I don’t consider in perfection, in existence or in the kitchen. At high-quality, the whole thing we do is a work in progress that gets a tad closer each time we nudge and tweak it. Case in point, remaining yr’s Pie Crust one zero one educational: My intention changed into to convince dough-phobes that they needn’t fear the crust with the aid of displaying how I made mine in five minutes flat, or critically, manner less time than one might spend buying one. My goodness, specifically with the strains inside the grocery shops this week, right?
Of direction in the one year given that, I’ve probably made approximately 12 extra doughs and I swear, each single time I consider some thing that wasn’t in that submit and am certain you’ve been robbed. So, without similarly ado, right here is Pie Crust 102: A few extra pointers and adjustments. If you’re a pie dough noob, Pie Crust 101 continues to be all you will need to get the job accomplished, however in case you’re trying to take it a step or two further, right here you move:
NEW: Watch me make this on YouTube!
1. I’m over shortening. There, I stated it. For maximum of my life, I didn’t accept as true with in shortening in crusts. It had no taste, it's miles alternatively icky and mysterious if you provide it too much concept, and who cares about flakiness in a one-crust pie besides? But then I weakened my solve. All the Cook’s Illustrateds and Ina Gartens claimed that the simplest! best! manner to make the flakiest! pie dough was to apply shortening in element, and I do value their opinions so. I did this for aboutyears, and now I’m lower back to all butter, infant. Do you already know why? Well, for all of the authentic reasons–taste rules and ickiness isn't well worth it–however due to the fact I even have also found out that when you in reality recognize a way to make pie dough, it gained’t count number which fat you operate. So butter it's miles toddler! I’ll by no means doubt it once more.
2. I not use the food processor for pie dough, and don’t suppose you must both. Ooh, how very contentious of me! Yet, I am not announcing this to be contentious, I am pronouncing this due to the fact I even have made dozens of crusts in both the food processor and with a hand held pastry blender and the latter always wins the flaky wars. Here is why: The huge majority of meals processor dough recipes let you know to pulse the butter with the flour until it forms coarse or pea-like bits, and then upload the water and pulse it till “simply mixed”. This is in which this approach fails: you already have the scale butter portions you want and but nevertheless, you fall apart the further. In the quit, it is a lot tougher to overwork your dough and overmix your butter by means of hand than it's far whilst you use the food processor.
[Also, for those folks missing dishwashers, the food processor on my own is five parts/five dishes (Yes, I count number. Every unmarried freaking time I wash it.) and extra like ten when you consist of measuring cups and spoons, sheesh. By hand, I use a massive bowl, pastry cutter, measuring spoons,measuring cups, a knife and a rubber spatula: seven dishes, max. Oh, it counts.]
three. Visible butter = visible flakiness. As I stated above, the single most crucial component to keep away from while making pie dough is not to interrupt down the butter too much. If you can't see flecks of butter on your final dough, you'll omit out on a whole lot of flakiness. When these butter-speckled doughs hit the oven, the butter melts created tiny pockets in the flour that surrounded it; the steam that escapes from the butter’s water content lifts those pockets. (The precept in the back of puffed pastry is the same, but we will get to that any other day.) These pockets are your flakes. They are your friends. When you are making pie dough, your complete purpose need to be to preserve a number of these eensy bits of butter visible.
four. Cold, cold, bloodless, bloodless and bloodless. So how do you hold the ones butter portions seen? You maintain them bloodless. If they get heat — even a little heat — they get soft, and in the event that they get smooth earlier than they hit the oven, they've much less of an ability to make the dough flaky. Do the whole lot on your electricity to keep them cold. If your kitchen is greater heat, as mine is today, you can do quite a number of factors with the intention to assist the dough stay less warm longer, or at the least until you could get it back in the refrigerator to rest: Cube the butter and re-refrigerate it, blend your flour and sugar and salt and refrigerate that bowl too. If you’re rolling that dough out and it tears and sticks and you ought to start again? Rechill it first. Sure, I sound a bit insane (did you get that element? approximately the bloodless being essential?) however while every body is oohing and aahing over your flaky buttery dough, you comprehend it will be worth it.
5. About that vodka. Last year, I used Cook’s Illustrated new and advanced pie dough with vodka in it for my demonstration. ‘Vodka?’ you’re questioning, ‘Are you mad?’ But the motive is that vodka gives the dough the liquid a dough needs to return together however being normally alcohol, evaporates inside the oven, leaving you with a further flaky dough. Because it is colorless and odorless, no person can be the wiser what your secret factor is. And all of us loves a Top Secret Ingredient, non?
Nevertheless, I found out speedy that I didn’t like this dough — this dough that I informed you to use! — much at all. I found it too sticky, and the flakiness no longer a whole lot of an development and went lower back to my old, simple recipe. However, so a lot of you cherished the crust, I wasn’t exactly going to alternate the recipe. Instead, I’m using that space beneath to offer you my other pie dough recipe, vodka unfastened and illustrated.
Now move forth a bake ye some pie! I’ll be the one inside the lower back row, jumping up and down and shouting ‘You can do it!’ like a high faculty basketball coach on too many Red Bulls.
All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough
[Psst! There’s a more moderen, even flakier pie crust at the site.]
Makes enough dough for one double-, orunmarried-crust pies.
2 1/2 cups (325 grams) flour1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar1 teaspoon (five grams) first-class sea or desk salt1 cup (eight oz or 225 grams) unsalted butter, very cold
Gather your ingredients: Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a huge bowl — I like to use a completely huge one, so I can get my palms in — whisk collectively 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Dicesticks (eight oz or 1 cup) of very bloodless unsalted butter into half of-inch pieces. Get out your pastry blender.
Make your mix: Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with the pastry blender, the use of it to scoop and redistribute the combination as needed so all components are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are the scale of tiny peas — this received’t take lengthy — prevent. Yes, despite the fact that it appears choppy; you’ll thank me later.
Glue it collectively: Start through drizzling 1/2 cup (one hundred twenty ml) of the ice-bloodless water (however now not the cubes, if there are any left!) over the butter and flour aggregate. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, collect the dough together. You’ll in all likelihood need an additional 1/four cup (60 ml) of cold water to carry it collectively, however add it a tablespoon as a time. Once you’re pulling massive clumps with the spatula, take it out and get your arms in there (see how that big bowl comes in accessible?). Gather the disparate damp clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently collectively.
Pack it up: Divide the dough in half of, and region each half on a huge piece of plastic wrap. I like to use the edges to tug in the dough and form it right into a disk. Let the dough relax within the fridge for one hour, but ideally at the least , before rolling it out.
Do in advance: Dough will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, and in the freezer longer. If now not the use of it that day, wrap it in additional layers of plastic wrap to defend it from fridge/freezer smells. To defrost your dough, flow it to the refrigerator for one day earlier than using it.
Next up: A wee academic on rolling out your dough.
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