Pie Dough

By Hklbrries

A reliable, classic formula for classic pie dough.

"This is my mom's pie dough recipe (or a portion of it). She makes three times the amount below and freezes 10 pie crusts for later. This recipe is scaled back.

The directions for making a pie crust seem ridiculously simple. "Combine flour and salt, cut in shortening, add water, and shape into a ball." But the reality is that making a pastry can be tricky. Granted, it's not as complicated as boning a duck or making a swan out of spun sugar, but for many home cooks, the process of transforming flour, shortening and water into a 9-inch crust can be more than a little daunting. Aside from practice, here's what you need to know:

Whether using butter, lard or shortening, the key to a flaky pastry is to cut the fat into the dry ingredients so that very small pieces remain distinct and the texture resembles coarse meal.

Use as little water as possible. Adding extra moisture makes the dough easy to work with but yields a tough result. There should be just enough moisture to hold the dough together.

After the dough is mixed up, let it rest for a bit in the refrigerator. This will make it easy to roll out and contribute to a lighter crust.

When rolling out the dough, add only enough flour to keep it from sticking.

Metal pie tins conduct heat efficiently and help develop crisp crusts. (Stainless steel is my favorite).

Be sure to bake the pie at a high enough temperature (350 F to 425 F) so that the crust turns a nice brown color."

By Chef Chris Koetke, Dean, School of Culinary Arts, Chicago, IL

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces (1 stick) vegetable shortening
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vinegar
• Cold water

Details

Servings 2

Preparation

Step 1

Combine flour and salt. Add shortening and cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine egg, sugar, vinegar and enough cold water to make 1/2 cup. Pour over flour mixture.

Using a fork, mix just enough to combine. Form into 2 balls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until needed.

To roll chilled dough, sprinkle a minimum amount of flour on work surface and with a rolling pin roll into a 13-inch circle.

Fold dough into quarters and transfer to baking pan. Unfold. Press into bottom and sides of pan. Proceed with recipe.