Perfect Pie Crust From King Arthur Flour Recipes

PERFECT PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

PERFECT PIE CRUST FROM KING ARTHUR FLOUR

Steps:

• Sift together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Set to the side.
• Size your butter. One stick cut into small pieces, the other cut into fairly large pieces (double the size you'd usually cut for a pie crust.
• Work in the stick of smaller butter with a dough scraper (my new favorite tool and very easy to clean). It's not going to have the same impact that double the butter would in terms of working in, but go for the regular pea sized consistency.
• Now, add the bigger hunks of butter. Gently coat them with flour in the mixture, so they won't stick to you when you squeeze them.
• one by one, squeeze all of those pieces of butter until they're flat like pancakes. You don't have to be too precious about it. Grab, squeeze, then move on to the next one.
• Give the mixture another stir with your pastry scraper. Now, start adding the water. Switch back to your dough scraper.
• Keep on adding it bit by bit until the dough forms a shaggy consistency, still floury but you can clump it together.
• Gather, form into a ball, and place on top of a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic on top of it, not too snugly, and then flatten it into a disc with your hand. Doing it this way, I learned, helps the dough spread out into the plastic and is just less messy.
• Chill dough in fridge.
• Proceed with your recipe as usual.

TRADITIONAL AMERICAN PIE CRUST RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut or rub in the shortening or lard, until the fat is the size of small peas. 2. Cut in the cold butter, leaving the butter in pieces the size of your thumbnail. 3. Sprinkle the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, over the mixture, tossing the mixture together with fork as you go. Continue until the dough is just moist enough to hold together when pressed. 4. For a 2-crust pie, gather a little more than half of the dough and pat it into a disk; wrap in plastic and chill for an hour (the larger portion will be the bottom crust.) Do the same with the remaining dough for the top crust. If you're making two one-crust pies, divide the dough evenly, wrap and chill before rolling. 5. Roll the crust until it is about 1/8-inch-thick and about 2 inches larger than the diameter of the pie plate. This gives you enough to make a good high rim (single crust shell) or to match with the upper crust (double crust bottom). Fill and bake as your recipe directs. Tips from our bakers When the dough is almost moist enough to hold together, try pouring the shaggy mixture out onto a piece of parchment paper. Use a spray bottle to moisten the dry parts of the dough without waterlogging it. Then fold the dough over on itself, like a business letter. Repeat the process until all the dry bits of dough are evenly moistened. This will create lots of nice layers in the dough (click on the video to see this being done). After rolling out your crust and lining your pan, put it in the refrigerator until you're ready to fill and bake the pie: this will improve the flakiness and texture of the crust. Pie crusts can be made ahead and frozen for up to a month. To keep the bottom crust from getting soggy, try brushing it with egg white and chilling before adding the filling. You can also use melted butter to create a barrier between the fillings moisture and the crust. Lightly grease the pie plate with non-stick spray before putting in the bottom crust; this will make taking the slices out of the pan much easier later.

OUR FAVORITE PIE CRUST RECIPE-HOW TO MAKE A TENDER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• For a flaky, tender crust (as opposed to one that's harder, mealy, and more cookie-like), the following works well.
• Whisk together all of the dry ingredients, reserving a few tablespoons of the flour.
• Cut in half of the fat, working the mixture until it's mealy and crumbly.
• Place the reserved flour on your work surface, and coat the remaining fat with the flour.
• Use a rolling pin or the heel of your hand to flatten the fat till it's about 1/2-inch thick.
• Break this flour-coated fat into 1-inch pieces, and mix it into the dough, just till it's evenly distributed; some of the pieces of flour-coated fat should break into smaller pieces.
• Sprinkle the liquid(s) over the dough while tossing with a fork.
• Just as soon as the dough becomes cohesive (i.e., you can squeeze it into a ball easily), stop mixing; there should still be visible pieces of fat in the dough.
• Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap or waxed paper.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer; this resting period allows the flour to absorb the water, making the dough easier to roll out.
• Flour your work surface and roll the dough into a 12 x 9-inch (approximately) rectangle.
• (If it isn't holding together well, sprinkle it lightly with a couple of teaspoons of water.
• Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter), then fold it into thirds the opposite way, to form a rough square. Wrap it well and refrigerate again.).
• When you're "ready to roll," remove the dough from the fridge.
• If the dough is made with all lard and/or vegetable shortening, you'll be able to work with it directly from the refrigerator.
• A dough made with all butter will need to warm slightly (10 to 15 minutes) before rolling, as butter becomes brittle when it's refrigerated.
• Dough made with a combination of butter and shortening should rest for about 5 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
• Roll the dough to the size needed (about 13 inches for a 9-inch pie).
• Fill and bake as directed in your recipe.
• Note: in this particular recipe, cut all of the lard or vegetable shortening into the flour, then coat the butter with flour before adding it to the dough.

ALL-BUTTER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour and salt.
• Dice the butter into small cubes, or cut it into pats. Work it into the flour until it's well-distributed, but not fully incorporated. Larger, pea-sized pieces of butter will be scattered throughout the mixture.
• Tossing with a fork or your fingers, drizzle in the ice water. Stop adding water when the dough starts to come together, and grab it in your hands. If it holds together easily, without crumbling, it's ready. If it has dry spots, or pieces break off easily, add a bit more water until it's totally cohesive.
• Gather the dough into a ball, and divide it in half. Gently pat/shape each half into a rough disk. Roll immediately, if desired. For better texture, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling. If dough has been refrigerated longer than 30 minutes, allow it to warm at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, until it rolls easily.

THE ULTIMATE PIZZA DOUGH, FROM KING ARTHUR FLOUR RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• To make the dough: Mix and knead together all of the dough ingredients¬-by hand, mixer or bread machine-till you've created a smooth, very soft, fairly sticky dough. Don't over-knead the dough; it should hold together, but can still look fairly rough on the surface. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes; then refrigerate it for 4 hours (or up to 36 hours); this step will develop the crust's flavor. Make sure you have the dough in a large covered bowl, or put it into a large, lightly greased plastic bag; leave plenty of room for expansion. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to rest and warm up a bit while you prepare the toppings. To assemble and bake the pizza: Gently stretch and pat the dough into the pan(s). You'll probably get about two-thirds of the way there before the dough starts shrinking back; walk away for 10 minutes. When you come back, you should be able to pat it all the way into the corners of the pan, or close to it. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes to an hour (or more, for thicker crust). Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spread the sauce in a thin film over the crust. Bake the pizza on the lower oven rack for 8 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and arrange your choice of toppings and cheese on top. Return to the oven, and bake on the upper oven rack for an additional 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned, both top and bottom. Check it midway through, and move it to the bottom rack if the top is browning too much, or the bottom not enough. Remove the pizza from the oven, and transfer it from the pan(s) to a rack to cool slightly before serving. For easiest serving, cut into squares with a pair of scissors. Yield: a dozen generous slices.