All Butter Crust

The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book

Posted by Grand Central Publishing

About

Share

You Will Need (16 things)

  • 1 ¼ cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 ½ tsp Granulated Sugar
  • ¼ lbs (1 stick) cold unsalted Butter , cut into ½-inch pieces
  • ½ cup Cold Water
  • 2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
  • ½ cup Ice

  • *Makes dough for one double-crust 9- to 10-inch pie or tart Double-Crust Pie

  • Single-Crust Pie *Makes dough for one single-crust 9- to 10-inch pie or tart

  • 2 ½ cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
  • ½ lbs (2 sticks) cold Unsalted Butter , cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 cup Cold Water
  • ¼ cup Cider Vinegar
  • 1 cup Ice

Steps (10 steps, 45 minutes)

  1. 1

    Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.

  2. 2

    Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.

  3. 3

    With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).

  4. 4

    Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or small bowl.

  5. 5

    Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.

  6. 6

    Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.

  7. 7

    Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine.

  8. 8

    Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.

  9. 9

    If making the double-crust version, divide the dough in half before shaping each portion into flat discs.

  10. 10

    Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.