In Search of a Flaky Crust (aka The Secrets to Successful Pie Dough)
Have you ever felt that you had an Achilles heel in the kitchen? I consider myself an adept home cook, and yet for years I was woefully inadequate in a basic culinary skill: pie crust. It eluded me, it frustrated me, it caused me no end of grief. Sensing my inner struggle, or because he was tired of listening to me complain, my husband gave be the best Christmas gift last year. He enrolled me in a pastry class at Bonnie Gordon College where I spent an entire day learning how to make the humble pie crust.
For those of you who do not live in the Toronto area, or do not have a husband as thoughtful as mine, I will try to let you in on the secrets I discovered during that class and the numerous pies I have made since. At the end of the day, pie dough does not need to be a source of frustration and consternation in the kitchen. With a few secrets, you too can make delicious pies with relative ease.
Secret #1: Everything should be cold
I am sure you have heard this before, but it bears repeating. The key to a great pie crust is ensuring that the butter does not get too warm. The best way to ensure this is to keep the butter cold until the last possible moment and to minimize the amount of time your warm hands handle the pastry.
I highly recommend using your stand mixer for making dough. Not only is it easier than mixing the dough by hand, it is faster and avoids heating the butter. I prefer it to a food processor because the stand mixer allows you to fully observe the dough as it forms and comes together.
After the dough has come together, it should rest in the fridge for at least a half hour before rolling. This makes sure the butter has returned to its cool state after its brief stint in the mixer. Your dough can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for 3 months, making this a great ‘make ahead’ recipe.
Secret #2: Peas are very small
All the recipes and instructions for pie dough are clear- the butter should be incorporated into the flour, until the pieces of butter are the ‘size of peas’. When making pie dough in the past, I think I forgot exactly how small peas actually are. Go and look at a pea in your freezer. It is tiny. Really tiny! You need to break the butter down to very small pieces. You can ease this in a few ways. When you cut your butter up before incorporating it into the flour, cut it into fairly small sizes to begin with. This will make your job easier. (Note: I like to cut the butter up and then put it on a plate in the freezer for approx. 10 minutes to ensure it is cold again…see Secret #1 again) Your stand mixer will then break most of the butter up for you. Leave the mixer on a fairly low setting and watch until the majority of the pieces are the ‘size of peas’. Then try and break up the remaining larger pieces by hand.
Secret #3: Adding the right amount of moisture
Pie dough recipes vary in the type of moisture added. Some include an egg yolk, others vodka. I generally stick to plain water. Whatever liquid you choose, make sure that it is cold (I know…repetitive) and that the right amount is added. I am sure you have read everywhere to avoid too much liquid, that it will ruin your pie crust. It is equally if not more important that you add enough moisture or your dough will not roll easily and will result in extreme frustration and a thick, unyielding crust.
With your stand mixer on low, slowly drizzle your cold moisture (again, see Secret #1) over the dough. When it starts to come together as a cohesive mound stop pouring and stop the mixer. Pour the dough out onto the counter and with your hands shape the dough into a disc.
Secret #4: Let the dough rest at room temperature
Most recipes and instructions are clear that pie dough should be refrigerated before rolling. What they fail to say is that the dough shouldn’t be rolled as soon as you pull it out of the fridge. It will be too cold and will again leave you frustrated. Wait 10-15 minutes before rolling.
Secret #5: Rotate often when rolling
Rolling is where practice makes perfect, but again a few tips can certainly put you on the right track. Put a good dusting of flour on the counter and on top of the dough. Using your rolling pin, roll in a forward/backwards motion over the dough, but do not roll over the outer edge of the dough. Just forward/backwards a few times up to the edge. Then rotate 45 degrees and roll again. Repeat, repeat, repeat, until your dough is to the requisite size or until it is larger than your pie plate. Any time you feel that the dough is starting to stick to the counter or your rolling pin, put down more flour.
A few other notes:
While the type of rolling pin you chose is generally a matter of preference, I prefer a tapered French rolling pin (see above photos). I find that it gives you more control and ‘feel’ for the dough.
I also prefer an ‘all butter’ pastry dough and that is the recipe I have included here. Not only do I feel that it tastes better, I also find it easier to work with.
Lastly, a bench scraper is helpful for those times when you did not flour the counter enough and your dough sticks.
All Butter Pie Crust
Yields enough dough for one double or two single-crust pies.
2 ½ cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp table salt
1 cup of unsalted cold butter
ice water
Cut up the butter into tiny pieces and place on a plate or tray. Place the cut-up butter in the freezer while you assemble the other ingredients. Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until incorporated.
Add the butter into the stand mixer and turn it on low, watching as the butter is incorporated into the flour. Continue mixing until the majority of the pieces of butter are the size of peas. Turn the mixer off and remove the bowl. Using your hands, break apart the remaining larger pieces of butter (as best you can).
Return the bowl to the mixer and turn it on low. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle ice water onto the mixture until the mixture starts to come together. Once it begins to form a cohesive dough, stop the mixer. Pour the contents onto the counter and form the dough into two discs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
When you are ready to roll, remove one of the discs from the refrigerator and let it rest on the counter for at least 10 minutes before rolling.