Grandma's Flaky Pie Dough
Submitted by carousel
Grandma’s flaky pie dough, made with both cold butter for flavor and shortening for tenderness. Pea-sized butter bits and ice water are the secret to a shatteringly flaky, foolproof homemade crust.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
0 minREADY
30 minA great pie lives or dies by its crust, and this one nails flaky. The dual-fat approach is the key: butter for rich flavor, shortening for tenderness and a shatter-into-layers texture.
Cold is everything. Freeze the diced fats and use genuinely ice-cold water, because those firm little bits of fat are what melt in the oven to create steam and flaky pockets. Warm fat just blends in and gives you a dense, tough crust.
Pulse the fat into the flour only until it’s the texture of cornmeal with pea-sized lumps still visible. Those visible bits matter; don’t process it to a paste.
Add water gently, just until a squeezed handful holds together, and handle the dough as little as possible to keep the gluten from toughening. Then chill it well, at least four hours, so the fat re-firms and the gluten relaxes. That rest is what keeps the crust from shrinking and turning tough in the oven.
Pro Tips
- Keep the butter, shortening, and water ice-cold; cold fat is the whole secret to flakiness.
- Pulse only until pea-sized fat bits remain; visible flecks of fat mean flaky layers.
- Add water sparingly, just until a squeezed handful holds; too much makes a tough crust.
- Chill at least 4 hours before rolling so the dough relaxes and won’t shrink as it bakes.
Variations
- Make it all-butter for the richest flavor, or use lard in place of shortening for old-school flakiness.
- Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water; the acid keeps the crust extra tender.
- Roll scraps thin, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake for quick pie-crust cookies.
Ingredients
Directions
Place the diced butter and shortening in the freezer while you prepare the flour and water.
Fill a 2 cup measuring cup with ice cubes and water. Set aside. Put the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process to mix. Add the cut up butter and shortening in pieces.
Give the machine about twenty quick pulses until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal textured with pea-sized pieces of butter. Measure out the ice water.
Pour about ½ the measured ice water into the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Dump the flour mixture over it and sprinkle the remaining water over the top. Using both hands, toss the dough to evenly moisten.
Squeeze a handful of dough: if it clumps together it is moist enough; if not, sprinkle on a little more water and toss.
Turn the dough out onto the table, scraping the bowl well and, with the heel of your hand, gently mash the dough into the table with a few quick strokes.
Gather the dough together into a rough log shape. Score it in three equal pieces. Form the smaller piece into a patty about 4 to 5-inches in diameter.
Form the larger piece into a log Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for four hours or overnight.
To roll out the bottom crust:
Place the smaller disc of dough on a floured surface and roll to a diameter of 12-inches. If necessary, loosen it from the table using a long flexible metal spatula.
Brush off any excess flour, fold the circle in half, center it over a 9-inch glass pie plate and open it. Gently mold the dough down and around the sides without stretching it.
Using a paring knife, cut the excess dough around the rim so that it is flush with the edge of the pie plate. Freeze until solid. This can be done up to a week ahead.
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