Pastry Dough
Basic Pie Component
Ingredients for single-crust
pie:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 stick (6 tablesspoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free)
1/4 tablespoon salt
3 - 4 tablespoons ice water
Ingredients for 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 (preferably trans-fat-free)
1/2 tablespoon salt
5 - 7 tablespoons ice water
Preparation:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, 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.
Pastry dough can be chilled
up to 2 days ahead.
Courtesy of The Chefs of Hotels & Restaurants across America.
 The Empress |
 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino |