Pie Crust

This recipe can be used to make either an incredibly flaky wheat and dairy pie crust or vegan pie crust. This makes enough pie crust for a double-crust pie.

See also: Gluten-Free Pie Crust

The Inside Scoop

When both volume and weight measures are provided, the volume measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of sugar is 192 grams. By volume, this measure will be less than 1 cup.

Both butter and shortening are used in this pie crust. Butter makes pie crust flaky; shortening makes pie crust tender. However, shortening can be substituted for butter to make a vegan pie crust.

When making pie crust, the key is: Keep it cold! Place the stick of butter, if using, in the freezer for approximately 1 hour. Wrap the shortening in plastic and freeze for at least one hour until firm. Then, using either a grater or the grating tool of a food processor, grate the frozen butter before adding it to the flour mix. Do not attempt to grate the shortening; it is still too soft. If the grated butter is not used immediately, return it to the refrigerator. Part of a pie crust’s flakiness is due to the steam that is generated as the butter and/or shortening melts.

I do not use water in my pie crusts. I use lemon juice for flavor and vodka or a flavored alcohol. 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 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.

Place the butter, if using, in the bottom of a food processor’s bowl. Add the flour, salt, sugar and shortening. Pulse for 2 seconds three to four times until butter and shortening are the size of peas. This ensures a uniform rise as the butter and shortening melt and turn to steam during baking.

Combine the lemon juice and alcohol in a measuring cup. Pour into the feed tube of the food processor while pulsing. (A funnel might help here if the liquid runs down the outside of the measuring cup.) Pulse until dough just begins to come together. Do not overwork.

Remove the dough from the food processor and form into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

For an even flakier crust, laminate the dough. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a long rectangle.

Visually divide the dough into 3 equal parts. From the narrow end, lift 1/3 of the dough and fold it over the middle third.

Then lift the other narrow end of the dough and fold it on top of the other two-thirds.

Roll out the dough again into a long rectangle, rolling the rough ends away from you. Again, from the narrow, rough end, fold 1/3 of the dough over the middle third. Fold the other narrow, rough end of the dough over the middle two-thirds. Turn the dough 1/4 turn.

Roll out the dough again, fold and turn 2 more times. Divide dough in half, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

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Pie Crust

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An incredibly flaky, tender pie crust that can easily be adapted for Vegan baking.

Ingredients

• For a 2-crust 10” Deep Dish Pie:
• *113 g/ 1 Stick Butter, frozen
• 96 g./ ½ c. Shortening, frozen
• 36 g./ 3 T. Granulated Sugar or Vegan Sugar
• 360 g./ 3 c. All-Purpose Flour
• 1 t. Salt
• 60 ml./ 1/4 c. Lemon Juice
• 60 ml./ 1/4 c. Vodka or flavored Alcohol
• *For a Vegan pie crust, substitute an additional 96 g./ ½ c. All-Vegetable Shortening for the butter.
• For a small, 2-crust disposable pie pan:
• *75 g./ 1/3 c. Butter
• 64 g./ 1/3 c. Shortening
• 24 g./ 2 T Granulated Sugar or Vegan Sugar
• 240 g./ 2 c. All-purpose Flour
• ½ t. Salt
• 45 ml./ 3 T. Lemon Juice
• 45 ml./ 3 T. Vodka or a flavored alcohol
• *For a Vegan pie crust, substitute an additional 64 g./ 1/3 c. shortening for the butter.

Instructions

1

Wrap the shortening in plastic wrap; freeze for one hour. Freeze butter for one hour.

2

Remove the butter from the freezer and grate with the grating tool of a food processor. Add flour, sugar, salt and shortening to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until butter and shortening are the size of small peas.

3

Combine the juice and alcohol. Pour through the feed tube of the food processor, continuing to pulse in 1-2 second bursts until dough just starts to come together. If dough does not begin to come together, add up to 1 T. of additional liquid. Remove the dough from the bowl of the food processor and bring together into a ball. Wrap the pie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 min. For an even flakier crust, laminate the dough.

4

To laminate the dough, remove the pie crust dough from the refrigerator and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a long rectangle. Visually divide the dough into 3 parts. From the narrow end, lift one-third of the dough and fold it over to cover the middle third. Lift the other narrow end of the dough and fold it on top of the other two-thirds.

5

Roll the dough out again into a long rectangle, rolling the rough ends away from you. Again, from the narrow, rough end, fold one-third of the dough over the middle third. Fold the other, narrow rough end of the dough over the middle two-thirds. Turn the dough ¼ turn.

6

Roll out again, fold and turn ¼ turn 2 more times. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.