Just spotted the first new apples of the season at the Farmers’ Market. I haven’t even picked a tomato and what passes for Summer in Maine is almost over. Sigh. As my Dad used to say “Summer is gone, - Winter drawers on!”
Anyway, the apples reminded me of pie, which reminded me of pie dough and a great story I can tell you only because Mike is not in the room, so shhhh!
HUMBLE PIE
Once upon a time, a long, looong time ago in 1966, Mike and I married and moved to a magical kingdom called Washington, D. C. where Mike made the unhappy discovery that I couldn’t cook ANYTHING. Nothing. Nada!
Mike’s Mom and his “Babchi” were great cooks, so Mike, - undeterred by the fact that he had never actually made pie crust, - decided that he would “teach me” the fine art of pastry. Since we owned neither pastry blender nor rolling pin, he improvised with two butter knives and a quart soda bottle. He cut the shortening into the flour, added water, and Voila! –pancake batter.
I won’t go into the rest of the gory details, but the “lesson” ended, after much flour flinging, dough sticking and bad words, with the ball of dough on the floor and me sneaking out of the kitchen. But, to my credit, I was nice enough to close the bathroom door before I fell down laug….. uh oh, I hear Mike behind me,..he has duct tape, I’m … HELP!!! m…..mmmfffph….
I’m O.K. ….. just a flesh wound…. where was I? Oh yeah, pastry dough. Before I turn this over to Mike for his tutorial, however, I feel it’s only fair to let you know that after our disastrous first baking lesson, one of us went on to become a professional pastry chef. If you’re trying to guess who, here is a little hint. It wasn’t Mike.
Michael says: It’s All About The Dough
One of the reasons that I had a problem with that infamous first crust (besides the obvious idiot thing) was my ignorance about the properties of gluten. Gluten, those stretchy proteins in flour that when activated by kneading, helps bread rise, is also toughened by overworking in pie dough.
So the first lesson in making pie dough is “fast is best.” Quickly incorporating water, a little at a time, helps keep the crust tender and flaky. It’s also important to use ice water, rather than just cold water straight from the faucet. Using really cold liquid, then chilling the dough for a while (at least 30 minutes to 1 hour) helps relax the dough (gluten) and insures that the dough will roll out quickly and smoothly.
Even the fat that you choose affects the character of the dough. Butter gives the dough the best flavor but because of the water contained in the butter the crust can come out a bit tough. Solid shortening doesn’t add any flavor to the crust but does make a tender and flaky crust. Shortening gets it’s name from the effect that it has on gluten. It actually shortens the strands of gluten and makes the dough tender. Also shortening has no water and doesn’t contribute to toughening the crust. My grandmother used to use lard as the fat in her pie dough and it was a great crust. The lard that she used was leaf lard and what’s available today in the market is fatback lard. This lard can have a very assertive flavor that isn’t pleasant. I’m fortunate to live in a rural area and my neighbor keeps me supplied with rendered leaf lard – Babchi’s pie dough still lives in my kitchen! For most pies though, I use a 50/50 mixture of butter and shortening.
How you handle the shortening, butter or lard in cutting it into the flour can also affect the dough. Cutting all the fat into the mixture until it looks like cornmeal will give you a “sturdy” crust, or “short flake” dough. While this is fine for the bottom crust for a custard pie, you won’t win any praise for a sturdy crust on an apple pie. Leaving the fat pieces considerably bigger, marble size and larger, will give you a “long flake” crust that, unfortunately, will shatter when you first cut into it.
What’s happening is the pieces of fat get coated with flour as you mix the dough. When you roll out the dough the fat pieces form layers separated by flour layers. When the dough gets baked the fat melts leaving an air gap separation between the flour layers. With really large pieces of fat, long layers form. The result is dough that’s a bit like puff pastry but way too fragile for pie crust.
I like a “medium flake” crust. This involves cutting the fat into the flour in two steps. Since I usually use butter and shortening, I cut the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. I then cut the shortening in until there are pieces that go from the size of large peas to a half piece of walnut. This will give you a tender and flaky crust that will not shatter.
My grandmother would also add a bit of cider vinegar or lemon juice (I prefer lemon) to the ice water before making the dough. The acid also helps tenderize the gluten.
Overall, you need to try to keep the dough cold through the mixing process. If your kitchen is hot and humid, the shortening can be chilled in the refrigerator and the flour put into the freezer. Keeping everything cold will ensure that the fats will not start to melt while your making the dough. Also, chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out helps the gluten to relax and insures that the dough will roll out quickly and smoothly. We usually make up a large batch of dough and wrap individual pieces and freeze them for an almost instant dessert when we have fresh fruit.
Always handle the dough gently. Roll from the center to the edges with short, firm, sharp strokes. Don’t roll back and forth across the dough. Overworking the dough will activate the gluten and toughen the dough.
When you place the dough into the pie plate, don’t stretch the dough to fit. Stretching will also activate the gluten and toughen the dough. Roll out the dough a couple of inches larger than the pie plate, place it over the pie plate, lift up the outer edge of the dough and let it gently fall into the pie plate.
If you’re baking the crust before filling it, - blind baking -, be sure to prick it all over, called docking. You can line the docked pie dough with aluminum foil and then fill with pie weights or dried beans to keep the crust from bubbling up. Bake the shell for about 10 minutes, remove the foil and beans, and bake another 5 minutes or until the crust is a light golden color.
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This the perfect title for this pie dough. It’s a medium flake pastry dough that holds together when you cut it and is light and flaky. This is our pastry work horse and we’ll make a double batch (or more) and keep it in the freezer for those late night dessert emergencies.
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 cup solid shortening (Crisco) - (see note 1 below)
Pinch of salt (optional)
9 - 12 Tablespoons ice water (about)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Fill a 2-cup measure with ice cubes. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and fill the cup with cold water. Stir and set aside.
Place the flour and salt, if using, in a large bowl. Add the 1/2 cup of butter and cut into the flour, with a pastry blender or two knives, until the mixture resembles corn meal. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of shortening and cut in until the mixture resembles small and large peas.
Sprinkle ice water, one tablespoon at a time, over a small portion of the flour mixture, toss lightly with a fork and push aside. Move on to another section of the flour mixture and repeat. Add only enough water so that the dough holds together without any signs of being dry or crumbly.
Divide dough in half for pie and thirds for tarts. Form into a ball, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow the dough to relax. (Dough can be frozen 4 - 6 weeks.)
Roll out on a lightly floured board or pastry cloth. Work quickly and use only enough flour to prevent sticking.
Fit into pie pan or tart shell and proceed with recipe.
Notes:
- As a flashback to my grandmother’s kitchen, I think the best pie crust is made with lard or part lard. Baba would cut a 1/2 cup of lard in first, until the mixture resembles corn meal and then a 1/2 cup of shortening as noted above.
- We usually divide this recipe into thirds (about 8 ounces each). Each piece is perfect for a one-crust rustic fruit tart.
- Early in the spring, just before rhubarb season, we make a double batch of this recipe, divide it into 8 ounce pieces, double wrap in plastic wrap and freeze them. Take out a piece the night before you want to use the dough and let thaw overnight in the refrigerator and you're set for a quick dessert.
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For a printer friendly copy of our No Fail Pie Dough go to our web site at http://www.stoneturtlebaking.com/webdocs/recipes.htm .
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