Making Classic Pie Crust
The secret isn't in a special flour or a complex technique, but in temperature control. If you treat the butter with a light touch and keep the water ice-cold, you will have a sturdy yet tender foundation for any filling.
Mind the temperature
If the kitchen is warm, pop your flour bowl and the cut butter into the freezer for ten minutes before you begin. Work fast so the heat from your hands does not melt the fat.
- Large mixing bowl
- Pastry cutter or two dinner knives
- Rolling pin
- Plastic wrap
What goes in.
- 2 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1 cupunsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 1/2 cupice water
Pea-Sized Pieces
Aim for a texture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some butter chunks still clearly visible. Those visible flecks are the foundation of your flake.
The method.
Mix dry ingredients
Whisk the flour and salt in your chilled bowl until evenly combined.
Cut in the butter
Add the cold butter cubes. Use your pastry cutter to work the fat into the flour until you see pea-sized pieces.
Add water
Drizzle the ice water over the mixture, one tablespoon at a time. Use a fork to stir until the dough just begins to clump together.
Chill the dough
Divide the dough into two discs, wrap them tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour. This relaxes the gluten.
Roll
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough from the center outward, turning it occasionally to keep the edges even.
Other turns to take.
Lard or Shortening
Substituting half of the butter with chilled lard or vegetable shortening creates a slightly softer, more neutral-tasting crust.
Sweetened Crust
Add two tablespoons of granulated sugar to the dry ingredients if you are making a fruit pie.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always use a light touch; overworking the dough develops gluten, which makes the crust tough rather than flaky.
If the dough feels sticky while rolling, flour your surface again or put the disc back in the fridge for ten minutes.
Do not pull the dough as you lay it into the pie dish; let it fall into place to prevent it from shrinking back during baking.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my crust shrink in the oven?
The dough was likely stretched during placement or it was not given enough time to rest in the refrigerator before rolling.
Can I use a food processor?
You can, but pulse it very sparingly. It is very easy to over-process the butter into a paste with a machine.