2000s Recipes + Menus

All-Butter Pastry Dough

Makesenough for a 12-inch single-crust galette or a 9-inch double-crust pie.
  • Active time:15 min
  • Start to finish:1 1/4 hr
January 2003
Though this pastry is very good when made with regular butter, it really shines when you use the richest butter possible, such as Plugrá or Land O Lakes Ultra Creamy Butter. This recipe is an accompaniment for Apple and Calvados Tart.
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (not unbleached)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 9 to 12 tablespoons ice water
  • Special equipment:

    a pastry or bench scraper
  • Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 9 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.
  • Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)
  • Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
Cook's note: Dough can be chilled up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before rolling out.
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