FOOLPROOF ALL-BUTTER SINGLE-CRUST PIE DOUGH is excerpted from "THE PERFECT PIE: YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CLASSIC AND MODERN PIES, TARTS, GALETTES, AND MORE" © 2019 by America's Test Kitchen. Reproduced by permission of America's Test Kitchen. All rights reserved.
Foolproof All-Butter Single Crust Pie Dough
Makes one 9-inch single crust
This is our go-to dough: It’s supremely supple and extremely easy to roll out. Even better, it bakes up buttery, tender, and flaky. How did we do it? First we used the food processor to coat two-thirds of the four with butter, creating a water-resistant paste-like mixture. Next we broke that dough into pieces, coated the pieces with the remaining four, and tossed in grated butter. By doing this, the water we folded in was absorbed only by the dry four that coated the butter-four chunks. Since gluten can develop only when four is hydrated, this waterproofing method resulted in a crust that was super tender but had enough structure to support fakes. After a 2-hour chill, the dough was completely hydrated and easy to roll out. Be sure to weigh the four. If your recipe requires rolling your dough piece(s) to a rectangle after chilling, form the dough into a 5-inch square instead of a disk. This dough will be moister than most pie doughs, but it will absorb a lot of excess moisture as it chills. Roll out the dough on a well-floured counter.
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, divided
- 1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 cup ice water, divided
- Grate 2 tablespoons butter on large holes of box grater and place in freezer. Cut remaining 8 tablspoons butter into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Pulse 3/4 cup flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, 2 pulses. Add cubed butter and process until homogenous paste forms, about 30 seconds. Using your hands, carefully break paste into 2-inch chunks and redistribute evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is broken into pieces no larger than 1 inch (most pieces will be much smaller), 4 to 5 pulses. Transfer mixture to bowl. Add grated butter and toss until butter pieces are separated and coated with flour.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Toss with rubber spatula until mixture is evenly moistened. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons ice water over mixture and toss to combine. Press dough with spatula until dough sticks together. Transfer dough to sheet of plastic wrap. Draw edges of plastic over dough and press firmly on sides and top to form compact, fissure-free mass. Wrap in plastic and form into 5-inch disk. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling. (Wrapped dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)
