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The Best Pie Dough (sez Kay Hartman)

Source of Recipe

Kay Hartman


List of Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 tablespoons chilled all-vegetable shortening [I substituted butter]
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water



Recipe

1. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with a little of flour. Cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. [Don't get it too small. Cornmeal size is too small. Pea size is OK but I wouldn't go too much smaller than that. Since I use all butter I don't do 2 additions. I add all the butter at once.] Turn mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. [I use a fork.] Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if dough will not come together. [Sometimes it takes me more water than this. It is real important not to add too much water. As soon as the dough will allow you to form it into a ball, you have enough water. I find that the appearance of the dough should be a little drier than I would guess at the correct amount of moisture.] Shape dough into ball with your hands, then flatten into 4-inch-wide disc. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.

For a 10-inch regular or a 9-inch deep-dish single pie shell, follow recipe for The Best Pie Dough, increasing flour by 1/4 cup and butter by 2 tablespoons.

For a double-crust 8- or 9-inch pie, follow recipe for The Best Pie Dough, increasing flour to 2 1/4 cups, salt to 1 teaspoon, sugar to 2 tablespoons, butter to 11 tablespoons, shortening to 7 tablespoons [I use 18 tablespoons butter and no shortening], and ice water to 4 to 5 tablespoons. Divide dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other, before shaping into discs.

For a double-crust 10-inch regular or double-crust 9-inch deep-dish pie, follow above variation, increasing flour by 1/4 cup and butter by 2 tablespoons.