Flaky Butter Crust Food

BUTTER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt in bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough water with fork just until flour is moistened.
• Divide dough in half; shape each half into ball. Flatten slightly. Wrap 1 ball in plastic food wrap; refrigerate.
• 1-crust pie: Roll out 1 ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle. Fold into quarters. Place dough into 9-inch pie pan; unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Trim crust to 1/2 inch from edge of pan. Crimp or flute edge. Fill and bake according to pie recipe directions.2-crust pie: Roll out remaining ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle. Fold dough into quarters. Place dough over filling; unfold. Trim, seal and crimp or flute edge. Cut 5 or 6 large slits in crust. Bake according to pie recipe directions.Baked unfilled pie shell: Prepare dough as directed above for 1-crust pie. Prick crust all over with fork before baking. Bake at 475°F, 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

PIE CRUST IN THE FOOD PROCESSOR

Steps:

• Place butter and shortening cubes in the freezer temporarily to harden.
• Add flour, granulated sugar (if using) and the salt to a food processor fitted with blade attachment. Pulse until evenly incorporated. Add the butter and shortening cubes, a few pieces at a time with the motor running, until all fats are incorporated and pea-sized clumps begin to form.
• Slowly drizzle a 1/2 cup of water into the feed tube, pulsing all the while. Do this until the pie crust starts to come together. You should be able to easily pinch it into a clump. If the dough does not come together after adding a 1/2 cup of water, splash in up to 3 tablespoons more.
• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and cut the dough ball in half using a knife or a pastry cutter. Form into two flattened round disks, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until chilled through, at least 2 hours.

PERFECTLY FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, and sugar until well combined. Using clean hands, add butter and toss until just coated. Rub butter between thumb and forefingers to incorporate into flour mixture until butter is in lima bean-sized pieces and comes together in quarter-sized clumps when squeezed in palm, about 2 minutes. Add shortening, toss until just coated in flour, then rub into flour mixture until mixture forms pea-size pieces (some big chunks should remain) and comes together in fist-sized clumps when squeezed, about 1 minute. Drizzle in half ice water and rake through mixture with fingers until just moistened. Drizzle in remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time and comb through mixture with fingers to moisten. It will go from being a shaggy mess to coming together. Dough is moist enough when it is moistened through but is not wet when pressed. (Do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.)
• While rotating the bowl with 1 hand, push dough between other palm and side of bowl to gather into a ball. Turn dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, press it into a flat disk, then close in wrap. Place in coldest part of refrigerator (usually back bottom shelf) at least 30 minutes before rolling out and forming into a crust.

PERFECT ALL BUTTER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Cube the butter into 1/2 inch pieces.
• Place them on a freezer-safe plate or cutting board and freeze until very firm, approximately 30 minutes.
• Sift together the flour, salt, and sugar.
• Add the flour mixture to a food processor (10 to 12 cup size) along with the butter.
• Pulse the ingredients until the butter is cut into coarse crumbs.
• Add the ice cold water 2 tablespoons at a time while pulsing the food processor until the mixture becomes a crumbly dough and forms together.
• On an un-floured surface, turn the dough out and shape it into two circles (I use a kitchen scale to make sure they're evenly sized), approximately 6" in diameter, kneading as little as possible (pockets of butter are what keep the crust flaky and tender).
• Dust both sides of each circle with a bit of flour and wrap in plastic wrap.
• Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for an hour.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator or freezer.
• Set it aside while you dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour.
• Unwrap one dough circle and roll with a rolling pin until the dough has formed a circle about 12" in diameter and slightly thicker than 1/8 inch.
• When the dough is the proper size, wrap it gently around the rolling pin to transfer to the pie plate.
• Press the dough into the 9" pie plate and shape the edges according to your desired design.

FLAKY BUTTER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Cut the butter into 6 pieces and put in the freezer. Measure out 3 Tbs. cold water.
• Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or two butter knives, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are just larger than peas. (You can also do this in a food processor using short pulses. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl before proceeding.)
• Drizzle the cold water over the mixture and, using the fingertips of one hand, pinch and squeeze the mixture while tossing with a silicone spatula in the other hand until it begins to form shaggy clumps.
• Scrape the dough onto a clean work surface. Using the heel of your hand, gently smear the dough away from you in sections. Using a bench scraper, gather and fold the crumbs on top of each other and turn the pile 180°. Repeat the smearing action, gathering and turning the dough several times until the crumbs just hold together. Shape the dough into a 5-inch disk, smoothing the edges. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. The French technique of fraisage, or smearing the dough with the palm of your hand, creates layers and streaks (rather than lumps) of butter in the dough, which produces a flakier crust.
• Let the dough sit at room temperature until it's pliable enough to roll, 10 to 20 minutes.
• Put a large piece of parchment paper on a work surface, lightly flour it, and put the dough in the center. Lightly flour the dough and cover with another piece of parchment. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough from the center to the edges into a 13-1/2-inch circle that's about 1/8 inch thick. After every few passes, rotate the parchment a quarter turn, and lift the dough and stretch out the parchment underneath; it tends to bunch a little. Reflour the parchment lightly only as needed; excess flour can make the crust tough.
• Peel away the top piece of parchment. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin, position the pin over a 9-inch glass pie plate, and unroll, easing the dough into the plate. Gently press the dough into the sides and bottom of the plate without stretching it, allowing the excess dough to hang over the edges. Trim the excess dough to a 3/4-inch overhang. Roll the overhang under itself to shape a high edge crust that rests on the rim of the pie plate. Crimp the dough into a fluted edge. Cover and refrigerate the crust while the oven heats. Refrigerating the dough after fitting it to the crust helps relax the gluten and keeps the butter cold, ensuring that the crust doesn't shrink when it bakes.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Line the crust with foil or parchment, and then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake until the crust is pale golden and looks dry, 5 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes, before filling and baking according to your filling recipe.

EASY ALL-BUTTER FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Add 1 ½ cups flour, salt, and sugar (optional) to a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times until combined. The remaining cup of flour will be added later.
• Scatter butter cubes over flour and process until a dough or paste begins to form, about 15 seconds. (There should be no uncoated flour).
• Scrape bowl, redistribute the flour-butter mixture then add remaining 1 cup of flour. Pulse 4 to 5 times until flour is evenly distributed. (Dough should look broken up and a little crumbly).
• Transfer to a medium bowl then sprinkle ice water over mixture - start with 4 tablespoons and add from there. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough falls apart, add 2 to 4 more tablespoons of water and continue to press until dough comes together.
• Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Work the dough just enough to form a ball. Cut the ball in half then form each half into discs. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months (just thaw it overnight in the fridge before using it).
• Add 1 1/2 cups flour, salt and sugar (optional) to a medium bowl. Stir 2 to 3 times until combined.
• Scatter butter cubes over flour and mix briefly with a fork or spatula to coat the butter with flour.
• Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender, working mixture until the flour has a coarse, mealy texture similar to fresh bread crumbs. About 1 - 2 minutes.
• Add remaining 1 cup of flour. Work butter and flour with the pastry blender until flour is evenly distributed. About 20 seconds. (Dough should look crumbly with pea-sized pieces).
• Sprinkle ice water over the mixture - start with 4 tablespoons and add from there. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough falls apart, add 2 to 4 more tablespoons of water and continue to press until dough comes together.
• Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Work the dough just enough to form a ball. Cut ball in half then form each half into discs. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months (just thaw it overnight in the fridge before using).
• Remove one of the dough discs from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
• Lightly flour work surface, top of dough and rolling pin. Then use rolling pin to roll out dough to a 12-inch circle (about 1/8-inch thick). Be sure to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below - add a small amount of flour when necessary.
• Check for size by inverting pie dish over dough round. Look for a 1-inch edge around the pie dish. To transfer dough to dish, starting at one end, roll dough around rolling pin then unroll over dish.
• Gently press dough down into dish so that it lines the bottom and sides of the dish. (Be careful not to pull or stretch the dough). Then, use a knife or pair of kitchen scissors to trim dough to within 1/2-inch of the edge of the dish.
• Fold edge of dough underneath itself so that it creates a thicker, 1/4-inch border that rests on the lip of the dish. Then, crimp edges by pressing the pointer finger of one hand against the edge of the dough from the inside of the dish while gently pressing with two knuckles of the other hand from the outside. Refrigerate dough at least 20 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking.
• If making a double crust pie, do not crimp edges yet. Roll out second dough disc, fill pie then top with second dough round. Trim the edges then crimp.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place a baking sheet on a middle oven rack.
• Roll out enough dough to make one 9-inch crust (1 dough disk). Place into a pie plate and then pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork (this prevent air pockets or bubbles from forming while baking). Line the crust with two sheets of aluminum foil or parchment paper. (Be sure to push foil against the edges of the crust). Then, fill foil with dried rice, dried beans or pie weights. Refrigerate 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
• Place pie crust onto preheated baking sheet and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.
• Make an egg wash by whisking one egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of cream in a small bowl. Then, remove rice, beans or pie weights and foil from pie crust. Brush the bottom and sides of the crust with egg wash. Bake until egg wash is dry and shiny, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool crust completely before filling.
• Oven temperature and bake time for double crust pies will vary depending on the pie recipe you plan to follow. As an example, we set our oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for our double crust cherry pie (see the recipe here).
• Remove half of dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 13-inch (1/8-inch thick) circle.
• Check for size by inverting pie dish over dough round. Look for a 1-inch edge around the pie dish. Carefully press the dough into the dish. Spoon the pie filling into pie crust.
• Roll out second half of dough then top pie. Use a knife or pair of kitchen scissors to trim dough to within 3/4-inch of the edge of the dish.
• Fold edges of top crust underneath edges of bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it so that it creates a thicker, 1/4-inch border that rests on the lip of the dish. Then, crimp edges by pressing the pointer finger of one hand against the edge of the dough from the inside of the dish while gently pressing with two knuckles of the other hand from the outside. Refrigerate pie at least 20 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking.
• Just before baking, make egg wash by whisking egg yolk and cream together in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush over the top crust. Then, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Then, cut 3 to 4 slits in top of pie. Bake as directed by the specific recipe you are following.

FLAKY ALL BUTTER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour and salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
• Add in cold, cubed butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
• Alternatively, you can cut the butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry cutter if you don't have a food processor. You'll need to work quickly so the butter doesn't melt.
• Drizzle in the water and pulse until the mixture starts to form clumps.
• Add more water a tablespoon at a time if the mixture looks too dry and won't clump together when squeezed in your hand.
• Once mixed, pour the pie dough onto a piece of plastic wrap.
• Quickly and gently form into a ball and flatten into a disc. Do not work the dough too much, or the crust will be tough.
• Wrap in the plastic and chill in the fridge for one hour.
• After chilling, lightly flour the table and roll the pie dough about 1/4" thick and large enough to cover the 9" pie plate.
• Wrap the dough around your rolling pin and transport to an ungreased pie plate. Gently lift and press the dough into the pie plate.
• With a sharp knife or kitchen shears, trim off the excess dough overhang so that it's flush with the outer edge of the pie plate.
• Pinch the edges of the dough to create a nice edge and make sure to add your pie dough trimmings to fill in any thin spots.
• You can flute the edge of the dough by using your knuckles to make a pretty decorative edge.
• Stick the pie plate in the freezer for 30 minutes until firm, this will help keep the butter in the crust nice and cool and help the edges keep their shape.
• After freezing, fill with your favorite filling and bake per your recipe's instructions, or blind bake the crust (instructions below) and fill with a no bake pudding or cream.
• In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour and salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
• Add in cold, cubed butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
• Drizzle in the water and pulse until the mixture starts to form clumps.
• Add more water a tablespoon at a time if the mixture looks too dry and won't clump together when squeezed in your hand.
• Have two sheets of plastic wrap ready. Divide the dough in half and place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap.
• Quickly and gently form into a round disc. Do not work the dough too much, or the crust will be tough.
• Pop the two discs in the fridge for an hour.
• After your discs have chilled, lightly flour your work surface. Remove one disc from the fridge, unwrap it, and place it on your floured surface.
• Roll the dough out to about 1/4" thick and large enough to cover the 9" pie plate.
• Wrap the dough around your rolling pin and transport it to an ungreased pie plate. Gently lift and press the dough into the pie plate, do not trim the overhang at this point.
• Pop the pie plate with the bottom crust back in the fridge and grab the other disc of dough.
• Roll out until it's about 1/4" thick and set aside.
• Remove the bottom crust from the fridge and fill with your desired filling (apple, peach, blueberry, chicken pot pie filling, etc...).
• To put the two pie crusts together, grab your rolled out top crust and place it on top of the bottom crust and filling.
• Trim off the excess top and bottom overhang around the outer edge of the pie plate.
• Pinch and crimp the outer edges of the dough together to seal. Use your extra pie dough trimmings to fill in any thin spots.
• Slice some holes in the top crust for ventilation. If the dough feels like it's getting too soft, allow the pie to chill in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
• Once chilled, remove the pie from the fridge and proceed with your recipe's baking instructions.

FLAKY BUTTER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
• Using a pasty blender or forks, cut in cold butter until mixture resembles pea sized crumbs.
• Stir in 1/4 cup water, a tablespoon at a time (4 Tablespoons total), until mixture forms a ball. May be slightly sticky. If dough is dry, add 1 teaspoon of cold water and a second teaspoon if needed.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• On a floured surface, roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate.
• Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
• Cook it according to the fillings directions.

ALL BUTTER FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Stir together flour and salt. Slice cold butter into tiny shreds (I store my butter in the freezer) and add to bowl or food processor. Pulse until coarse meal or small peas form.
• Slowly add ice cold water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time to butter-flour mixture. Add vinegar and pulse until it starts to form together.
• Press dough into a ball. Pat each ball into a disk, tightly wrap in Saran Wrap and let it chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 2 hours is preferred.
• Unwrap the dough, turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out, using a rolling pin. Don't overwork the dough. The key is to work quickly to keep the dough as cold as possible. Keep the pie tin nearby so you can check the size of the circle. Roll it to at least a 13-inch diameter circle.
• Fold the dough in half and gently lift and position it over the pie pan. Unfold.
• Press the dough against the sides and bottom of a pan. Flute the edges by pressing the dough between the index finger and thumb of one hand and using the index finger of the other hand to make the scallop. You can also roll out strips of dough and make a braid to place on top of pie crust.
• If you are blind baking the crust and not filling the crust with a baked filling, poke holes using fork along sides and bottom of crust. This will help keep the crust from puffing up while it bakes.
• Use Pie Weights, Rice, or Beans to keep crust in place. If you are blind baking your crust to be filled later with a cream filling, it is important to keep it in place. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper. Fill it with pie weights, rice, or beans and press against the sides of the crust.
• You can double line the crust with parchment paper to ensure that the rice doesn't get stuck into the dough.
• After the dough has chilled, place it in a hot oven. The hot oven helps the crust keep its shape. The edges will be the first to brown. Avoid this by covering the edges with foil or pie shields, about halfway through baking. The pie shields or foil sheets are essential for making pie!
• If making a double crust, bake according to pie directions.
• If baking pie crust only, bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove parchment paper and pie weights and return to oven and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes (for a total of 16-20 minutes cooking time).
• If baking a filled pie such as pumpkin, cherry, or apple, cook according to pie directions.

BUTTER FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

BUTTERCRUST PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Place blade insert into bowl of food processor. Add 1 cup flour. Sprinkle frozen butter cubes over flour. Add remaining 1 cup flour, sugar, and salt. Cover. Pulse in short bursts on and off until butter is broken into small pieces and looks crumbly, about 1 minute. Drizzle in ice water. Pulse with longer pulses, on and off, until mixture turns pale yellow and looks like crumbs, about 10 to 12 seconds. Scrape down sides with spatula. Pulse once or twice more.
• Transfer mixture onto a work surface. Bring pieces together to form a tight round ball of dough. Flatten slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight before rolling out.

ALL-BUTTER PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Prepare the water/vinegar mixture. Drop an ice-cube into a measuring cup and fill the measuring cup up with water to the 1/2 cup mark. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar and set aside.
• Mix Flour and Butter. Combine the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and toss with a fork to mix evenly. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs.
• Add Water. Pour the water mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, into the flour/butter mixture and toss with a fork until the dough is evenly moist. Add water slowly to get the right texture.
• Gather the dough. Use your hands to quickly bring the dough together in the bowl. Do not over work the dough.
• Divide and Chill. Divide the dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Bake according to what your pie recipe calls for.

BUTTERY FLAKY PIE CRUST RECIPE

Steps:

• Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the food processor bowl, fitted with the metal blade attachment.
• Pulse a few times to blend dry ingredients.
• Add the cold diced butter to work bowl. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
• Add a few tablespoons of the ice water via the liquid cup dispenser. Pulse until the mixture just comes together.
• You might need to add a few more tablespoons of water. The dough should pull off of the sides of the bowl.
• Turn out on a lightly floured surface.
• Use your hands to work the dough together.
• Cut the dough in half and form two equally sized discs.
• Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (at least 4 hours).