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Jun 08, 2014 at 01:04PM vs Jun 08, 2014 at 01:46PM
Tom's Pie Crust (in progress)
<p>Make 1 bottom crust for a nine inch regular (not deep dish) pie plate.</p>
<h1>Ingredients:</h1>
<ul>
<li>6 ounces all purpose flour, plus more for dusting</li>
<li>3 ounces butter</li>
<li>1 ounce leaf lard</li>
<li>1 tbsp lemon juice</li>
<li>1 ounce water less one tbsp</li>
<li>1 ounce vodka</li>
<li>7/8 of a teaspoon Diamond Crystal salt of 1/2 a teaspoon table salt</li>;
<li>Demerra sugar (optional)</li>;
</ul>
<h1>Equipment:</h1>
<ul>
<li>Digital scale</li>
<li>Spay bottle</li>
<li>Pastry scraper</li>
<li>Rolling pin</li>
<li>Ruler</li>
<li>Long Spatula</li>
<li>Scissors</li>
<li>Pie Pan</li>
<li>Plastic Wrap</li>
<li>Parchment Paper</li>
<li>Digital thermometer</li>
<li>Rolling pin</li>
</ul>
<h1>Step 1: Preparing Ingredients</h1>
<p>Weigh out the flour and whisk together with salt. Put into a container that will fit in your freezer. Weigh out the butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes, and add to the flour. Do the same for the lard. Put the vodka in the freezer. Let cool for at least one hour.</p>
<h3>Comments:</h3>
<p>It helps if you add the fat pieces individually so they get coated with flour. That way they don't stick together.</p>
<p>To make a double crust 10 inch deep dish pie, you will need to triple this recipe, and divide into one 16 oz disc (top crust), and one 20 oz disc (bottom crust).</p>
<p>I don't add any sugar to the crust, but Serious Eats adds a tablespoon.</p>
<p>It might be good to let the frozen flour/fat mixture warm up just a bit before frissaging. I need to get a temperature estimate here.</p>
<h1>;Step 2: Forming Dough</h1>;
<p>Ideally the night before, weight out the flour and whisk together with salt. Put into a container that will fit in your freezer. Weigh out the butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes, and add to the flour. Do the same for the lard. Put the vodka in the freezer.</p>
<h1>Step 2:</h1>
<p>Combine lemon juice, water, and vodka, add to the bottom of a spray bottle, add an extra ounce of water, and put in freezer. When the mixture is ice cold, remove from freezer, and attach top of spray bottle. Transfer flour/fat mixture to large bowl. Use a spatula to stir the flour and fat while spraying water frome the spray bottle. The spray bottle can be on a narrow spray setting, this helps the spraying go faster, and the droplets are plenty small enough anyway. When you have sprayed in all but one ounce of the water onto the dough, transfer the dough to your counter an lay out as a rectange, 1.5 to 2 inches think and 6-eight inches wide. Starting with the part of the rectangle furthest away from you, smush the dough into the counter, and move towards you. Do this two to three times, until the dough can be formed flat cylinder (good video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdaqAvZnLCA">here</a>). Wrap flat cylinder of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for eat least 45 minutes.</p>
<h1>Step 3: Rolling</h1>
<p>Remove from fridge and let stand for 15 minutes. Lightly flour both sides of the dough, especially any areas that seem sticky. Place dough on parchment paper and roll out, checking that the temperature does not rise above 68 degrees. I like to roll it out for a bit, then use the long spatula to make sure it is not sticking to the parchment paper, then roll it some more, then apply flour to any sticky spots on the dough, and repeat.</p>
<p>I usually flip it at least once, so that I'm working on both sides. This helps keep the dough crack free. If it gets to warm, you can always put it back in the fridge for a few minutes.</p>
<p>I generally don't flour the rolling pin much - it comes off almost immediately. The key is to flour the sticky spots in the dough, where bits of fat, especially lard, are poking through.</p>
<p>When the dough is rolled out to the appropriate size, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.</p>
<h3>Comments:</h3>
<p>Frequent refrigeration keeps the crust from shrinking in the oven.</p>
<p>In general, you want a 1 inch overhang (1/2 inch on both sides), plus the diameter of the pie dish, plus the height of the pie dish if it is a deep dish pie dish).</p>
<p>I don't have an ideal thickness.</p>
<h1>;
<;Step 3: Shaping</h1>
<p>Lightly flour both sides of the dough, especially any areas that seem sticky. Place dough on parchement paper and roll out, checking that the temperature does not rise above 68 degrees. I like to roll it out for a bit, then use the long spatula to make sure it is not sticking to the parchment paper, then roll it some more, then apply flour to any sticky spots on the dough, and repeat.</p>
<p>I usually flip it at least once, so that I'm working on both sides. This helps keep the dough crack free. If this is a bottom crust, remove from fridge, take off the plastic wrap, and pass spatula underneath to make sure it gets to warm, you can always put it back in the fridge for a few minutes.</p>
<p>I generally don't flour the rolling pin much - it comes off almost immediately. The key is not stuck to flourparchment paper. Place pie dish on top of dough and invert. Gently fold dough into the stickycorners of the dish instead of stretching it into the corners. Then gently press the sides flat, and trim off excess overhang, which you can use to patch up any spots where the overhang is not enough. If it is a sweet pie, and not blind baked, sprinkle 1-2 tbsp of demerrera sugar on bottom of pie. Cover with plastic wrap and return to fridge for 15 minutes.</p>
<p>If this is a top crust, cut seven holes, each 1-2 inches wide in the dough, where bits of fat, especially lard, are poking through.</p>
<p>When the dough is rolled out to the appropriate size,</p>
<h1>Comments:</h1>
<p>It helps if you add the fat pieces individually so they get coated with flour. That way they don't stick together.</p>
<p>To make a double crust 10with inch pie, you will need to triple this recipe.</p>
<p>I don't add any sugar to the crust, but Serious Eats adds a tablespoonknife. Round holes are best because the do not widen into tears as easily. Cover with plastic wrap and return to fridge for 15 minutes.</p>
<h3>Comments:</h3>
<p>ItHoles mightin be good to let the frozentop flour/fatcrust mixtureare warmimportant upbecause justthe allow evaporation from the pie, which is very important for maintaining a bitcrisp beforecrust.</p>
<h1>Step frissaging. I4: Assembly</h1>
<h1>Step need5: Baking</h1>
<h1>Step to6: Cooling</h1>
<h1>Step get a temperature estimate here.</p7: Serving</h1>
<p> </p>;
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