Basic Pie Dough
- Comments()
Everyday Food, November 2006
- Yield Makes two 9-inch crusts
Add to Shopping List
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Directions
- In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
- Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to cup more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overmix.
- Transfer half of dough (still crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days). Repeat with remaining dough.
- Place one disk of dough on a lightly floured piece of waxed paper. Rolling from center outward, form into a 14-inch round. Using paper, lift and wrap dough around a floured rolling pin; carefully unroll (discarding paper) over a 9-inch pie plate.
- Gently fit dough into bottom and sides of plate. Avoid stretching or tearing dough. Using kitchen shears, trim overhang to 1 inch; fold under to form a rim. Crimp with fingertips and knuckle. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.
True you do have to add more water... just watch it. Again, look for small pea sized formation of the dough then squeeze between fingers. if it holds together but will still easily fall apart, you are good.
As for thawing out the left over disk you may have stored in plastic in your freezer, what is the best process? How much time to thaw? Thanks.
Food processor pie dough, where have you been all my life?! I will never need another crust recipe again! Made this for our Thanksgiving Day pies and could not believe how easy it was! Flaky, yummy goodness. Sigh.....
Food processor pie dough, where have you been all my life?! I will never need another crust recipe again! Made this for our Thanksgiving Day pies and could not believe how easy it was! Flaky, yummy goodness. Sigh.....
This makes a perfect pie crust all the time
I had issues with the dough at first too (I think everyone does at one point in their pie making trials). I added most of the 1/2 c. water because my butter had just come out of the freezer. I made a mistake that worked out though: instead of refrigerating the dough for an hour I froze it for an hour. At first it was awfully crumbly but then the butter began to melt and the dough had enough plasticity to roll out. Use wax paper and work in smooth, swift strokes. Hopefully this helps!
Ack, this was a disaster for me. I need more specific instructions about than "crumbly but holds together when squeezed". Do you mean it still breaks apart easily after squeezing and looks crumbly? Or more firm than that. After 3/4 c of water added (it's dry dry dry on the prairies in the winter), this was still a crumbly mess when rolled out after refrigeration. Repairing with water drops and praying for mercy from the quiche gods.
You're right! The correct amount of water is 1/4 cup. The recipe has been fixed--thank you for pointing out the error.
You're right! The correct amount of water is 1/4 cup. The recipe has been fixed--thank you for pointing out the error.
Should be no more than 6-8 tablespoons of ice cold water to 16 ozs of flour, 2 sticks of cold butter or butter/shortening mix.(stick them in the quick freeze 15 mins). Let sit in fridge for 30 mins before rolling. Makes a perfect pastry every time. Also, only needs a pinch of salt, sugar only if your taste prefers.
One Whole Cup of Water!!! Plus more if needed! I don't think this is correct.
Yes, one cup of water would make a paste-mess. I'm the worst with pie crust.
It invariably ends up tough as a plank.
Any suggestions?
Follow-up comment: the magazine receipe says 1/4 cup of ice water, followed by an additional max 1/4 cup, 1 tablespoon at a time.
DO NOT follow this recipe as listed above - it's incorrect.
Something askew with this recipe. Even just one cup of water is WAY too much for 2.5 cups of flour for two pie crusts. Editors need to revise asap.
Be sure to form into perfect discs so that they roll out round. Handle the dough very sparingly because it will not bake right if you don't.