8 tb Unsalted butter; softened
1/4 c Sugar
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 Egg yolk
1 1/4 c Bleached all-purpose flour
Combine the butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of an
electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes,
until the mixture is soft, fluffy, and almost white in color. Beat in the
vanilla and the egg yolk and continue beating for another 2 minutes, until
the mixture is soft and smooth and resembles buttercream. (If the mixture
appears curdled, the butter, egg yolk, or both were too cold and not soft
enough when combined. Continue to beat and the mixture will become smooth
in a few minutes.) Scrape the bowl and beaters and remove the bowl from the
mixer. Place the flour in a strainer or sifter and sift it, all at once,
over the butter mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour into the
butter mixture until no traces of flour remain visible. Scrape the dough
onto the center of a 12-inch square of plastic wrap and shape it into a
rough disk. Cover with another 12-inch square of plastic and press the
dough between the two pieces of plastic until is about 1/4-inch thick.
Refrigerate the dough. This recipe yields 11 ounces of dough, enough for a
9 or a 10-inch crust.
Yields
1 servings