6-inch Basic Pie Pastry

Use a mix of fats in pastry dough for the most reliable result. Multiple fats give your pastry some of the durability of shortening with the flakiness of butter. I include ingredients for single and double crust pies.
Prep: 15 minute Blind bake: 15-17 minutes Bake at: 425° Makes: single or double crust for 6-7-inch pie plate Difficulty: intermediate

Ingredients:

  • Single Crust:
  • 1 1/4 cups (150g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cold
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  • 2 1/2-3 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water

  • Double Crust:
  • 1 3/4 cups (210g) flour
  • Rounded 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3-4 tablespoons cold water

  • Parchment paper
  • Plastic wrap
  • Cooking spray

Directions:

  • Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Press baking powder through a small wire mesh sieve if lumpy. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Slice butter into 1/4" pieces and scatter over flour mixture. Cut in butter until unevenly mixed with somewhat large chunks remaining. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over the mixture and toss lightly with your hands. Add another tablespoon of water and toss. Add any additional water by teaspoons until dough just holds together when squeezed in your hand.
  • Form the dough into a ball and let warm in your hands for a minute or two. Press crumbs into the ball and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Add any remaining crumbs and then gently flatten into a rectangular shape with your hands.

  • Fold over the top third of dough and press together. Fold over the bottom third and press again. Repeat. Form dough into a smooth, round disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes-1 hour. If making double crust, divide dough before chilling to allow about two-thirds for bottom crust and one-third for top crust.
  • Place dough on counter and let warm until just malleable, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle your rolling surface with flour and place dough disk in the center. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little flour or rub flour onto your rolling pin.

  • Roll dough lightly from the center (roll away from you) and give it a quarter turn. Continue rolling and turning. To help prevent cracking, do not roll edges until the dough is almost the right size for your pan.

  • Add a little more flour as needed to prevent sticking. If the dough sticks, slide a metal spatula or bench scraper gently under the dough to loosen. Dough should be about 1/8" thick and 2 inches greater in diameter than the top edge of the pan. Turn your pan upside down over rolled out dough to check size.

  • Unless using a non-stick pie plate, prepare pan lightly with cooking spray and wipe out excess with a paper towel. Slide both hands under dough and lift it into the pan. Alternatively, drape dough over rolling pin to transfer or fold dough into quarters. To prevent shrinkage while baking, press dough lightly into place without stretching.

  • Using scissors or a knife, trim the overhang so that it is 1/2" larger than the pan. Fold under the extra dough along the rim of the pan to double thickness.

  • To flute the edge, pinch the dough together at even intervals around the rim between your thumb and forefinger. Chill or freeze for 30 minutes before filling or blind baking.

  • To blind bake, pre-heat oven to 425°. Thoroughly prick bottom and sides of chilled pie shell with a fork or use pie weights (see below). Bake for 15-17 minutes in the bottom third of the oven until crust is light brown. Remove from oven and fill immediately for a hot filling or let cool for a cold filling.

  • If filling the pie shell before baking, follow recipe directions for temperature and baking time.

  • Make ahead: Dough disks can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before use or place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let frozen dough thaw in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours.

How to Use Pie Weights:

Line your pie shell with parchment paper. You don't want to skip this step, as your weights might stick to the dough otherwise. Cut a large enough square or circle to allow for plenty of overhang; you'll need to be able to easily grab the sides without spilling hot weights everywhere. Add the pie weights (ceramic weights, uncooked beans, or rice) to the crust and fill the shell completely. Bake the weight-filled crust for 10 minutes until it just begins to brown. Carefully lift the pie weights using the parchment paper overhang. Pour them into a heat-proof bowl to cool down. Place the crust back into the oven for 5 minutes to expose the previously covered parts directly to heat.

Tips:

• If you struggle to roll out pastry, try rolling between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper. Sprinkle a little flour on the bottom sheet of parchment paper and on top of the dough.• One trick to prevent soggy crust is to brush the bottom and partway up the sides of an unbaked pie shell with lightly beaten raw egg white. Do this just before adding filling and baking. Don't brush with egg white when blind baking.• A food processor is great for tart pastry, but overworks pie dough and makes it tough.
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