by Jim Battle » Fri Apr 20, 2007 7:10 pm
This is a nice easy pie crust recipe
This dough should be made in two batches. It will not be as reliable if you simply double the amounts and then divide the dough in two. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. I am not a baker.
1 C flour (dip and scoop measuring cup and level off with flat knife)
Mix with flour: 1 TBSP sugar Dash salt
Cut into flour with pastry cutter or two butter knives: 4 TBSP cold butter cut into pieces 1.5 TBSP cold shortening (ask your butcher for leaf lard, you will thank me later!)
Sprinkle with ~2 TBSP of ice water. Use your hand to gently scoop dough into a ball. You'll need to add more water, and using your hand will be the best way to tell how much more. As it begins to come together, dump it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured counter top. (My idol, Julia Child, had a slab of marble cut to fit inside her fridge, just to keep her work surface chilly when making puff pastry, pies, and such.)
Push the dough together, and gently smear the mass with the heel of your hand. I find a metal scraper works well to gather the mass. Turn and smear. It's similar to kneading bread dough but much more gentle.
This smearing action will help distribute the butter/shortening into the flour, giving you nice light, flakey layers. When it just is able to be formed into a smooth flat disk, wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
Start the second dough.
When you've got two nice slightly flattened dough disks, put them in the fridge and go do something else. This is critical! Working the dough will begin to develop the gluten in the flour. If you tried to use it immediately, you'll have a piecrust about the same texture as the pan it's baked in. Trust me on this one.
Give it at least two hours, preferably, eight.