Thanksgiving Prep Started: Pie Dough-the best, not the easiest

Pie Crust that isn’t Rocket Science

Pie Dough

Baking scares many people. Maybe little is as scary as pie dough. I have made more than a few horrors of pie dough and know well why so many dare not tread here.

This will make it easy. Here’s a tried and true recipe and procedure, but you may adapt it as you wish. This recipe make enough with some to spare for a 9 inch pie pan.

Simple isn’t always easy

Simple things can  be complicated, which seems counterintuative.  Often as not, we over do the simple which ruins it.  So too here.  Follow the procedure and don’t second guess.

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Pie Dough

Pie, quiche, pop-tarts or something else, this is the best and easiest recipe I've found.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Pie dough, pie crust, pate brisee,
Prep Time 15 minutes
Refrigerate 4 hours
Author Dann Reid

Ingredients

Pie Dough

  • 245 g All purpose flour
  • 17 g Granulated sugar
  • 7 g Salt
  • 228 g Unsalted butter, diced small, frozen
  • 2 each Egg yolks
  • 51 g Cold whole milk

Instructions

Mix the pie dough

  1. Mix the egg yolks and milk together.

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the dry ingredients and butter. Paddle for about 1 minute. You want the butter to start to mix into the flour.  It's necessary for small bits of butter to remain.

  3. Add the egg yolk/milk mixture and paddle on low for 10 seconds or so. The goal is to incorporate the milk, but just barely. The real mixing, and the development of the dough, comes next.

  4. Scoop out the dough onto a counter top. Bunch the crumbly looking dough into a pile and start at the top of the pile, push down and away into the dough. Repeat this process.

  5. In between pushes, gather the dough back into a pile. As you work, the dough will start to come together and be the dough you are looking for. When it is combined, stop.

  6. If you are making pies and know the diameter, measure 1 ounce of dough for every inch wide the pan. 10 inch pie pans get 10 oz of dough. Scale those portions, round them on the counter and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in the cooler for at least 4 hours, but overnight if possible.

  7. Congratulations! You’ve just made pie dough.

    Here is a video I made showing the production of pie dough

Recipe Notes

This recipe can easily be increased.

The ratios given, 1 oz per inch of round pie pan, is a save guide but will result in excess.  Little is more aggravating to pie bakers than too little pie dough.  The fix is more frustrating than excess pie dough.  Trust me.

Brush the trimmed bits with milk and dust with cinnamon sugar and bake them for treats or make designs on top of your pie crust.

How to work the dough

When rolling the pie dough, it will be necessary to let it rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes, maybe longer, to allow the butter to soften enough to roll.

As you start to roll the dough, the friction from rolling will create some heat and that will make the dough softer.

Use flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter and the rolling pin, but only a dusting as needed.  We do want the dough thin, but do not want to add more flour than is necessary, and very little is necessary.

A proper rolling pin is very important.  For pie doughs, I like the French pin, or this straight, handle-free style, a bit like a big stick   with this Amazon affiliate link.  For croissants, I find that is not sufficient.  I use the large handled rolling pin.

The pins sold at grocery stores tends to be of very little practical use in a kitchen which does serious rolling and baking. Save your dollars and frustration and purchase a sturdy rolling pin.

After quiche and football or Jarts with the kids, a great way to make those left-overs disappear is with a post Thanksgiving pizza.

Yum.

 

Thanksgiving Prep Begins: Puff Pastry

Blitz Puff Pastry

Everything in order to make Blitz Puff Pastry. This is for half a recipe, which will be more than enough.

Mini M&M cookie dough is done and now, on to Blitz Puff Pastry. This is all that’s needed.

Flour, salt and butter on the counter.
Starting with the well in the center. I use a bench scraper to help fold all the mess together.
After several additions, the dough is formed. I’ll use the bench scraper to lift the dough to a sheet pan and chill at least an hour to firm the butter and make the rolling and folding easier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The process for rolling the pastry is easy but takes long rests of time in between. The most important things to remember are to keep the pastry evenly flat and as square, that is, uniform in shape, as possible.

Getting ready to roll the pastry. Keep flour at the ready to prevent sticking.
Rolled once. Work to keep the shape as uniformly rectangular as possible to ensure even rise when it bakes.
For Blitz puff, I start with letter folds, third then third.
The last fold of the first roll. Puff pastry gets rolled and folded at least three times, sometimes 4. The more the dough is worked the more the gluten is developed and the risk rises that the pastry will be tough. The large chunks of butter will work themselves out in the next two rolls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roll and fold #2

The puff as we last saw it
Rolled to a rectangle. It is larger than the previous which is fine. It is also a bit thinner which is expected. As before, keep the edges straight and uniform
I use the brush to remove the excess flour. I use the flour as I need for the rolling, but never need the extra in the folds
Back on the pan into the cooler to wait for roll 3. Depending on feel, which takes practice, I may opt for 4 folds today. Final use also dictates the number of folds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roll #3
In some cases, proper, that is, not blitz, puff pastry will get three turns, but almost always both get 4. As before, the excess flour is brushed away. In large commercial kitchen, bakers have a habit of pressing indents into the dough to show how many rolls and fold the pastry has been given. This is also a helpful tip for the next baker.

Beginning the rolling and folding for the third time
Roll and fold 3 done. Note the indents to reveal which stage it is in

 

 

 

 

Roll #4
All done. Now it is ready for it’s final use, which, in this cases, will be wrapped around brie cheese with pecans, cranberries, and bacon.

Last time for rolling and folding
Done and done. Blitz puff will have larger chunks of butter in the dough than normal puff pastry. Blitz is fine and preferred for wrapping meats or cheese. Regular puff is preferred for desserts or Napoleon.