All-Butter Pie Dough

By marck

The pie dough recipe from The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie. This recently (as of 11/2015) surpassed the America's Test Kitchen's basic pie dough as my favorite pie dough. This recipe makes two single-crust or one double-crust pies.

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 sticks (196 g) unsalted butter, divided
• 1 Tbsp (12 g) red wine vinegar
• 1/2 C cold water
• 2-1/4 C (333 g) all-purpose flour
• 2-1/4 tsp (6.5 g) kosher salt
• 1/2 Tbsp (6.5 g) granulated sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Freeze 5 tablespoons (70 g) for 20 minutes or overnight; chill the remaining butter in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Stir the red wine vinegar into the cold water and set aside.

3. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times to combine.

4. Add the chilled butter and mix for 25 to 30 seconds, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

5. Add the frozen butter and pulse 15 to 20 times, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.

6. Add 6 tablespoons of the vinegar water and pulse 6 times. The dough should start to look crumbly. Test the dough by squeezing a small amount in the palm of your hand. If it easily holds together, it is done. If not, add 1/2 tablespoon of the vinegar water and pulse 3 more times. Repeat this process as needed until the dough holds together.

7. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead together until smooth; dough should never come together in a food processor.

8. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and roll each into a ball. Flatten the balls slightly and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator until ready to use, at least 20 minutes but preferably overnight.

FOR BLIND BAKING:
1. Roll out chilled dough and place in pie plate; crimp the edges. Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 400º F.

3. Place a frozen, crimped pie shell on a baking sheet. Line the inside of the shell with parchment paper or a coffee filter. Fill with pie weights or uncooked beans until the weights are even with the top edge of the crimp. Press down not he weights to make sure they spread to the edges of the shell.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through. The outer edge of the crimp should be dry and golden brown.

4. Remove the shell from the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper/coffee filter full of beans. If the paper sticks to the pie, bake it for 3 more minutes and try again. Once the parchment paper/coffee filter is removed, prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork. Bake for 3 more minutes, until the interior of the shell is dry and light golden brown.