25 4 / 2011
Simple Homemade Pie Crust
Happy Easter! Every family has traditions for different holidays. For Easter every year one of my favorite desserts was one my grandma taught me how to make. You will have to wait until the next post to find out exactly which dessert it is, but I will give you a hint though…its a pie. I have always wanted to make a homemade pie crust, but for some reason it intimidated me. I am not a master with the rolling pin. Then I came across a magazine article that said Yes, you can make your own piecrust. It was just the motivation I needed. Here is a step by step process of what I did.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces*
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons ice water
*put the butter in the freezer for a while to get it really cold
Step 1:
In a food processor, pulse the flour, butter, sugar, and salt until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size clumps of butter remaining.
Step 2: Add 2 tablespoons of ice water. Pulse until the mixture holds together when squeezed but it still crumbly (add more water as necessary). Avoid overprocessing, which will make dough tough.
Step 3: Place the still crumbly mixture on sheet of plastic wrap. Shape it into a 1-inch-thick dish, using the plastic wrap to help. Wrap tightly & refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. (The dough can be frozen at this point for up to 2 months.)
Step 4: Place the disk of dough on a floured piece of parchment or wax paper. Using your knuckles, make indentations around the perimeter of the dough (this will help prevent cracking when you the roll the dough out).
Step 5: With a floured rolling pin out the dough into an 11 inch circle (work from the center outward).
Step 6: Loosen the dough from the parchment and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Fit the dough into the plate (avoid stretching). Trim the dough to a 1-inch overhang and tuck it under itself to create a thick rim.
Step 7: With the index finger of one hand, press the dough against the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand; continue around the perimeter or the crust. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days before using.
Source: Real Simple November 2009
