Want a pie crust that is so flaky and flavorful you may start eating it and forget to fill it? Make it with browned butter!
THE INSIDE SCOOP:
To make a browned butter pie crust, you have to begin by making the browned butter. Although I have seen several recipes that simply say “brown the butter,” there is a little more to it than that.
American butter is 18-19% water. When butter is browned, the water cooks out of the butter and the fat becomes more concentrated. I have included weights for most ingredients since this is the most accurate way of achieving the desired results. Volumetric measures should be considered approximations.
TO BROWN THE BUTTER:
Do NOT use a non-stick or dark colored skillet to brown the butter. It is essential to be able to determine the color of the butter as it browns. Once the butter melts and the water evaporates, the butter will brown quickly and can burn easily if it is not removed from the heat in time.
Before browning the butter, place a plastic container in a bowl filled with a couple inches of ice water. Be sure the inside of the plastic container remains dry. Once the butter turns a golden color, it needs to be cooled immediately, otherwise it will continue to cook and burn.
As the butter browns, it will become somewhat foamy and browned milk particles will sink to the bottom. If you wish, you can remove the foam and some of the browned particles by pouring the browned butter through a small sieve and into the container. This method is also helpful if the butter has become slightly burned as it will remove most of the burnt milk particles.
When you are done, you will have a beautiful, deep golden brown butter with darker milk particles on the bottom. The darker milk particles are completely useable and very flavorable.
Let the browned butter cool completely and become firm. Once the water is cooked out, browned butter will become much harder than the original butter. To store, cover and refrigerate. Note: Butter can be browned several days in advance.
Once the browned butter has cooled to room temperature and become firm, measure out 113 grams of the browned butter. Refrigerate until hard. If there is extra browned butter, store it in a sealable container and refrigerate. I typically brown a pound of butter at a time and store the extra for the next time I want it.
TO MAKE PIE CRUST DOUGH, A LITTLE ALCOHOL HELPS:
I use both water and alcohol in this pie crust. Pie crusts are meant to be flaky. This means that one wants to avoid forming gluten, which can make for a tough crust. Flour contains gluten proteins. Water attaches to the flour and hydrates the gluten proteins in the flour, thus aiding in gluten formation. Alcohol does not hydrate the flour’s gluten proteins and therefore does not aid in forming gluten. Therefore, substituting alcohol for half of a pie crust’s liquid contributes to an amazingly flaky crust.
Because browned butter is much harder than regular butter, you will want to use the grating attachment of a food processor to grate it. Use the food processor’s pastry cutter to combine the grated butter, flour, sugar, and salt. Add the liquids through the feed tube. The dough will appear very shaggy and butter should be the size of small peas..
Although not necessary, I like to “book” my pie crust dough for extra flakiness. To do so, cut a 20” long piece of plastic wrap; place the plastic wrap on a work surface. Lightly flour the plastic wrap. Place the dough on top. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a long rectangle. Fold 1/3 of the dough into the middle. Fold the other 1/3 of dough on top. Turn and repeat. Fold the plastic wrap over the pie crust and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
ROLLING IN DOUGH:
After the dough has chilled, flour your work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the pie crust. Pie crusts need to be rolled approximately 2″ wider than the top of the pie plate to ensure that the crust fits the plate properly. Trim off the excess dough; use this excess the make a dough rope. Moisten the top rim of the pie plate and press this dough rope onto the rim, patching as needed.
Fold the rolled out pie crust into quarters or roll it onto your rolling pin. (I have a marble rolling pin which is too heavy for me to be able to roll the dough onto it.) Moisten the top of the dough rope. Then place the crust dough into the pie plate, being sure to center it. Ease the pie crust INTO the plate, to reduce shrinkage. Press the edge of the crust and the dough rope together. Attaching the edge of the crust to a dough rope helps to reduce shrinkage and helps keep the crust in place.
MY PIE CRUST GOT KNOCKED UP:
“Knock up” the edge of the crust by taking a knife and quickly tapping small cuts into the edge of the crust. Finish the edge with your favorite design. I love the look of a scalloped finish.
LOVE A GOOD PRICK:
With a fork, prick holes over the pie crust to reduce bubbling. These holes will typically close as the crust “puffs” while baking. I also like to crumple a piece of parchment or baking paper, place it in the crust, and fill it with baking beads or dried beans. I have found this to be a very helpful additional step to reduce any shrinkage or bubbling.
GETTING COLD-SHOULDERED:
Refrigerate the pie crust while you preheat the oven. The colder the crust dough, the flakier the crust will be, because the very cold butter will generate more steam as it bakes and melts.
WE’VE GOT THE HEAT:
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust begins to turn a golden brown. If the edge of the crust is browning, but the middle of the crust is not, removing the parchment paper and baking beads and bake an additional 2 minutes, or as long as needed to achieve a beautiful golden crust throughout.
Cool completely, then fill with Browned Butter Banana Cream Pie filling or your favorite filling.
Enjoy!
An amazingly flavorful, flaky pie crust that you'll want to eat by itself, but remember to fill it, first! To Make the Browned Butter: Fill a medium bowl with approximately 1 -2 inches of ice water. Place a plastic container in the middle of the ice water, making sure to keep the inside of the plastic container dry. Have a small sieve nearby, ready to use. Place the butter in a skillet (do not use a non-stick pan or a pan with a dark lining) and place over low heat; cook until butter is melted. Continue cooking, occasionally stirring gently, until butter develops a golden color and browned milk solids begin to settle on the bottom of the pan. This may take 15-20 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the browned butter through the sieve and into the plastic container sitting in the bowl of ice water. This will prevent the hot butter from continuing to cook and thus, burning. Let the butter cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm. To Make the Pie Crust: Fit a food processor with the grating attachment. Grate the browned butter. Remove the grating attachment. Fit the food processor with the pastry cutter. Place the all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of the food processor with the butter. Pulse 3-4 times for 1-2 seconds each until the browned butter is the size of small peas. While pulsing, add the water and liquor or vodka through the feed tube; pulse until the dough just begins to come together. The dough will look very shaggy. Remove the dough from the bowl of the food processor and form the dough into a ball. Flatten slightly. Cut a 20” long piece of plastic wrap; place the plastic on a work surface. Lightly flour the wrap. Place the dough on top. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a long rectangle. Fold 1/3 of the dough into the middle. Fold the other 1/3 of dough on top. Turn the dough and repeat. Fold the plastic wrap over the pie crust and refrigerate for 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough to a diameter 2” wider than the top of the pie plate. Trim off the excess crust; set aside. With the excess dough, roll out a long rope of dough to fit the rim of the pie plate. Dampen the rim of the pie plate with water. Press the rope of dough onto the rim, patching and joining as needed. Fold the rolled out pie crust into quarters or roll it onto your rolling pin. Moisten the top of the dough rope. Then place the crust into the pie plate, being sure to center it. Ease the pie crust INTO the plate, patching if necessary. Trim any excess dough. Press the edge of the crust and the dough rope together. “Knock up” the edge of the crust. Scallop the edge of the pie crust. To prevent the crust from bubbling: Use a fork to prick holes in the bottom and sides of the pie crust. To prevent slumping: Crumple a piece of parchment paper, place it in the pie crust and fill with baking beads or dried beans. Refrigerate the pie crust for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the pie plate in the oven and bake for approximately 15 - 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown. If the edge of the crust is browning, but the middle is not, remove the parchment paper and baking beads and bake an additional 2 minutes or until the crust is golden brown all over. Remove the pie plate from the oven, place on a cooling rack and cool completely. Notes: Make extra browned butter and store in the refrigerator for future use. The aroma is AMAZING! Do NOT start eating the “plain” pie crust. It is supposed to be the crust for your pie! Enjoy!Browned Butter Pie Crust
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