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.

Author: Dann Reid

Hello. I'm a dad and husband and baker and chef and student of history, of economics and liberty. View all posts by Dann Reid