THREE TRADITIONAL CRUSTS FOR SLAB PIES AND CHEESECAKES
These recipes all require a good rolling technique. And be forewarned: the crusts are massive. In any event, here are the rules of engagement:
1. Use only as much flour as necessary. More will lead to tougher crusts.
2. Handle the crust mixture as little as possible. Repeatedly messing with it can stretch the gluten and toughen the crust.
3. Smush the crust dough into a rectangle under your clean, dry palm before you begin to roll it out, so you’re not trying to “square” a circle.
4. Roll from the middle to the edge, repositioning the rolling pin each time.
5. Invest in a fairly lightweight wooden rolling pin. Don’t let the pin exert force through its sheer weight. Rather, you should exert a light but firm pressure on the pin for a more even crust.
A combination of shortening and butter makes a sturdier crust with just a hint of buttery flavor. Make sure that the butter is still cold from the fridge and that the water used to pull the dough together is quite cold, even ice water, to keep the fat chilled until it hits the oven. As a make-ahead boon, you can prepare, roll out, and shape a single crust of this dough in the sheet pan, then cover it loosely with clean kitchen towels and store it in the fridge for up to four hours. Set it out on the counter as you prepare the filling to remove a little of the chill.
For a Single Crust
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
½ teaspoon salt
1⅓ cups solid vegetable shortening
4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
At least ¾ cup very cold water
1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, then cut in the shortening and butter with a flatware fork or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse sand, working the mixture repeatedly through the tines to get the desired consistency.
2. Stir in ¾ cup cold water, then add more in 1-teaspoon increments, until the mass coheres into a fairly dry, certainly not sticky, dough. Gather the dough into a ball.
3. Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and set the ball of dough on it. Use your clean, dry palm to squash the dough into a 2-inch-thick rectangle. Dust it with flour and roll it into a 16 × 21-inch rectangle.
4. Loosen the edges of the dough from the work surface with an offset spatula or a long, thin metal blade, then fold the dough once or twice for transport. Move it to a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan. Unfold the dough and press it into an even crust across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Flute the edges as desired or simply trim off any excess.
For a Double Crust
7 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
¾ teaspoon salt
2⅓ cups solid vegetable shortening
7 tablespoons cool unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
At least 1⅓ cups very cold water
1. Complete steps 1 and 2 as above with the larger quantities of ingredients, adding more cold water as necessary in 1-tablespoon increments.
2. Divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you’re ready for it. Roll out the other half as described in steps 3 and 4 above. However, when you get it into the sheet pan as an even crust, do not trim off the overhanging excess.
3. Once the filling is in the pan, clean and dry the work surface, dust it with flour, and roll the second ball of dough as you did the first. However, this time make a 15 × 20-inch rectangle.
4. Transfer it to the sheet pan as before, then open it up over the filling. Crimp and seal the two crusts together. If desired, ornament the edges. Cut several vents in the top crust.
TESTER NOTES
Any leaking filling will be on your head. If desired, decorate the edges by repeatedly pressing the tines of a flatware fork into the sealed perimeter or flute it by placing the thumb and forefinger of one hand on the inside rim and pushing the forefinger of the other hand into that “U” (repeat all the way around the crust). When you cut several vents in the top crust, consider a decorative pattern. Geometric? Your initials? A couple of traced strawberries? Just remember: you’re not making cut-outs. The lines shouldn’t meet up but simply give the outline of the pattern.
We find that a little sugar in an all-butter crust mellows it a tad and gives it a bit more “crunch.” We also add a little acid here, just enough to inhibit a little gluten formation to keep the crust “shorter”—crunchier, with more flaky goodness. This amount of acid won’t change the pH of the dough much. After all, we do want gluten structure for the crust. But it provides just enough oomph that the results will be impossibly light with zillions of layers.
For a Single Crust
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
At least ¾ cup very cold water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, then cut in the butter with a flatware fork or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse sand, working the mixture repeatedly though the tines to get the desired consistency.
2. Stir in ¾ cup cold water and the lemon juice, then add more water in 1-teaspoon increments, until the mass coheres into a fairly dry, certainly not sticky, dough. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 4 hours.
3. Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and set the ball of dough on it. Squash the dough into a 2-inch-thick rectangle. Dust it with flour and roll it into a 16 × 21-inch rectangle.
4. Loosen the edges of the dough from the work surface with an offset spatula or a thin, long, metal blade, then fold the dough once or twice for transport. Move it to a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan. Unfold the dough and press it into an even crust across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Flute the edges as desired or simply trim off any excess.
For a Double Crust
7 cups all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons granulated white sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
43 tablespoons (5 sticks plus 3 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
At least 1⅓ cups very cold water
1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, then cut in the butter with a flatware fork or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse sand, working the mixture repeatedly though the tines to get the desired consistency.
2. Stir in 1⅓ cups cold water and the lemon juice, then add more water in 1-tablespoon increments, until the mass coheres into a fairly dry, certainly not sticky, dough. Gather the dough into a ball and divide it in half. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 4 hours.
3. Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and set one piece of dough on it. Squash the dough into a 2-inch-thick rectangle. Dust it with flour and roll it into a 16 × 21-inch rectangle.
4. Loosen the edges of the dough from the work surface, then fold the dough once or twice for transport. Move it to a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan. Unfold the dough and press it into an even crust across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Don’t trim the excess.
5. Once the filling is in the pan, clean and dry the work surface, dust it with flour, and roll the second ball of dough as you did the first. However, this time make a 15 × 20-inch rectangle.
6. Transfer it to the sheet pan as before, then open it up over the filling. Crimp and seal the two crusts together. If desired, ornament the edges. Cut several vents in the top crust.
This crust is the richest in the lot, best under cream fillings or dried fruit pies. It’s also a bit sticky, so it rolls out better if it’s had a chance to rest in the fridge. Do not use low-fat or fat-free sour cream. You’ll need all the fat to form the flakiness. But okay, yes, the double-crust recipe calls for seven sticks of butter. Look for sales and store butter in your freezer for up to one year. In that case, let the butter come to room temperature for ten or fifteen minutes before you begin to work with it.
For a Single Crust
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
4½ teaspoons granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
32 tablespoons (4 sticks) cool unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1 cup full-fat sour cream, cold from the refrigerator
1. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until uniform. Cut the butter into the mixture with a flatware fork or a pastry cutter until the whole thing looks like coarse grit with some slightly smaller bits throughout.
2. Stir in the sour cream until moist dough coheres in the bowl. Gather it into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
3. Unwrap the dough and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes.
4. Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour, set the dough on top of it, and squash it into a 2-inch-thick rectangle. Dust it with flour and roll into a 16 × 21-inch rectangle. Be precise! To work the edges properly, roll from the center out, working in long, even strokes. Even up the edges with a ruler and then continue to roll until you get it to the right size.
5. Loosen the dough from the work surface, fold it into halves or thirds without creasing it, and transfer it to a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan. Unfold the dough and press it into an even crust across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim off any excess.
For a Double Crust
7 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
7½ teaspoons granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
56 tablespoons (7 sticks) cool unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1¾ cups full-fat sour cream, cold from the refrigerator
1. Follow the directions for the single crust but with the larger amounts of the ingredients from step 1 through 3, except divide the dough in half, form each into a ball, and wrap each separately in plastic wrap before refrigerating.
2. Roll one ball into a 16 × 21-inch rectangle, following the instructions in step 4 above. When you unfold and press it into the sheet pan, do not trim off the excess.
3. Once the filling is in the pie, clean and dry the work surface. Dust it with flour, unwrap the second ball of dough, and set it in the center. Squash it into that squat rectangle, dust it with flour, and roll it into a 15 × 20-inch rectangle. Loosen it from the work surface, fold gently without any creases, and unfold it on top of the filled pie.
4. Crimp and seal the two crusts together. If desired, flute the edges. Cut several vents in the top crust, perhaps in a decorative pattern.