Lightly Sweetened Pie Crust
Homemade pie crust is worth the *slight* effort -- really
There are many conveniences out there that have robbed us of some basic skills, and ready-made pie crust is one of those. It’s a weak muscle for most of us, but not beyond getting into shape. The payoff is really big, since most of those ready-made crusts are not made with butter and are hardly flaky.
I learned this technique years ago when I took a pastry class in Newton, Mass from an adorable pastry chef at Madeleine Kamman’s cooking school, Modern Gourmet. We asked her how she could keep herself from nibbling dough all day and she admitted that the smell of butter kind of made her sick. Occupational hazard, I guess. Here is a step-by-step guide to making crust the Modern Gourmet way.
Slightly Sweetened Pie Crust | 1 single crust pie
Work quickly since warming the dough or butter promotes the formation of gluten, making the crust more likely to shrink or be tough. That explains all the refrigeration required — the gluten can be “settled” and slowed by chilling.
Make a double recipe if you’re putting a top crust on the pie. This is for dessert pies, not savory ones (like quiche). For those you can omit the sugar. It is not a tart crust or a pastry crust with egg but works well for fruit and custard pies, like An Almondy Pumpkin Pie.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
Pinch of salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
8 tablespoons refrigerator-cold butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup ice water
Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a pile on a large, flat surface.
Leave the butter in the refrigerator until you need it
Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes.
This pastry scraper makes the task incredibly easy
Drop the butter onto the flour pile. With your fingertips, pinch and rub the butter and flour together into “flakes” (not unlike Cornflakes), incorporating as much butter as you can.
I keep pulling in more flour as I go, but it won't all get pinched into the butter
Scrape the flour back into a pile
Make a channel down the center of the flour.
Just a long well, right down the middle
One tablespoon at a time, drizzle ice water down the channel.
There will only be a small amount of water per spoonful but it will be evenly distributed down this channel
Using your fingers like opposing interlocking forks and working down along the channel, lightly “fluff” the flour and water together.
This action pulls the flour quickly through the water, keeping contact to a minimum
The flour will get moistened, not wet
Using the scraper, gather up the flour and quickly form another channel. Repeat the process with the water and the fluffing. Use as much of the 1/4 cup of water as you need to moisten the flour. The flour will end up fairly evenly moist, in small blobs.
Not wet, just moist
Gather the moistened flour into one pile, and again, working quickly, use the heel of your hand to flatten the moistened flour starting from the top of the pile.
Work from the top, move down and do two or three more flattens, and finish at the bottom -- working quickly, of course
With the pastry scraper, fold the dough back up onto itself.
Folding the dough back onto itself begins to create the layers -- the secret to the flaky crust
Flatten the dough against the surface again.
The dough is beginning to take shape, and the layers are forming
With the pastry scraper, fold it back onto itself and repeat the flattening one more time. Fold it back and quickly form it into a square.
Try to avoid too much contact with the palm of your hand, which is warm
Use the pastry scraper and the side of your hand to form it into a square
Wrap this dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour
When the dough has chilled for half an hour, prepare the surface to roll it out.
A light sweep of flour will keep the crust from sticking
Roll out the dough in all directions, working outward from the middle. Keep a dusting of flour under the crust.
Dust the top of the dough and the rolling pin
When the dough is cold, this may be hard at first but it will quickly soften at room temperature so work quickly
I turn the dough around as I work, and sprinkle flour under it from time to time
Roll the crust out to about an inch larger than your pie dish
Gently fold the dough in quarters and place in the pie dish with the "point' in the center of the dish
Open the dough back out and gently push into the corners of the dish
Trim the crust (easiest with scissors), leaving a 3/4-inch overhand
Fold under the overhang, leaving about 1/3-inch of dough above the lip of the dish
Using your thumb, flute the edge of the dough
At this point, refrigerate the crust for at least half an hour, or place in the freezer until well-chilled
All you need now is the filling!
(Photo Sacramento Bee)
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