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[Malicevamp24]

Working in the restaurant doing baking I have come across several neat tricks for taking the trouble out of doing certain things. The biggest being pie crust, which has always been endless trouble and disappointment for me. I could never get it to come out as anything other than a dense, bland mess. But here's the trick: food processor and ice cold water.

Here's how it goes:

Take one pound of cold butter and four cups of flour (all purpose will do). Whir it around in a food processor until it goes grainy, like wet sand. Those are little grains of pure butter separated only by the thinnest coating of flour. Then, through the top of the processor while it's moving, start adding teaspoons of ice cold water. It usually only takes three. Drop them in one at a time, and once you've hit the right amount it goes blip! Right up into a ball!

Chill the ball before working it and you get a light flaky pie crust that has a rich buttery flavor, but isn't so overwhelming that you won't be able to taste the rest of the pie. Works for sweet or savory!

Enjoy!

[Truthsong]

Sounds so simple and tasty!  I'm going to have to find something to try that on! 

Thanks for sharing, 
Liz* 

[Ravynne]

That...sounds AWESOME.  So very easy...because yeah, pie crusts intimidate me.  Mostly due to lack of time/drive to monkey around with them.  But thanks so much!  ::puts into recipe book om nom nom::

[SpiritHawk]

This sounds like a great thing.  I'm going to have to try it.

One thing I will add, which I learned from Alton Brown:  When working with your dough, rolling it out to the right thickness, you want to work it as little as possible, because working flour in water releases gluten, a protein that causes (desirable) resiliency in bread, and (undesirable) toughness in a pie crust.  So roll it out with as little kneading-type action as possible.

One thing that Alton did in one pie-crust recipe I saw him make was:  Use liquor instead of water.  The liquor gives you the moisture you need to bind the dough together, but gluten isn't alcohol-soluble, so the dough is more forgiving about being worked without toughening up.  Then, the alcohol evaporates off in the baking cycle.  Alton used applejack for an apple pie, but I don't like the flavor of brandy, so if I were going to try it, I'd be more inclined to use vodka, which is about as neutral as spirits get, unless you can get your paws on Everclear.

[merejim]

Spirithawk , I had a couple of thoughts regarding your reply.  First was the idea that Applejack would work extremely well in an apple pie, and because it uses apple cider as a base any slight brandy flavor with overtones of apple would disappear under the flavors of the pie.  Second, Everclear has so little water in it would there be adverse effects on the crust?  It requires a certain amount of glutenation for the crust to come together at all.  I don't know I was just curious.  For all I know it would work even better!  Maybe a trip to my local liquor store with a follow up to the inimitable kitchens of a certain German restaurant are in the offing.  I'll keep you updated.

Then I just wanted to point out that you have basically put the idea of Everclear Pie into my head... 

[SpiritHawk]

Spirithawk , I had a couple of thoughts regarding your reply.  First was the idea that Applejack would work extremely well in an apple pie, and because it uses apple cider as a base any slight brandy flavor with overtones of apple would disappear under the flavors of the pie. 

It's possible that you're right; I am (it's surprising to most of you, I know) relatively persnickety about what is, and what is not, an acceptable variation to the apple pie I grew up with.  At some point in the future, I may have to set out into the dark uncharted waters of an applejack crust for one, though.  Must get my affairs in order first, of course, in case something goes horribly wrong.

Second, Everclear has so little water in it would there be adverse effects on the crust?  It requires a certain amount of glutenation for the crust to come together at all.  I don't know I was just curious.  For all I know it would work even better!  Maybe a trip to my local liquor store with a follow up to the inimitable kitchens of a certain German restaurant are in the offing.  I'll keep you updated.

You could be right.  I wasn't thinking in terms of there needing to be any glutenification; it was my assumption that the butter might bind it all together until it's in the pan, and then the heat of baking might put it all together into a buttern-flur cracker of sorts.

Then I just wanted to point out that you have basically put the idea of Everclear Pie into my head... 

Well, then.  I guess my work here is done.  Where shall we sent the obit? 

-C

[merejim]

Butter and flour (plus sugar) without any water is the recipe for shortbread, which is quite delicious but wouldn't be very good to try and roll out very thin for a crust.  Without the water to cause the gluten to stretch into strands there wouldn't be anything holding the crust together  When shortbread cools it becomes rather more brick-like than most folks like their flaky pie crust. 

On the Everclear Pie I was just thinking the potential for destruction when attempting to bake something the liquid component of which is 95% ethanol strikes me as very exciting!  It might suffer spontaneous combustion while I wait for the oven to preheat.

[Adare]

Using alcohol instead of water is brilliant!     Would a hand mixer do in place of a food processor?

[SpiritHawk]

Using alcohol instead of water is brilliant!     Would a hand mixer do in place of a food processor?

I'd be afraid that the hand mixer wouldn't be able to cut the butter up into wee enough pieces; the food processor has blades that are better suited to that sort of pie-crust carnage.

[sunrising]

I'd think the second best tool behind the food processor would be doing it by hand with a pastry blender (and elbow grease) to get the butter chopped and incorporated.

[Adare]

Makes sense, and I've gotten that down for scones so it should be an easy enough transfer, but I'm just so paranoid about overworking the crust 

[Malicevamp24]

A pastry knife would definitely work for getting the butter and flour the right consistency. However, the hand mixer (or a stand mixer with a paddle) would probably work for the "adding water" phase. Just because it really does come together SO quickly, you have no idea.

If you need a food processor and aren't persnickety about them there are reasonably priced ones at Wal-Mart. I happened to get mine at Big Lots and have been quite happy with it. I think it only cost me $30 and it's one of those food processor/blender combos. It's not terribly large or powerful, but it works for this. Also for small things like salad dressing, salsa, and pesto...

[Em]

Rolling pie crust out between sheets of plastic wrap reduces the mess factor.

[Vagabond]

I use wax paper.  It clings less.