REC: Zingerman's Pie Dough Recipe
The instructions below look long and daunting. Yet I threw together two pie crusts (at a time) in less than 10 minutes
Zingerman’s Pie Dough Recipe
Yields 2 crusts
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour .80 lb.
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Fat (butter or lard), .50 lbs.
diced into 1/4 inch cubes, well chilled
4 – 8 T. Ice Water
Mixing the Pie Dough:
In a mixing bowl combine the flour and salt and blend w/ the pastry blender.
Add 3/4 quarter of the cold fat into the flour mixture.
Working quickly, cut the fat into the flour mixture, using a pastry blender. Cut until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal w/ pea size pieces of fat.
W/ your hands, rub the fat and flour mixture together (think light squeeze) quickly to encapsulate the flour w/ the fat. Rub until the mixture take a creamy colour and mixture has no floury appearance.
Add the ¼ quarter of remaining butter and cut into the mixture using the pastry blender. There should be small and large pieces visible.
Level out the mixture before adding the water.
Add chilled water, starting w/ 4 T. first. Using your hand to fold the water and flour mixture until it just comes together. Add a T. of the remaining chilled water one at a time if the dough is crumbly. Dough that doesn’t have enough water will be hard to handle and roll.
Remove the dough from bowl and schmear (frizze) dough, pushing away from you, once all the way around. Cut the dough into two even pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. When wrapping, leave ½ inch on sides so that you can flatten and round sides before putting in fridge. Chill dough for at least 1 hour before rolling it out. Remove from the refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling dough out.
Rolling out the Dough:
Remove the chilled dough from the fridge, lightly dust the rolling surface w/ flour (don’t rub in – sprinkle). Place the disk of dough on the surface and lightly flour the top of the disk w/ flour. Gently wipe flour over surface of dough. Using a rolling pin, start rolling the dough from the center to the edge away from you – roll lightly. Move dough one quarter turn. The will prevent the dough from sticking and help make a perfect circle. Re-flour the rolling surface and dough if the dough sticks. Continue to roll the dough until about 1/8 inch thick and is at least 1 inch bigger than the pie plate you will be using. Using a rolling pin roll-up the dough. Position the edge over the pie plate edge and unroll the dough. Gently ease the dough down into the pie plate, making sure not to stretch the dough.
Blind Baking and Double Baking the Dough:
Single crust. If the pie will be blind baked, trim the dough to ½ inch from the edge of the pie plate, folding the excess dough underneath to make a thicker edge, finish the edge w/ your choice of edging. Dock the dough using a fork and freeze the dough for 20 minutes before baking. Remove the chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Line w/ parchment or tinfoil, pressing the foil snugly against the bottom and sides of the curst. Fill w/ dry beans to weigh down the foil (feel fully w/ beans). Bake the crust at 375 F degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until the crust begins to dry. Remove the paper/foil w/ the beans. For fillings that require a short baking time fill and bake the pie at this point according to recipe directions. For fillings that are not baked, continue to bake until well browned, another 10 to 15 minutes more.
Double crust: Use the same rolling method to roll a top crust as you did to roll the bottom crust. For the bottom crust trim the dough so at least 1 inch of excess dough hanging over the pie plate and brush w/ egg wash. The top crust can be rolled until it’s 1/8 inch thick and trimmed so it is just slightly larger than pie plate. Using a rolling pin, roll up the bottom dough. Position the edge of the dough over the pie plate edge and unroll the dough. Gently ease the dough down in the pie plate, make sure not to stretch the dough. Fill the pie w/ the fruit filling according to your recipe. Place the top crust over the fruit. Fold the excess dough from the bottom crust over the top crust edge and seal, lightly pressing w/ your fingers. Create your edge choice. Brush w/ egg wash and cut vents w/ a paring knife. Bake pie at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until juice bubbles from the center of the pie vents. Remove from the oven and cool.
Zingerman’s Baking Pies a Plenty Class – April 2007
The instructions below look long and daunting. Yet I threw together two pie crusts (at a time) in less than 10 minutes
Zingerman’s Pie Dough Recipe
Yields 2 crusts
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour .80 lb.
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Fat (butter or lard), .50 lbs.
diced into 1/4 inch cubes, well chilled
4 – 8 T. Ice Water
Mixing the Pie Dough:
In a mixing bowl combine the flour and salt and blend w/ the pastry blender.
Add 3/4 quarter of the cold fat into the flour mixture.
Working quickly, cut the fat into the flour mixture, using a pastry blender. Cut until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal w/ pea size pieces of fat.
W/ your hands, rub the fat and flour mixture together (think light squeeze) quickly to encapsulate the flour w/ the fat. Rub until the mixture take a creamy colour and mixture has no floury appearance.
Add the ¼ quarter of remaining butter and cut into the mixture using the pastry blender. There should be small and large pieces visible.
Level out the mixture before adding the water.
Add chilled water, starting w/ 4 T. first. Using your hand to fold the water and flour mixture until it just comes together. Add a T. of the remaining chilled water one at a time if the dough is crumbly. Dough that doesn’t have enough water will be hard to handle and roll.
Remove the dough from bowl and schmear (frizze) dough, pushing away from you, once all the way around. Cut the dough into two even pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. When wrapping, leave ½ inch on sides so that you can flatten and round sides before putting in fridge. Chill dough for at least 1 hour before rolling it out. Remove from the refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling dough out.
Rolling out the Dough:
Remove the chilled dough from the fridge, lightly dust the rolling surface w/ flour (don’t rub in – sprinkle). Place the disk of dough on the surface and lightly flour the top of the disk w/ flour. Gently wipe flour over surface of dough. Using a rolling pin, start rolling the dough from the center to the edge away from you – roll lightly. Move dough one quarter turn. The will prevent the dough from sticking and help make a perfect circle. Re-flour the rolling surface and dough if the dough sticks. Continue to roll the dough until about 1/8 inch thick and is at least 1 inch bigger than the pie plate you will be using. Using a rolling pin roll-up the dough. Position the edge over the pie plate edge and unroll the dough. Gently ease the dough down into the pie plate, making sure not to stretch the dough.
Blind Baking and Double Baking the Dough:
Single crust. If the pie will be blind baked, trim the dough to ½ inch from the edge of the pie plate, folding the excess dough underneath to make a thicker edge, finish the edge w/ your choice of edging. Dock the dough using a fork and freeze the dough for 20 minutes before baking. Remove the chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Line w/ parchment or tinfoil, pressing the foil snugly against the bottom and sides of the curst. Fill w/ dry beans to weigh down the foil (feel fully w/ beans). Bake the crust at 375 F degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until the crust begins to dry. Remove the paper/foil w/ the beans. For fillings that require a short baking time fill and bake the pie at this point according to recipe directions. For fillings that are not baked, continue to bake until well browned, another 10 to 15 minutes more.
Double crust: Use the same rolling method to roll a top crust as you did to roll the bottom crust. For the bottom crust trim the dough so at least 1 inch of excess dough hanging over the pie plate and brush w/ egg wash. The top crust can be rolled until it’s 1/8 inch thick and trimmed so it is just slightly larger than pie plate. Using a rolling pin, roll up the bottom dough. Position the edge of the dough over the pie plate edge and unroll the dough. Gently ease the dough down in the pie plate, make sure not to stretch the dough. Fill the pie w/ the fruit filling according to your recipe. Place the top crust over the fruit. Fold the excess dough from the bottom crust over the top crust edge and seal, lightly pressing w/ your fingers. Create your edge choice. Brush w/ egg wash and cut vents w/ a paring knife. Bake pie at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until juice bubbles from the center of the pie vents. Remove from the oven and cool.
Zingerman’s Baking Pies a Plenty Class – April 2007