sandi-in-hawaii
Well-known member
For people who haven't made homemade pie crusts, it's hard to tell when you've added enough liquid to your dough. And it's hard to add butter or liquid after the dough is chilled, so you really should try to get the bext dough texture before you chill.
Here's how I make my crust:
Mix the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. I get the best texture if I do it by hand, and cut the butter by rubbing my thumb against the other finger tips (think of the "show me the money" motion. That way, I get flat flakes of butter, not round peas.) Keep tossing the flakes with the flour, so all the flakes are coated as you do this.
Then sprinkle most of the liquid, and fold it into the flour mixture, using a silicone spatula in one hand, and your fingers of the other hand. Don't squish the dough together, just keep tossing until the liquid is well distributed. There may be a few dry crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, but it's okay.
If there's a big wet clump, cut it up with the spatula, and toss it with the drier parts of the dough.
Now here's the trick to test if you have enough liquid:
Scoop up some of the dough in one hand. Squeeze it together, then roll your thumb over it (the "money" motion again). If it crumbles, your dough's too dry and you need to add more liquid. If it rolls like a sugar cookie dough, you're good.
Dump out the crumbs (it'll kinda look like a streusel, but it's fine) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and gather up the corners, to form a disk. Pat together to a round 3/4" thick disk, making sure the edges are well formed, otherwise it'll crack when you try to roll it.
After chilling your dough for at least an hour, you are ready to roll. Take the dough out of the fridge, and let it sit for about 5 minutes to soften just a touch.
Unwrap the dough package, smoothing out the plastic wrap. If your plastic wrap is a square, center the dough on the square. Fold each corner in diagonally, leaving an inch around the edge of the dough. If you've done this correctly, you should have a plastic square that's bigger than your dough round, but all the edges should be a fold.
Get your rolling pin, and push it down in the middle of your dough. Not too hard - just enough to make an indentation. Do this two more times, so that you have three little troughs. Turn the dough 90º, and make three more troughs. This will enlarge your dough a little, plus it'll soften the dough up so you can start to roll.
Roll the dough, still in the plastic, turning a little each time, until the dough is as big as your plastic wrap.
By leaving the dough in the plastic wrap, you use the folds to contain the edge of the dough, so even if it starts to crack, it'll seal back up, since it's contained in the plastic.
THEN unwrap the dough from the plastic, and place it on a floured surface, flour the top, and roll away, until it's big enough for your pie pan.
Here's how I make my crust:
Mix the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. I get the best texture if I do it by hand, and cut the butter by rubbing my thumb against the other finger tips (think of the "show me the money" motion. That way, I get flat flakes of butter, not round peas.) Keep tossing the flakes with the flour, so all the flakes are coated as you do this.
Then sprinkle most of the liquid, and fold it into the flour mixture, using a silicone spatula in one hand, and your fingers of the other hand. Don't squish the dough together, just keep tossing until the liquid is well distributed. There may be a few dry crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, but it's okay.
If there's a big wet clump, cut it up with the spatula, and toss it with the drier parts of the dough.
Now here's the trick to test if you have enough liquid:
Scoop up some of the dough in one hand. Squeeze it together, then roll your thumb over it (the "money" motion again). If it crumbles, your dough's too dry and you need to add more liquid. If it rolls like a sugar cookie dough, you're good.
Dump out the crumbs (it'll kinda look like a streusel, but it's fine) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and gather up the corners, to form a disk. Pat together to a round 3/4" thick disk, making sure the edges are well formed, otherwise it'll crack when you try to roll it.
After chilling your dough for at least an hour, you are ready to roll. Take the dough out of the fridge, and let it sit for about 5 minutes to soften just a touch.
Unwrap the dough package, smoothing out the plastic wrap. If your plastic wrap is a square, center the dough on the square. Fold each corner in diagonally, leaving an inch around the edge of the dough. If you've done this correctly, you should have a plastic square that's bigger than your dough round, but all the edges should be a fold.
Get your rolling pin, and push it down in the middle of your dough. Not too hard - just enough to make an indentation. Do this two more times, so that you have three little troughs. Turn the dough 90º, and make three more troughs. This will enlarge your dough a little, plus it'll soften the dough up so you can start to roll.
Roll the dough, still in the plastic, turning a little each time, until the dough is as big as your plastic wrap.
By leaving the dough in the plastic wrap, you use the folds to contain the edge of the dough, so even if it starts to crack, it'll seal back up, since it's contained in the plastic.
THEN unwrap the dough from the plastic, and place it on a floured surface, flour the top, and roll away, until it's big enough for your pie pan.