SWEET PASTRY DOUGH

By BobD

Ingredients

• FOR 1 SINGLE CRUST PIE OR TARTE.
• With just a touch of sugar, this tender crust cradles the pastry cream and glazed-pear filling especially well.
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons ice water

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from gourmet.com

Preparation

Step 1

Stir together flour, sugar, and salt, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

Stir together egg yolk and 1 1/2 Tbsp water and drizzle evenly over butter mixture. Gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add remaining 1/2 Tbsp ice water, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)

Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat.

Gather all dough into a ball, with a pastry scraper, then flatten into a disk.

Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 hour.

COOKS NOTE: Dough can be chilled up to 2 days.