Pie Crust In The Food Processor

PERFECT PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

FLAKY FOOD PROCESSOR PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Measure the flour into the processor with the regular blade attached. Add the unsalted butter, cut into cubes, and shortening, cut into cubes. (Your fat should be frozen or very cold. You may vary the proportions, or use some lard, but the total should be 9 tablespoons.) Add salt. Pulse three times with three counts per pulse to lightly mix the ingredients.
• With the motor running, pour ice water into the workbowl just until the dough just starts to get noticeably crumbly. Don't wait until it is a big clump or it will be way too wet and will turn out tough.
• Stop the machine, dump the crumbly dough into a bowl, and gather the dough into a ball with your hand. you can squeeze it a bit to make it stick together. If it just won't form a ball, add a tiny bit more water. (Note that if you are making crust in the food processor, you will use less water than most recipes call for.)
• Wrap your dough ball in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill it about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll it out on a cool surface if you can. Then follow your pie recipe for baking.

BASIC FOOD PROCESSOR PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Insert metal blade into your food processor.
• Add flour, butter and salt and process until mixture is like coarse meal; it takes about 8 to 10 seconds.
• Add ice water and pulse, not process, until dough begins to clump together; don't let it form a ball.
• Remove dough from processor and place in a freezer-size plastic storage zippie bag.
• Work through the bag to press dough together into a ball; then press into a flat disc.
• Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
• When you need it, roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Makes enough dough for a single 9 or 10-inch pie shell.
• Note that this is the recipe provided by Cuisinart; I am not quite as fussy and it always works for me; the key is the ice-cold butter, the ice-cold water, and not letting it process too long.

FOOD PROCESSOR PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt in food processor.
• Add shortening and mix until shortening is cut into pea size pieces.
• While pulsing the food processor, drizzle in a tablespoon of water at a time, just until the dough forms a ball.
• The amount of water will vary each time.
• Place dough onto flour covered surface.
• Cut dough in half and roll into 2 circles.
• Place in pie plate and fill with your favorite pie filling and bake as directed.
• For a pre-baked pie shell- prick the bottom with a fork and bake for 9-12 minutes at 450.
• This makes one double crust pie or 2 pie shells.