For a very long time I used a distinct methodology for making pie dough than the one I’m going to share at present. The method was all by hand, there was quite a lot of smearing and folding, and it was nice – stunning pie crust each time. This was in San Francisco the place my kitchen tended to remain fairly chilly. Summer season temperatures hardly ever cracked 60°F. It was a pie makers dream – chilly marble counter tops yr spherical. I’ve needed to change up my recreation since residing in Los Angeles. My kitchen is all the time too heat, and on the subject of pies, I used to be struggling a bit. I’ve since realized the much less I contact the pie dough within the course of of constructing it, the higher. So, right here we’re. That is my go-to pie crust today. It’s a scorching mash up of every part I’ve realized about pie dough through the years and delivers a fantastically golden, tremendous flaky, all-butter pie crust. It’s simple to make, I take advantage of my electrical mixer with the paddle attachment to smear butter into flour rapidly, and it makes much less of a multitude than doing all of it on a countertop (which I nonetheless like to do from time to time).
Pie Dough: Particulars & Inspiration
My purpose on this submit is to give you route that may end in you feeling extra assured making pie dough and exquisite pie crusts. Or, when you already really feel assured, maybe you’ll study a brand new approach. Each prepare dinner wants an incredible go-to pie dough recipe, one you like and might use throughout a variety of pies in your life. For a very long time, and whereas residing in San Francisco I usually used Pim’s One Pie Dough To Rule Them All, impressed by Judy Rodgers and the The Zuni Cafe cookbook. I nonetheless love this dough. For a few years, I used it as a leaping off level, usually enjoying round with several types of flour ratios, introducing rye flour, or farro flour, or semolina. If you wish to make a phenomenal pie crust 100% by hand and have a little bit of time for the fold and chill collection – this recipe and approach will do you proper. It disappears from the web from time to time, however appears to be right here fairly reliably.
After I got here to Los Angeles, I met Nicole Rucker. She’s a power. She’s queen of the pie scene (and a lot extra!) and her pies are every part I need – technicolor taste, juicy and bubbly, with shatteringly flaky, rustic, butter crusts. And so golden. The colour of her crusts are swoon-worthy. She wrote a guide in 2019 (Dappled: Baking Recipes for Fruit Lovers) and her method to pie crusts caught my consideration. There have been two strategies that Nicole used that had been uncommon. She added a little bit of vinegar to her pie dough. She additionally diluted her sugar right into a scorching water and vinegar resolution, chilled it, and proceeded with the dough from there. Right here’s what she says:”the addition of vinegar provides a layer of tenderizing magic that shortens the manufacturing of gluten strands.” And by incorporating the vinegar into the new sugar combination, you’re making a syrup that totally permeates the dough. Double win.
In Dappled, Nicole has you make her pie dough on a counter prime. It tends to be so heat the place I’m, and we hardly ever use air-conditioning, so I’ve been incorporating Nicole’s moist sugar and vinegar transfer, however use my electrical mixer with the paddle attachment to make fast work of issues. To be sincere, I haven’t appeared again. The paddle attachment does a high quality job of smearing the chunks of butter into the facet of the bowl. I drizzle simply sufficient icy liquid into the flour and butter, because the mixer is working, and every part rapidly comes collectively. Then only a fast form, wrap, and chill earlier than it’s all set to roll out and assemble the pie. The recipe and approach included beneath is my present gold normal. It’s unfussy, accommodates the kitchen mess to 1 bowl, and delivers a banger of a pie crust. I’ll break it down into fundamentals.
Electrical Mixer vs. Meals Processor for Pie Crusts
Lots of people use a meals processor to chop the butter into the flour of their pie dough. It truly does an incredible job of this. That stated, I like to make use of the stand mixer higher. I really feel like it’s gentler and higher mimics the motions of constructing pie dough by hand. The electrical stand mixer smears and tumbles the flour and butter, it isn’t reducing and slashing the best way a meals processor does. And due to this it appears to go away extra lengthy skinny pockets of butter within the dough as you roll it out leading to a young, shard-y crust that crackles as you slice into it.
Fundamental Pie Crust Steps
- Combine sugar, vinegar, and salt into scorching water and chill.
- Smear butter cubes into flour utilizing electrical mixer with paddle attachment.
- Slowly drizzle chilled water combination into dough till it comes collectively.
- Mould pie dough into ball.
- Lower in half. This recipe yield two 9-inch crusts.
- Flatten into discs and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Chill for two hours earlier than utilizing.
What sort of vinegar to make use of in pie crust?
The brief reply is: one which tastes good. I’m together with a listing of vinegars I have a tendency to achieve for after I’m making crusts like this. Most frequently it’s an incredible tasting white wine vinegar, however I prefer to mess around.
- Apple cider vinegar: Reliably good, apple cider vinegar is one thing lots of people hold readily available, and it really works nicely in pie dough.
- Katz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Vinegar (agro-dolce) 5.5% acidity: first selection for pie crust associated vinegar in my kitchen.
- Camino Purple Wine Vinegar: I don’t all the time seize this one for pie crusts, however I’ve, and it is best to seize a bottle when you can. It’s great, and makes every part it touches extra great. You need to simply find out about it on the whole.
- TART Lavender Vinegar: For a whisper of lavender in your crust that is the best way to go. Or to bolster lavender notes in your filling. For instance, I baked a Shaker lemon pie utilizing TART Lavender Vinegar within the crust, whereas additionally permitting the lemons to macerate alongside a little bit of lavender. Simply lengthy sufficient for the flavour to develop properly. Eliminated the lavender spring and baked.
- Brightland Parasol: I like the citrus notes on this one. It’s a vinegar fermented with chardonnay grapes and Valencia and Navel oranges, 5% acidity.
How To Roll Out Pie Dough
Let’s simply stroll it although right here step-by-step. After the pie dough has chilled for 2 hours, it’s time to roll it out. Flippantly flour the your counter, rolling pin, and your fingers. If at any level within the course of the dough is sticking, mud with extra flour. Begin from the middle of the dough and roll out in all instructions, turning the dough often as you go. Roll the dough a pair inches bigger than your pie dish. I’ve discovered that when you begin having cracks and fissures on the edges of your dough as you are rolling, you possibly can usually use the rolling pin across the perimeter (such as you had been going round a curler skating rink) and that closes the gaps properly. It may also assist to let it heat up for one more couple of minutes in case it’s too chilly.
If you happen to’re new to pie-making, you may wish to roll out the pie dough on a big piece of evenly floured parchment paper. This lets you simply switch the dough to the fridge if it’s essential chill it a bit mid-roll. Chill for 7-10 minutes and proceed.
I’m certain you possibly can inform, this recipe and my approach will possible proceed to evolve little by little through the years. That’s half of what’s nice about cooking and baking. And wherever you land on pie making, I encourage you to make your individual crust. It’s night time and day from most store-bought doughs. I hope you like this pie dough as a lot as I do!
My Favourite Pie Recipe
This Shaker lemon pie is my go-to pie most of the time. Particularly when Meyer lemons are round, and in Southern California that’s usually.
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