2000s Recipes + Menus
Pastry Dough
- Active time:20 min
- Start to finish:1 1/4 hr
August 2006
For a single-crust pie
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
For a double-crust pie
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
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Special equipment:
a pastry or bench scraper
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Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water (for a single-crust pie) or 5 tablespoons for a double-crust pie evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
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Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
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Turn out dough onto a work surface. For a single-crust pie, divide dough into 4 portions; for a double-crust pie, divide dough into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together with pastry scraper. For a single-crust pie, press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. For a double-crust pie, divide dough into 2 pieces, with one slightly larger, then form each into a ball and flatten each into a 5-inch disk. If dough is sticky, dust lightly with additional flour. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Cooks’ note: Pastry dough can be chilled up to 2 days ahead.
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