Many times, I have attempted to make the perfect pie crust, and I have tried many different recipes. In my opinion, this is the best result I could have hoped for. The crust is delicious on its own and is tender, flaky, and melts in your tongue. Tender and flaky means exactly what it sounds like. When a pie is delicate and flaky, it cuts easily with a fork and crumbles into small pieces when squeezed. According to one chef's maxim, a wonderfully flaky crust will fall into your pants as you eat it.
Use a chilly basin, ice water with apple cider vinegar, and cold butter to make the crust; bake the crust cold at a very high temperature to shock the crust into being tender and golden brown.
Yes, apple cider vinegar (or vodka, in some cases) is added to the crust to help soften the gluten and prevent it from becoming tough and chewy. A superb pie crust requires butter, and European butter is the finest to use because of its low water level and high fat content (82-90%). Finally, a perfectly baked pie crust should have a golden brown color, with darker edges than the center but no burnt bits. When baking a pie, it's crucial to have a pie crust protector ring on available in case one side of the crust browns more than the other, which can happen because of the uneven temperature throughout the oven.
Pie making is the way to go if you want to make a masterpiece and hone your baking talents by paying close attention to detail.
Makes 2 9-inches single pie crust or 1 9-inch double pie crust
Equipment: Pastry cutter or food processor
Ingredients:
2 1/2 sticks very cold European unsalted butter (I used Plugra), diced and placed in freezer for 20 mins
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup ice water plus 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
Let's Start!
Pull all your ingredients and tools from the freezer.
Combine flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl
Break up the butter chunks with your fingers, toss the cubes of butter into the flour and toss gently, making sure the butter is entirely covered with flour
Using a pastry cutter, cut into the cubes of butter, while rotating the bowl and searching to uncover all the larger pieces of butter. (You can also use a food processor, using the "pulse" mode")
Continue until the flour starts to take on the appearance of a coarse cornmeal or grated parmesan cheese, with chunks of butter remaining ranging from pea to almond-sized. Toss thoroughly with your fingertips to make sure all the butter is coated with flour.
Toss thoroughly with your fingertips (like tossing a salad) to make sure all the butter is coated with flour
Make a well in the center of the mixture and add ¼ cup of the water mixture. Toss with your fingertips to distribute the water as evenly as possible.
Add the rest of the water mixture one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture forms a dough that’s moist enough to hold together when pressed between your fingers. If it holds, it means its good. If its still crumbly after squeezing it, it needs a little more hydration.
At this point, transfer dough in to a pastry board or your clean countertop, then use your fingertips to press it back down onto itself. It should hold together and feel cool to the touch but not wet or sticky. If there’s a lot of cracking or dry bits of flour, you can add a few drops of water with your fingertips, scoop, and press one last time.
Cut the dough in half with a bench scraper (or one slightly larger than the other if you’re making a 2 crust pie - the larger dough will line the bottom and sides of the pie shell and the smaller will be the top crust).
Gently pat each dough into a ball, then pat it into a thick, round disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
Place dough in the fridge for at least an hour before baking.
Pie dough can keep for two to three days in the fridge, or up to three months in the freezer.
Parbaking or Blind baking Pie Crust - partially baking (Parbaking) a pie crust without the filling (Blindbaking) used for cream pies.
Preheat oven at 425F
Roll out and lining your pie pan with a bottom crust, dock pie by poking holes along the bottom and sides with a fork.
Place the pie in your freezer for 20-30 minutes to chill the butter and set the crust in place before baking in a hot oven.
Grab a sheet of parchment paper and crumple it into a ball. Line the cold pie with the parchment paper.
Weigh your pie down with pie weights (or dry beans or rice), to hold the shape of the pie when baking. Press the weights into the edges and out to the sides.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are set.
You can parbake your pie crust the day before adding your filling and finishing. Just leave it out at room temperature, loosely covered with foil.
If you want to make your dough now but bake it later, you can dock and freeze your lined pie pan several weeks in advance. Wrap tightly in several layers of plastic wrap, and place in a freezer safe Ziploc bag (or wrap with foil) to prevent freezer burn. Then, parbake your crust directly from the freezer. No need to thaw.
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