All-Butter Pie Crust by Nigella

This sweet and very rich pie shell was introduced to us when preparing the Salted Honey Pie

delicate adjustments while learning to use the new kitchen environment (W-wa Dec 2022..)

Ingredients meant for 1 x 9-inch pie:

  • 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (my translation: 225g)
  •  tsp kosher salt (i use any salt i have)
  • 2 tsps granulated sugar
  • 1 stick cold unsalted butter (cut into half-inch pieces). In my translation it comes to 140g
  • 1/2 cup cold water (150 ml?)
  • 2.5 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1/2  cup ice cubes – (a handful?)
  1. Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.
  2. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).
  3. Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or bowl.
    Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.
  4. Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.
  5. Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine.
    Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.
  6. When ready to shape the shell, let the dough stay out of the fridge for some 30 min or so.
  7. Using parchment paper as the base and the top of the shell ring, roll the dough out to a desired size and shape (some inch or 2.5cm  wider at each side or the ring than your baking form.
  8. Using the rolling pin or the paper place the rolled out dough over the form, fit it in gently without pulling and stretching. Eliminate the surplus, push in the shape (crimp?).
  9. If required by recipe, cover the filled form with plastic form and freeze until ready to accept the filling and proceed with baking.
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