RobNJ
New member
Being that another holiday season is right around the corner, I figure this may be a useful recipe for some home bakers. An above average pie crust takes all of 10 minutes to make, and is FAR superior to any pre-made product I have sampled(quite a few, to say the least).
3 parts all purpose flour
2 parts unsalted butter
Ice water
Pinch of salt
That's it! Put your flour and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl and give a quick mix. Take butter from refrigerator, dice into 1/4-1/3 inch blocks(smaller the better). Add to flour while cold and by hand, work the butter into the flour until it's just about fully incorporated. This will be a little tough at first, as cold butter naturally does not want to bind with flour. When butter is almost fully incorporated, add a small amount of iced water at a time. Let the butter/flour mixture fully absorb water before adding more. Add water until the dough is malleable, yet firm(it shouldn't crack if you squeeze it, as that would mean it's too dry...but it shouldn't be too soft either). When this consistency is achieved, place dough in a plastic bag, and put in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Clear/clean some counter/table space on which to roll out dough. Flour work space. Take dough from the refrigerator, put in floured work area, flour top of dough and proceed to roll it out to approx 1/8 inch thickness. Form to whatever pie pan you like.
This will require a "pre-bake" for most pies.
COLD butter and water, and mixing by hand are imperative in making a good pie crust, as they contribute to a highly desirable flakiness.
If no rolling pin is available, a wine bottle does the job just fine.
I know this isn't as much a recipe as it is a guide, since I can't give actual measurements. I've been cooking(as my job) for 12 years, so everything I do is done largely by sense, feel, smell, etc...not amounts.
3 parts all purpose flour
2 parts unsalted butter
Ice water
Pinch of salt
That's it! Put your flour and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl and give a quick mix. Take butter from refrigerator, dice into 1/4-1/3 inch blocks(smaller the better). Add to flour while cold and by hand, work the butter into the flour until it's just about fully incorporated. This will be a little tough at first, as cold butter naturally does not want to bind with flour. When butter is almost fully incorporated, add a small amount of iced water at a time. Let the butter/flour mixture fully absorb water before adding more. Add water until the dough is malleable, yet firm(it shouldn't crack if you squeeze it, as that would mean it's too dry...but it shouldn't be too soft either). When this consistency is achieved, place dough in a plastic bag, and put in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Clear/clean some counter/table space on which to roll out dough. Flour work space. Take dough from the refrigerator, put in floured work area, flour top of dough and proceed to roll it out to approx 1/8 inch thickness. Form to whatever pie pan you like.
This will require a "pre-bake" for most pies.
COLD butter and water, and mixing by hand are imperative in making a good pie crust, as they contribute to a highly desirable flakiness.
If no rolling pin is available, a wine bottle does the job just fine.
I know this isn't as much a recipe as it is a guide, since I can't give actual measurements. I've been cooking(as my job) for 12 years, so everything I do is done largely by sense, feel, smell, etc...not amounts.