I'm a 28 year old guy who has grown up in the kitchen =) My parents and my Mother's parents have all had restaurants so cooking is always something I've enjoyed and looked forward to.
Like most guys, though, I spend more time on the grill and the BBQ than I do baking.
That changed a bit though at the last restaurant I worked at before I finished school and began designing/building custom PC's. I was a line-cook and part of my job was to make the daily focaccia, hoagie rolls and regular "tied in a knot" dinner rolls.
If I learned nothing else, I learned that the only way to really know exactly how much flour you're using, isn't to use "level scoops" as measurement alone, but to in fact sift the flour before-hand. As flour sits, it becomes compact and dense. While it may "feel" soft and such, you might very well be getting far more than you really require or want. This could have a lot to do with pie crusts always cracking as you would have an improper water/flour ratio.
I am going to make my first attempt at a pie and I'm going to go straight for a double crust peach with an egg & sugar glaze over the top.