Pie and Pastry Bible (12 page)

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc (or discs), and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. (For a pie shell and lattice, divide it in a ratio of two thirds : one third—use about 9.5 ounces for the shell and the rest for the lattice, flattening the smaller part into a rectangle.)

HAND METHOD

Place a medium mixing bowl in the freezer to chill.

Cut the butter into small (about ¾-inch) cubes. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

Place the flours, salt, and optional baking powder in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cream cheese and rub the mixture between your fingers to blend the cream cheese into the flour until it resembles coarse meal. Place the mixture, together with the cold butter, in a reclosable gallon-size freezer bag. Expel any air from the bag and close it. Use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into thin flakes. Place the bag in the freezer for at least 10 minutes or until the butter is very firm.

Transfer the mixture to the chilled bowl, scraping the sides of the bag. Set the bag aside. Sprinkle the mixture with the water and vinegar, tossing lightly with a rubber spatula. Spoon it into the plastic bag. (For a two-crust pie, it is easiest to divide the mixture in half at this point.)

Holding both ends of the bag opening with your fingers, knead the mixture by alternately pressing it, from outside of the bag, with the knuckles and heels of your hands until the mixture holds together in one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled. To prevent cracking, it is helpful to fold the dough in thirds like a business letter. If the dough becomes soft and sticky, refrigerate it for 5 to 10 minutes. (This dough is a little more tender than the cream cheese dough, using all white flour, so be sure to do the turns or knead a little extra till you can feel the stretch when you pull it.)

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc (or discs), and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. (For a pie shell and lattice, divide it in a ratio of two thirds : one third—use about 9.5 ounces for the shell and the rest for the lattice, flattening the smaller part into a rectangle.)

STORE

Refrigerated, up to 2 days; frozen, up to 3 months.

UNDERSTANDING

The combination of all-purpose flour and whole wheat results in a very similar gluten content to that of pastry flour. Whole wheat flour contains a small amount of gluten-forming protein, which helps hold the crust together. Whole wheat pastry flour has less and is too weak to support this crust by itself.

FLAKY VEGETABLE SHORTENING PIE CRUST

I
am of the opinion that the flavor of a butter crust is so superior to that of a vegetable shortening one as to render the shortening crust almost pointless. Yet vegetable shortening has several things to recommend it. It is easier to work with a dough made with vegetable shortening than one with all butter because the dough stays soft even after it has been refrigerated and does not soften excessively during rolling. Also, it always holds its shape during baking, protecting any decorative border. A shortening crust is a little less crisp than a butter crust, about as flaky, but more tender, and therefore gives the illusion of being “lighter.” It browns a little faster than a butter crust.

FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD

Cut the shortening into small (about ¾-inch) cubes. (This is easiest to do if using the shortening sticks and chilling them first.) Wrap them with plastic wrap and freeze them for at least 30 minutes. Place the flour and salt in a reclosable gallon-size freezer bag and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Place the flour mixture in a food processor with the metal blade and process for a few seconds to combine. Set the bag aside. Add the frozen shortening and pulse until the shortening is in pieces the size of small lima beans. (Toss with a fork to see it better.) Add the ice water and pulse until most of the shortening is the size of large peas, with some a little larger.

For small tartlets,
allow the processing to continue just until a ball forms. The additional mixing produces a dough that is slightly less flaky and will not puff out of shape in the tiny molds.

Spoon the mixture into the plastic bag. (For a two-crust pie, it is easiest to divide the mixture in half at this point.)

Holding both ends of the bag opening with your fingers, knead the mixture by alternately pressing it, from the outside of the bag, with the knuckles and heels of your hands until the mixture holds together in one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled. This dough will be very flaky, but if you adore flakiness, fold the dough in thirds like a business letter between two sheets of plastic wrap or on a pastry cloth with a rolling pin sleeve; chill briefly, well covered, if the dough begins to soften.

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc (or discs), and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. (For a pie shell and lattice, divide it in a ratio of two thirds : one third—use about 9.5 ounces for the shell and the rest for the lattice, flattening the smaller part into a rectangle.) (If you used solidly frozen shortening and worked quickly, you may be able to roll it out immediately, but be sure to rest the shell for at least an hour before baking to prevent shrinkage.)

PASTRY FOR A 9-INCH PIE SHELL MAKES: 12.5 OUNCES/356 GRAMS
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
	VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
solid vegetable shortening, cold	8 tablespoons	3.3 ounces	95 grams
bleached all-purpose flour	1 cups (dip and sweep method)	6.5 ounces	184 grams
salt	½ teaspoon	•	•
ice water	5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon	2.75 ounces	78 grams

HAND METHOD

Place a medium mixing bowl in the freezer to chill.

Cut the shortening into small (about ¾-inch) cubes. (This is easiest to do if using the shortening sticks and chilling them first.) Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes.

Place the flour and salt in a reclosable gallon-size freezer bag and whisk to combine. Add the shortening cubes, expel any air, and close the bag. Use a rolling pin to press the shortening into the flour into large thin flakes. Place the bag in the freezer for at least 10 minutes or until very firm.

Empty the mixture into the cold bowl, using a rubber spatula to scrape the dough from the sides of the bag. Set the bag aside. Sprinkle the mixture with the water, tossing lightly with a rubber spatula. There will be mostly big loose clumps, but there will still be a little dry flour.

Holding both ends of the bag opening with your fingers, knead the mixture by alternately pressing it, from outside of the bag, with the knuckles and heels of your hands until the mixture holds together in one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled. This dough will be very flaky, but if you adore flakiness, fold the dough in thirds like a business letter between two sheets of plastic wrap or on a pastry cloth with a rolling pin sleeve; chill briefly, well covered, if the dough begins to soften.

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc (or discs), and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. (For a pie shell and lattice, divide it in a ratio of two thirds : one third—use about 9.5 ounces for the shell and the rest for the lattice, flattening the smaller part into a rectangle.)

VARIATION

HALF-BUTTER, HALF-SHORTENING PIE CRUST
If you love the flavor of butter but want the advantage of shortening for a more attractively crimped edge, using half butter, half shortening (by volume) is a good compromise. Because the butter (which contains water) will make this crust less tender, replace 1½ teaspoons of the water with cider vinegar (1 tablespoon for the 2¼ cups flour formula).

I do not like the flavor of the butter-flavored shortening. I found the dough to have a bitter aftertaste when I tried it.

STORE

Refrigerated, up to 2 days; frozen, up to 3 months.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

Flour well when rolling.

UNDERSTANDING

Shortening is 100 percent fat, butter is 80 percent fat; 1 cup shortening is 191 grams, 1 cup butter is 227 grams. To replace 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter with
shortening and maintain the same fat content, as in the Basic Flaky Pie Crust, page 22, you would need only 7½ tablespoons. As this is an awkward amount to measure, I call for 8 tablespoons, which makes the dough slightly more tender. Using pastry flour would therefore make the dough too fragile. Replacing the butter with an equal weight of shortening would require using 9½ tablespoons of shortening, which would result in a flakier but harder to handle dough.

The Basic Flaky Pie Crust, using the same amount of flour, has the equivalent of 5 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon of liquid, including what is contained in the butter. This shortening crust has ½ teaspoon more to compensate for the tenderizing effects of the extra fat.

FLAKY CHEDDAR CHEESE PIE CRUST

C
risper than a cream cheese crust, this crust is just as flaky and tender. The flavor of Cheddar is further enhanced by cayenne pepper, which stays in the background as a nice bite. This crust is so delicious, I bake the scraps to eat by themselves as snacks. This is the crust for a meatloaf (page 331) or the Roasted Red Pepper and Poblano Quiche (page 341).

PASTRY FOR A 9½- BY 1-INCH TART OR A 9-INCH PIE MAKES: 14.4 OUNCES/412 GRAMS
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
	VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
*Pastry flour makes the dough too weak for wrapping around a meat loaf but would add desirable tenderness if using it for a tart.
†For a tart shell, use only 2 tablespoons so it will be more tender. The pastry needs to be slightly stronger to hold together when wrapping a meat loaf.
unsalted butter, cold	8 tablespoons	4 ounces	113 grams
bleached all-purpose flour*	1 cups (dip and sweep method)	6.5 ounces	184 grams
salt	¼ + teaspoon	•	•
optional: baking powder (if not using, double the salt)	teaspoon	•	•
cayenne pepper	¼ teaspoon	•	•
sharp Cheddar cheese, grated, cold	¾ cup, medium packed	3 ounces	85 grams
ice water	2½ tablespoons†	1.3 ounces	36 grams
cider vinegar	1½ teaspoons	0.25 ounce	7 grams