Easy Pie Crust
User Reviews
5
Easy Pie Crust
Description
Easy Pie Crust is made by pulsing a combination of flour and salt with cold butter in a food processor until the mixture clumps without dry flour remaining. Additional flour is then pulsed in to achieve a crumbly texture. Adding ice water and cold apple cider vinegar helps bind the dough when folded and pressed together. The dough is divided into disks, wrapped, and chilled for at least two hours to firm up. When ready, the dough is rolled out on a floured surface to about an eighth-inch thickness, forming a circle suitable for pressing into a pie plate. The cold butter pieces within the dough create a flaky texture once baked.
The method emphasizes keeping ingredients cold and working quickly to prevent butter from melting, which is essential for a tender crust. The vinegar helps tenderize the dough slightly without impacting flavor. Rolling out the dough to an even thin circle allows for even baking and a delicate, flaky base for sweet or savory pies. This crust serves as a reliable foundation in many pie recipes.
Ingredients
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ¾ teaspoon salt sea salt
- 20 tablespoons butter 2½ sticks, cut into ¼-inch pats, cold unsalted
- 6 tablespoons water ice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar cold
Instructions
- In a food processor, place 1⅔ cups of the flour and the salt. Pulse to combine. Spread the butter pats evenly on top of the flour mixture. Pulse until the butter is well combined with the flour and the dough starts to form clumps. There should be no dry flour remaining.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the bowl of the food processor and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup flour on top. Briefly pulse until the dough becomes crumbly.
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl and sprinkle the water and vinegar on top. Use a spatula to fold and press the dough until it comes together into a ball. Divide the ball in half and form each half into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- To roll out the dough: Place 1 disk of the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Dust the top with flour and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large circle about ⅛-inch thick. If you invert your pie plate over the dough, the circle should be 1 inch larger than the edge of the pie plate on all sides. As you work, rotate the dough a quarter turn every few rolls to prevent it from sticking to your work surface. I also like to dust the top of the dough with flour and flip it over a few times during the rolling process.
- To transfer the rolled-out dough to your pie plate, roll the dough over the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie plate. Use your fingers to press it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the plate. Trim the edges of the dough so that there is a ½-inch overhang on all sides of the pie plate. Loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill while you roll out the top crust.
- Repeat the rolling process with the remaining dough disk, rolling it out into a large, ⅛-inch-thick circle.
- Assemble and bake according to your desired pie recipe.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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