The Perfect Pie Dough
It seems that everyone is on the hunt for the perfect pie dough. Well search no more because I got you covered. But before you start making pies here are a couple things to note:
1. Always keep the pie dough cold. You are doing this because you do not want the butter to melt. If the butter is kept cold when you make the dough then when it hits the heat of the oven, the water from the butter, evaporates creating layers of flaky dough.
2. Do not overmix. This is important because when you overmix the dough it creates strands of gluten which when baked creates a tough crust.
3. Always let the dough rest in the refrigerator for an hour or the freezer for 30 minutes after it is rolled out. This will prevent the dough from shrinking when you bake it.
4. Egg wash is your friend. Create egg wash by mixing together 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Brush the egg wash over the crust before baking to create that golden shiny crust we all love.
The Perfect Pie Dough
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 to 4 Tbs ice cold water or buttermilk
In the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse/mix for a few seconds. Add butter and pulse for about 10 seconds until the butter is incorporated into the flour and is the size of peas. Add water or buttermilk and pulse/mix until the dough just comes together. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (or throw it in the freezer and freeze for up to a month)
Makes 1 pie crust. Double the recipe to make a top and bottom crust.