Crisp Pastry Crust Recipes

THE BEST PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal. Pour in water slowly; knead dough into a firm ball.
• Pour in additional water as needed if dough is too dry or additional flour if too moist. Divide batter into equal halves. Roll out dough halves into rounds on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin to desired thickness.
• Press one round into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Use the other round as a top crust or for a separate bottom crust. Bake according to desired filling instructions.

CRISP PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Place flour, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl and mix well.
• Cut in the butter and shortening, and cut the fat into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
• In a cup whisk together the yolk and 3 teaspoons of the ice water.
• Using a fork mix it into the dry mixture, drawing the mixture twoards the center of the bowl.
• If it's still crumbly add a bit more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
• Turn out, knead for a few seconds and form into 2 even balls.
• Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll out and use as you will.

MORNING CRISPIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, oil, salt, eggs, extract and 2 cups flour; beat well. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch the dough down. Turn onto a floured surface, roll out into a 1/4-in.-thick rectangle. Spread with 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar. Fold dough in half lengthwise; roll out to 1/4-in. thickness. Spread with 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. , Fold in half widthwise; roll to 1/4-in. thickness. Spread with remaining butter and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. Fold in half lengthwise; roll out to an 18x10-in. rectangle. Combine the cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle half over the dough to within 1/4 in. of all edges. , Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 1/2-in. slices and place on greased baking sheets (four to six slices per sheet). Cover with waxed paper and flatten with palm of hand. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar. Let stand for 30 minutes. , Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

EASY, NO FAIL PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Measure the flour, salt, and sugar into a food processor.
• Add a few 1 Tbsp butter piece at a time, and pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Repeat until all butter has been incorporated. Don't pulse too much in between.
• Add a couple of tablespoons of water and pulse. Repeat until the dough is just forming little balls, and falls from the sides.
• Place half the mixture on a sheet of plastic wrap and squish the particles together until you form nice disc. Wrap the disc in the plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• KEY: Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• This recipe freezes well, so if you only need one 9in pie crust, you can save the other for next time. Just allow time for it to defrost naturally. Don't put in microwave.

NO-STRESS ALL-BUTTER PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Making the dough:
• Sift flour into a medium bowl (if using cup measures, spoon into the cups and level with a knife before sifting). Whisk in sugar and salt. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes, no smaller, and toss with flour to break up the pieces. Roughly smash each cube flat-nothing more! Stir in cold water and knead until the dough comes together in a ball. With a dough temperature at or below 70°F, it will feel dry to the touch.
• Transfer to a generously floured work space, sprinkle with more flour, and roll into a 10-by-15-inch sheet. Fold each 10-inch side toward the middle, and close the packet like a book. Fold top to bottom to make a thick block, then cut in half. Using as much flour as needed, roll one portion into a 14-inch round. Brush off excess flour, drape over a 9-inch tempered glass pie plate, making sure it's flush against the pan.
• Trim excess dough into a 1 1/4-inch overhang all around, then fold over to create a 3/4-inch border that sits on the rim of the plate; if positioned inside the rim, the crust will be too shallow to accommodate the filling. Pinch or press the border into a zigzag pattern, and repeat with remaining dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. Alternately, formed crusts can be frozen up to 3 months and thawed in a refrigerator before use.
• Baking the crust:
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350°F. Line the chilled crust with a large strip of foil (not parchment or wax paper), letting the excess loosely cover the rim. Fill with plain white sugar, a delicious alternative to options like rice or beans.
• Bake on an aluminum baking sheet until fully set and golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and carefully lift out the foil, setting it aside until the sugar has cooled. If the sides of the crust seem puffy or pale, continue baking 10 minutes more. Cool to room temperature. Use immediately, or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
• Key Point
• If the temperature climbs above 73°F in your kitchen, be aware that everything from your countertop to your rolling pin and the flour itself will act as a heat source to the butter. Combat these conditions by refrigerating your pie plate, rolling pin, and dry ingredients until cool-not cold or frozen. If needed, chill the countertops of a sweltering hot kitchen with bags of ice water.
• Mix It Up:
• Gluten-Free: Replace the all-purpose flour with 4 ounces (3/4 cup) white rice flour, 2 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) cornstarch, 1 1/2 ounces (1/3 cup) tapioca flour, 1 ounce (1/4 cup) coconut flour, and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum. Prepare the dough as directed, using a generous amount of cornstarch for dusting. The dough will crack along the creases as it's folded, but that's all right. After portioning the dough, roll to just 12 inches. Cut into quarters and transfer to the pie plate one at a time, pressing the pieces together and then sculpting the border like clay. Chill and bake as directed.

CRISP PUFF PASTRY TOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• Sprinkle work surface with sugar. Place puff pastry on top of sugar. Sprinkle top of puff pastry with sugar. Roll puff pastry into a 12-by-14-inch rectangle. Using a round cookie cutter, cut six 4 1/2-inch rounds; transfer to prepared baking sheet.
• With a sharp knife, score each pastry, making curved lines every 1/2-inch from the center out towards the edges, to resemble a pinwheel. Transfer baking sheets to a refrigerator until well chilled, at least 30 minutes.
• In a small bowl, beat together egg yolk and cream. Brush tops of chilled pastry rounds, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge; take care not to let any egg mixture drip over cut edges, as it will prevent pastry from puffing evenly. Sprinkle each round with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake until crisp and caramelized, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.