One crust pie — about 10
Ounces
Dough:
1 1/4 c All purpose bleached flour
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 ts Baking powder
1/8 ts Salt
4 tb Cold unsalted butter — (1/2
Stick)
1 lg Egg
Two crust pie — about 1 1/4
Pounds
Dough:
2 1/2 c All purpose bleached flour
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
8 tb Cold unsalted butter — (1
Stick)
2 lg Eggs
To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking
powder in a medium mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut butter into
1 tablespoon pieces and add to dry ingredients. Toss once or twice to
coat pieces of butter. Then using your hands or a pastry blender,
break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the
dry ingredients. Occasionally reach down to the bottom of the bowl
and mix all the ingredients evenly together. Continue rubbing the
butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse
ground corn meal and no large pieces of butter remain visible. Beat
the egg(s) in a small bowl and pour over the flour and butter
mixture. Stir in with a fork until the dough begins to hold together,
but still appears somewhat dry. Scatter a teaspoon of flour on the
work surface and scrape the dough out onto it. Press and knead the
dough quickly 3 or 4 times, until it is smooth and uniform. To mix
the dough in the food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and
baking powder in work bowl fitted with metal blade. Pulse 3 times at
1second intervals to mix. Cut butter into 1tablespoon pieces and add
to work bowl. Process, pulsing repeatedly at 1second intervals, until
the mixture is fine and powdery, resembles a coarse ground cornmeal
and no large pieces of butter remain visible, about 15 pulses in all.
Add the egg(s) to the work bowl and pulse ten times or so, until the
dough forms a ball. Scatter a teaspoon of flour on the work surface
and scrape the dough out onto it. Press and knead the dough quickly 3
or 4 times, until it is smooth and uniform. Press the dough into a
disk (two equal disks for the larger amount of dough). Sandwich the
disk(s) of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press it into
a 6 inch circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are
ready to use it, at least 1 hour. Storage: Keep the dough in the
refrigerator up to two days, or freeze it doublewrapped in plastic.
Because the dough is thin, it will defrost quickly at room
temperature when you intend to use it. Variations: SPICE CRUST: Add
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon each freshly grated
nutmeg and ground cloves to the dry ingredients before mixing in the
butter. Double the quantities for the 2 crust recipe. COCOA DOUGH:
Add 2 tablespoons sifted non alkalized cocoa powder to the dry
ingredients before mixing in the butter. Double the quantities for
the 2 crust recipe. If the dough seems dry after adding egg(s), add a
teaspoon or two of water, no more.
Yields
1 Servings