniform in thickness and a rim with a symmetrical shape. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator for at least 45 minutes before filling with precooked or chiffon pie fillings. If pie is to be topped with meringue, spread on meringue and bake at 325 degrees F. for 6 to 8 minutes.

Potato Pie Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup cold mashed potatoes, unseasoned without butter or milk

6 tbsp. shortening

Sift flour, measure and re-sift with salt and sugar. Add potatoes and mix with a fork till consistency of corn meal. Cut in shortening with 2 knives or pastry blender until particles are the size of rice grains, then gather up mixture and press into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for 1/2 hour. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness to fit an 8 inch pie pan. Trim edge, turn under and flute. Prick pastry closely all over and bake in a moderately hot oven (400 degrees F.) for 10-12 minutes. Cool before filling.