Perfect Pie Crust
The big dilemma for
those of us who like to cook but don't always have the time to do everything
perfectly is whether to attempt to make our own pie crust or to buy a frozen
store bought version. Most frozen pie tins available in supermarkets across the
country bake up into something that can taste pretty industrial. Although both
Trader Joe's and Whole Foods offer some pre-rolled frozen pie dough circles
that will serve in a pinch.
If you do choose to
make your own pie crust, there are a dozen methods out there for doing so.
Every cook and every cookbook seems to have their own favorite. All butter, all
shortening, vegetable oil, part butter/part shortening, lard; the list goes on.
The following are
instructions for making 1) a basic butter crust (pâte
brisée) for sweet and savory pies and tarts, 2) a
butter crust with ground almonds replacing some of the flour for added flavor
for sweet pies such as apple pie, 3) a pre-baked pie crust needed for dishes
such as quiche, 4) a combination butter and shortening crust, and 5) an egg
wash finish for the pie.
The instructions will
yield enough dough for 1 10-inch pie with a crust top, or 2 10-inch topless
pies or tarts. If you are making a tart or just a pie bottom, cut all
ingredients in half.
Ingredients
All Butter Crust for
Sweet and Savory Pies (Pâte Brisée)
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra
for rolling
* 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted
butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 4 to 6 Tbsp ice water
Method
1 Cut the sticks of
butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour
(the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled.
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Dough is ready to
shape.
2
Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until
mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1
Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you
pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough
doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.
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pie-crust-disc.jpg
3 Remove dough from
machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs.
Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be
able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter
are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour
around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1
hour, and up to 2 days.
4 Remove one crust
disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in
order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a
rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an
inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the
surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to
keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently
press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie
plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of
the edge of the pie dish.
5
Add filling to the pie.
6 Roll out second
disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie.
Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with
kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of
dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together.
Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Score the top of
the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can
escape.
All Butter Crust with
Almonds
Ingredients
* 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for
rolling
* 1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or
almond flour
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
* 4 to 6 Tbsp ice water, very cold
Follow directions as
for the All Butter Crust Pâte Brisée,
but with the above ingredients. Include the ground almonds in with the flour
and the salt and sugar in step 2 above.
To Pre-Bake a Pie
Crust
If your recipe calls
for a pre-baked crust, as many custard pie recipes do, follow all the steps
above until you get to the point where it says to put in the filling. Note that
you will need to make only a half recipe if you are only doing a bottom crust.
Freeze the crust it for at least a half hour, until chilled. This is an
important step in pre-baking. Otherwise the crust will slip down the sides.
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Preheat your oven to
350°F. When the pie crust is sufficiently chilled, line the pie crust with
parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil. Fill at least two-thirds full
with pie weights - dry beans, rice, or stainless-steel pie weights. Bake with
weights for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool a few minutes and carefully
remove pie weights. Poke small holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork
and return to oven (without the weights) and cook for an additional 10 minutes,
until the crust is golden. Cool completely before filling. You may need to tent
the edges of the pie with aluminum foil when you bake your pie, to keep the
edges from getting too dried out and burnt.
Combination Butter
and Shortening Crust
Recipe adapted from
The Best Recipe cookbook from Cooks Illustrated.
Ingredients for one
double-crust 9 inch or 10 inch pie:
* 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 Tablespoons sugar
* 3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted
butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
* 1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8
Tbsp)
* 6-8 Tablespoons ice water
1 Mix flour, salt,
and sugar in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Scatter butter pieces
over flour mixture. Toss to coat the butter with a little of the flour. Cut
butter into the flour mixture with 5 one second pulses. Add shortening (a
tablespoonful at a time, not one big hunk of shortening) and cut into mixture
with about 4 more one second pulses. The mixture should resemble coarse
cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Turn mixture into a mixing
bowl.
2 Sprinkle 6
tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Using the blade of a rubber
spatula, press down on the dough, using a folding motion, until the dough
sticks together. Add up to 2 more tablespoons of ice water if the dough will
not come together. Do not over-knead the dough! Divide the dough into 2 balls
and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks. Dust the disks lightly with flour,
wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days
before rolling out.
3 After
the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, you can take
it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you may need to let it sit for 10 minutes
at room temperature before rolling. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat work
surface and the top half of one of the disks of dough. (We use a Tupperware
pastry sheet that has the pie circles already marked.) Using a rolling pin,
apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center. Every once in a
while you may need to use a metal spatula or a pastry scraper to gently lift
under the dough to make sure it is not sticking to the rolling surface. You
have a big enough piece of dough when you place the
pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least
2 inches all around.
4 When the dough has
reached the right size, gently fold it in half and then in half again. Lift up
the dough and place the folded point of the dough in the exact center of your
pie dish. Gently unfold. Lift the edge of the dough with one hand while easing
the pastry along the bottom of the dish with the other hand. Do not stretch the
dough.
5a If
you are only making a single crust pie, use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim
the dough to within 1/2 inch of the lip of the dish. Tuck the overhang underneath
itself along the edge of the pie dish. Use the tines of a fork to crimple the
edge of the pie crust.
5b If you are making
a double crust pie, roll out the second disk of dough. Use a pastry scraper to
help gently roll the dough around the rolling pin. Unroll the dough from the
rolling pin over the fruit-filled pie, centering the dough correctly on the
pie. Use a kitchen scissors to trim the overhang to an inch over.
Fold the edge of the
top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough,
pressing together.
Finish the double
crust by pressing against the edges of the pie with your finger tips or with a
fork.
6 Use a sharp knife
to cut vents into the top of the pie crust, so the steam has a place to escape
while the pie is cooking. Optional Before scoring, you may want to paint the
top of your crust with an egg wash (this will make a nice finish).
A lovely coating for
a pie can be achieved with a simple egg wash.
* 1 Tbsp heavy cream, half and half, or
milk
* 1 large egg yolk
Beat egg yolk with
cream and brush on the surface of the pie with a pastry brush.