Piecrust is nothing more than flour, salt, and fat, mixed with a little water. The method remains constant; what changes is the proportion of ingredients.
Proportions for Piecrust |
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Size |
Flour |
Salt |
Unsalted Butter |
Ice Water |
8 to 10-inch single |
11/3 cups |
1/4 teaspoon |
1/2 cup |
3 to 4 tablespoons |
8 to 9-inch double |
2 cups |
1/2 teaspoon |
3/4 cup |
5 to 6 tablespoons |
10-inch double |
22/3 cups |
3/4 teaspoon |
1 cup |
7 to 8 tablespoons |
1. Place flour in a mixing bowl. Cut butter into cubes the size of lima beans, and cut into flour using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips until mixture forms pea-sized chunks. This can also be done in a food processor fitted with the steel blade using the on-and-off pulse button.
2. Sprinkle mixture with water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Toss lightly with fork until dough will form a ball. If using a food processor, process until mixture holds together when pressed between two fingers; if it is processed until it forms a ball too much water has been added.
3. Depending on if it is to be a 1 or 2-crust pie, form dough into 1 or 2 (5- to 6-inch) “pancakes.” Flour “pancake” lightly on both sides, and, if time permits, refrigerate dough before rolling it to allow more even distribution of the moisture.
4. Either roll dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper or inside a lightly floured jumbo plastic bag. Use the former method for piecrust dough that will be used for formed pastries such as empanadas, and the latter to make circles suitable for lining or topping a pie pan. For a round circle, make sure dough starts out in the center of the bag, and then keep turning it in 1/4 turns until the circle is 1-inch larger in diameter than the inverted pie plate. Either remove the top sheet of wax paper or cut the bag open on the sides. You can either begin to cut out shapes or invert the dough into a pie plate, pressing it into the bottom and up the sides, and extending the dough 1 inch beyond the edge of the pie plate.
5. If you want to partially or totally bake the pie shell before adding a filling, prick bottom and sides with a fork, press in a sheet of waxed paper or aluminum foil, and fill the pie plate with dried beans, rice, or the metal pie stones sold in cookware stores. Bake crust in a 375° F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The shell is now partially baked. To complete baking, remove the weights and wax paper, and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Otherwise, fill pie shell. If you want a double-crust pie, roll out the second dough “pancake” the same way you did the first half, and invert it over the top, crimping the edges and cutting in some steam vents with the tip of a sharp knife.
Note: The crust can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Both dough rounds and rolled out sheets can be frozen up to 3 months.