There is one single question I get asked a lot this time of year. And here's the answer. For all my friends and customers who have asked for our pie dough recipe, here it is. It's a hybrid of many recipes I've used over the years. It's everything you look for in a pie crust: easy to make, flaky, tender, tasty, versatile (yes, works with savory pies too), and it has a great shelf life. Give it a try, love it, and thank me later. And if you still don't feel like making your own, there's still time to order a pie (or two) from our Thanksgiving To Go menu on our website at cookscountyrestaurant.com/Thanksgiving.html
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Roxana
P.S. Follow me and Cooks County on Instagram @roxanajullapat and @cookscounty to see some awesome pics of our lovely pies!
The Easiest Pie Crust You Will Ever Make
Makes two 9-inch pie shells or one 9-inch double-crusted pie
Ingredients:
8 ounces pastry flour (1 3/4
cups)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated
sugar
6 ounces unsalted butter
(3/4 cup), cold, cubed into ½-1 inch cubes
6 ounces cream cheese (3/4
cup), cold, cubed into ½-1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons iced water
Method:
Combine the flour, salt and
sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss the cubed butter and cream cheese
into the flour. Use a pastry cutter (or your fingertips) to cut the fat into
pieces the size of a dime into the flour. Make a well in the center and pour
the iced water. Mix gently with your hands until the mixture resembles a
raggedy dough; don’t worry if chunks of butter or cream cheese are still
visible. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic film.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 48 hours.
Set the oven rack on the
middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
To make two 9-inch pie
shells:
Roll out the pie dough on a
floured surface flat enough to cut two rounds between 10 and 11 inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Pick
one of the rounds by rolling it onto the rolling pin, and lay it on a 9-inch
pie pan. Gently press the dough onto the bottom of the pan, leaving a lip on
the edge. Trim the excess dough with kitchen scissors just to the border of the
pie pan. Crimp the edges together or gently press them with a fork. Repeat with the other round. You may refrigerate
or freeze your pie shell at this point. It will bake better if you allow it to
chill for at least 20 minutes before blind baking it. Blind baking is a technique in which you line the unbaked pie shell with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights (available in kitchen supply stores) or dried beans before baking it to ensure that it doesn't puff up in the oven. Put the pie shell lined with
parchment paper and filled with pie weights on a cookie tray, place in the oven
and bake all the way. Depending on oven performance this may take 20 to 30
minutes. When the shell is done, take out of the oven, let cool completely,
remove the pie weights and fill as desired.
To make a 9-inch double-crusted pie:
Roll out the pie dough on a
floured surface flat enough to cut two rounds between 10 and 11 inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Pick
one of the rounds by rolling it onto the rolling pin, and lay it on a 9-inch
pie pan. Gently press the dough onto the bottom of the pan, leaving a lip on
the edge. Carefully fill the pie pan with the filling of your choice trying to
form a mound in the center. Pick the other round of dough just like you did
before and lay it on top of the pie. Trim the excess dough with kitchen
scissors just to the border of the pie pan. Crimp the edges together or gently
press them with a fork. With a pairing knife, cut four 2-inch slits on top of
the pie to let steam out while baking. Brush the top with a beaten egg and
sprinkle it generously with sugar (optional). Place the pie pan on a cookie
sheet and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The pie is ready when the top is a
rich, golden brown and the filling starts to bubble. Remove from the oven and
let it cool for at least one hour before serving.
