Double Crust Pie Dough
Makes enough pastry for 1 2-crust pie
Ingredients:
- 2 1/3 cups All-purpose flour
- 4 tsp Granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Cool unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 Large egg, directly from the fridge
- 2 tbsp Cold water
- 2 tsp White vinegar or lemon juice
- Combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut butter into small pieces (you can pull the butter from the fridge 30 minutes before adding) and add to the flour, mixing it in until the dough is a rough, crumbly texture.
- Whisk the egg, water and vinegar or lemon juice and add it all at once, mixing until dough comes together. Shape dough into 2 logs or discs, wrap them in plastic and chill for at least one hour before rolling.
{The pie dough can be frozen for up to 6 months and thawed in the refrigerator}
Pie Dough Essentials
Making pie dough can be broken down into 4 general areas for contemplation: the ingredients, the mixing, the resting and the rolling. Here are the basics behind each.
Ingredients:
The Fat Debate: Butter, Margarine, Shortening or Lard
Bakers are as passionate about this topic as others are about politics. Over the years I have created and used many pie pastry recipes with all of the above fats, alone and in combination. In a nutshell:
Butter – Unlike shortening or lard, butter’s consistency changes dramatically from chilled to room temperature, falsely creating a sense that a dough could be ruined if overworked, merely because the butter softens as the dough is mixed. Butter-based pie dough require less liquid (egg and water) than the other three fat choices, and is actually quite easy to handle once the dough has had a chance (about 30 minutes) to sit out of the fridge. Plain and simple, for taste and work ability, butter is my preferred choice.
Margarine – hydrogenated margarine handles better in pastry dough than UN hydrogenated, but then you have the issue of trans fats, making butter the better option if you have to choose. Margarine can be an appropriate dairy-free option, but you will have to add 1 to 2 Tbsp more of cool water to bring the dough together to make it workable.
Shortening – Vegetable shortening is shelf-stable and hydrogenated. Because of this hydrogenation, it makes it easiest to work into pie dough for flakiness, but the combination of trans fats plus a sometimes greasy taste and texture makes this a less popular option these days. Shortening-based pie dough need more water than a butter pastry to make it workable.
Lard – is rendered pork fat, and while some still swear by using it in pie pastry (particularly for butter tarts) it can result in a sandy texture to the pastry dough, albeit tender.
The Fat Debate: Butter, Margarine, Shortening or Lard
Bakers are as passionate about this topic as others are about politics. Over the years I have created and used many pie pastry recipes with all of the above fats, alone and in combination. In a nutshell:
Butter – Unlike shortening or lard, butter’s consistency changes dramatically from chilled to room temperature, falsely creating a sense that a dough could be ruined if overworked, merely because the butter softens as the dough is mixed. Butter-based pie dough require less liquid (egg and water) than the other three fat choices, and is actually quite easy to handle once the dough has had a chance (about 30 minutes) to sit out of the fridge. Plain and simple, for taste and work ability, butter is my preferred choice.
Margarine – hydrogenated margarine handles better in pastry dough than UN hydrogenated, but then you have the issue of trans fats, making butter the better option if you have to choose. Margarine can be an appropriate dairy-free option, but you will have to add 1 to 2 Tbsp more of cool water to bring the dough together to make it workable.
Shortening – Vegetable shortening is shelf-stable and hydrogenated. Because of this hydrogenation, it makes it easiest to work into pie dough for flakiness, but the combination of trans fats plus a sometimes greasy taste and texture makes this a less popular option these days. Shortening-based pie dough need more water than a butter pastry to make it workable.
Lard – is rendered pork fat, and while some still swear by using it in pie pastry (particularly for butter tarts) it can result in a sandy texture to the pastry dough, albeit tender.
Egg
Some pie pastry recipes call for egg, others do not. An egg offers richness and tenderness from the yolk, and structure from the white as well as moisture, reducing the amount of water needed to bring the dough together.
Water
The majority of pie pastry recipes give you a range of water to add i.e. 2 to 5 Tbsp, giving you, the baker, room to question and wonder how much is needed. With accurate measuring and extensive testing, the recipe in this book takes the guesswork out of this. 2 tablespoons provides enough moisture to bring the dough together and roll without cracking, and is little enough to keep a tender and flaky texture.
Vinegar or Lemon Juice
A little acidity is the key to a flaky and tender pastry. The acid shortens the gluten, or protein strands, in dough. It is that protein development that can cause pie dough to shrink back when you roll it, or to shrink in the pie plate.
Sugar
Sugar is added to the similar effect as the acidity, to shorten the protein development and make for a tender pastry. It sweetens the dough, but only a touch, so that this same pastry dough can be used for savory recipes like quiche.
Some pie pastry recipes call for egg, others do not. An egg offers richness and tenderness from the yolk, and structure from the white as well as moisture, reducing the amount of water needed to bring the dough together.
Water
The majority of pie pastry recipes give you a range of water to add i.e. 2 to 5 Tbsp, giving you, the baker, room to question and wonder how much is needed. With accurate measuring and extensive testing, the recipe in this book takes the guesswork out of this. 2 tablespoons provides enough moisture to bring the dough together and roll without cracking, and is little enough to keep a tender and flaky texture.
Vinegar or Lemon Juice
A little acidity is the key to a flaky and tender pastry. The acid shortens the gluten, or protein strands, in dough. It is that protein development that can cause pie dough to shrink back when you roll it, or to shrink in the pie plate.
Sugar
Sugar is added to the similar effect as the acidity, to shorten the protein development and make for a tender pastry. It sweetens the dough, but only a touch, so that this same pastry dough can be used for savory recipes like quiche.
The Mixing
By Hand
Mixing by hand using a pastry cutter or even 2 butter knives criss-crossing is the best way to keep in touch with your dough, since you are directing the action. If you are blessed with cold hands (it is one of the few times I am grateful to have naturally cold hands), you can use your fingers to cut in the butter.
This process takes longer than using beaters, a stand mixer of food processor, but the results will be the same. It’s best to actually cut the butter into small pieces while cold, then let it sit out for 30 minutes before cutting into the dough. This may seem contrary to how you may have been taught, but the slightly softer butter cuts into the flour faster, so you run a lower risk of overworking the dough. Additionally, slightly softened butter works in more evenly – cold butter can shatter and break into uneven pieces, so you are left with some butter worked into the dough a little too much and other bits that are still chunky.
Stand Mixer
Using the paddle attachment, incorporating first the butter and then liquids into the flour is accomplished easily and evenly. Always mix on lowest or second lowest speed, so as to avoid exercising and lengthening those gluten's.
Butter that has been cut into pieces and left out for 30 minutes is also recommended here. It will take only a minute or so to work the butter into the flour compared to twice that time for ice cold butter (twice the time exercising that flour!)
Food processor
The quick action of the blade makes pie dough come together in a snap, but be sure to only use the pulse function to keep control. This is the one tool where I recommend using cold butter directly from the fridge, since the friction of the fast-moving blade will warm up that butter just a touch.
Electric beaters
Not a favorable choice, since the dough can get stuck in the beaters and the motor could even overheat once the liquid is added. I would favor mixing by hand instead.
By Hand
Mixing by hand using a pastry cutter or even 2 butter knives criss-crossing is the best way to keep in touch with your dough, since you are directing the action. If you are blessed with cold hands (it is one of the few times I am grateful to have naturally cold hands), you can use your fingers to cut in the butter.
This process takes longer than using beaters, a stand mixer of food processor, but the results will be the same. It’s best to actually cut the butter into small pieces while cold, then let it sit out for 30 minutes before cutting into the dough. This may seem contrary to how you may have been taught, but the slightly softer butter cuts into the flour faster, so you run a lower risk of overworking the dough. Additionally, slightly softened butter works in more evenly – cold butter can shatter and break into uneven pieces, so you are left with some butter worked into the dough a little too much and other bits that are still chunky.
Stand Mixer
Using the paddle attachment, incorporating first the butter and then liquids into the flour is accomplished easily and evenly. Always mix on lowest or second lowest speed, so as to avoid exercising and lengthening those gluten's.
Butter that has been cut into pieces and left out for 30 minutes is also recommended here. It will take only a minute or so to work the butter into the flour compared to twice that time for ice cold butter (twice the time exercising that flour!)
Food processor
The quick action of the blade makes pie dough come together in a snap, but be sure to only use the pulse function to keep control. This is the one tool where I recommend using cold butter directly from the fridge, since the friction of the fast-moving blade will warm up that butter just a touch.
Electric beaters
Not a favorable choice, since the dough can get stuck in the beaters and the motor could even overheat once the liquid is added. I would favor mixing by hand instead.
Resting
Time is a pie pastry’s good friend during the entire process, and resting is how most of that time is used.
It is critically important to let the dough rest a minimum of an hour before rolling it. It is less about re-chilling the butter as it is about letting those protein strands, the gluten relax. Every time you work a dough, whether mixing it or rolling it, you should give it time to rest. That little bit of time will save you much frustration down the road, since this simple step is a crucial contribution to a pie crust that is tender, flaky and does not shrink as it bakes.
Rolling
The same principle in making the dough with gently softened butter applies to the pie dough before you roll it. Pull the dough out 30 minutes before you wish to roll it, and you’ll find it rolls easily with little cracking. In fact, because it rolls so easily and quickly, you’ll be exercising those gluten's less, ensuring a tender pastry.
Think about it in the way you butter toast. If you try and spread cold butter on your toast, what happens? It cracks and breaks, is hard to manage, and you tear your toast in the process. And if you spread slightly softened butter? It spreads easily and evenly and your toast remains intact.
To test that your dough is soft enough to roll, press your thumb into it. You should be able to make an indentation with just a little pressure. If it doesn't yield, give the dough another 10 minutes to warm up.
Time is a pie pastry’s good friend during the entire process, and resting is how most of that time is used.
It is critically important to let the dough rest a minimum of an hour before rolling it. It is less about re-chilling the butter as it is about letting those protein strands, the gluten relax. Every time you work a dough, whether mixing it or rolling it, you should give it time to rest. That little bit of time will save you much frustration down the road, since this simple step is a crucial contribution to a pie crust that is tender, flaky and does not shrink as it bakes.
Rolling
The same principle in making the dough with gently softened butter applies to the pie dough before you roll it. Pull the dough out 30 minutes before you wish to roll it, and you’ll find it rolls easily with little cracking. In fact, because it rolls so easily and quickly, you’ll be exercising those gluten's less, ensuring a tender pastry.
Think about it in the way you butter toast. If you try and spread cold butter on your toast, what happens? It cracks and breaks, is hard to manage, and you tear your toast in the process. And if you spread slightly softened butter? It spreads easily and evenly and your toast remains intact.
To test that your dough is soft enough to roll, press your thumb into it. You should be able to make an indentation with just a little pressure. If it doesn't yield, give the dough another 10 minutes to warm up.
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