Pie Crusts

So I have made pie crusts before but have never been able to get a really good one. They have very little flavor and are really hard. I always think that store bought ones taste the best. So I went searching online and found these really good tips. Maybe this is old hat to most of you, but it was all new to me. Here it is:

Mix lightly for flaky pastry

Most pie doughs are basically made of flour, fat, and water. The fat is cut into the flour to form crumbs, varying from a meal-like consistency to pea-size pieces. When these crumbs are moistened with liquid, they form a malleable dough. When heated, the pieces of fat melt, and the liquid in the dough steams apart the pockets left by the melted fat. As the dough bakes, the moisture evaporates, and the dough dries in layered flakes to form a crust.

Begin with cold ingredients. Keep your measured and diced butter and shortening well chilled until ready to use, and use ice water for the liquid. If the fats melt before they're in the oven, they are absorbed into the flour, and any chance of producing a flaky pie crust is lost.

A food processor works great—to a point. Many bakers only make pie crust by hand, swearing that this is the only way to control the dough. Others use the food processor exclusively, exulting in the ease and convenience. I use a processor for the first step—cutting the fats into the flour, which works really well (see the recipe for details). The trick is to keep an eye on the consistency of the fat and flour.

When it comes to adding the liquid, however, the food processor has a few drawbacks. If you add the liquid with the processor running, it's difficult to distribute evenly—something that's crucial to a tender pastry—and the dough can form a wet mass around the steel blade before a sufficient amount of liquid has been added. To avoid these pitfalls, I dump the flour-fat mixture into a large bowl and add the liquid by hand.

Add the liquid slowly; stop sooner than you think

The amount of liquid needed in your pie crust will vary from batch to batch. Have a bowl of ice water ready so that you can measure out a tablespoon at a time. As you add the water, use a kitchen fork, tines down, to push the mixture toward the center of the bowl with each addition. To ensure a flaky pastry, use a light hand. Stirring or mashing blends the flour and fat together, eliminating the potential for flaky layers. When pastry dough is overworked in this manner, the resulting mass can't absorb enough water. And without enough water, little or no steam can form in the oven to expand the layers.

Too crumbly vs. just right

Combine the flour and fat in a food processor until the mixture looks like coarse meal strewn with larger pieces of fat. The larger pieces are vital to a flaky pastry. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Add the liquid by hand. Drizzle a tablespoon at a time around the outside of the bowl. With a fork, push the mixture toward the center. (shown above)

To test your dough, gather up half of it with floured hands, pressing it against the side of the bowl. All the crumbs should adhere and leave the bowl clean.

To test your dough, gather up half of it with floured hands, pressing it against the side of the bowl. All the crumbs should adhere and leave the bowl clean.

If your dough crumbles as you try to gather it into a ball, add water a drop at a teaspoon at a time, until water. it forms a more cohesive ball like the dough on the right; you might not need all the water. Too much water makes a sticky dough, which results in a tough and chewy crust.

Too little liquid will cause your pastry to crack and fall apart during rolling and shaping.

Shape the dough into disks

Flatten each ball into a disk. This gives you a head start on rolling.

I find that indenting the top of the disk helps eliminate a domed surface and also ensures a more even thickness as the dough is rolled.

Dust the disks generously with flour and seal them in plastic. The dough needs to be refrigerated for the gluten to relax, for the fat to firm, and for the moisture to permeate the dough. After the dough chills at least half an hour, it's ready to roll.

"Cuddle" each disk to round its shape. A gentle touch will keep you from overworking the dough.

Use the side of your hand to indent the surface with a tic-tac-toe pattern. Dust with flour, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill.

Tell me what you think. Are these really good tips? Are there others that you have? I'm trying it tonight, but knew that if I didn't post this now I wouldn't. I'll let you know how it went.