As soon as I began to mix the crust I could tell it was going better than any of my past, solo, attempts at pie crust. The dough came together nicely and seems a little more airy than the recipe my MIL used. I did use her strategy of rolling out the dough onto wax paper. This really made flipping it into the pie dish very simple. The dough didn't crack at all this time.
Blind taste test update:
Due to time constraints this weekend. I didn't have to make all three crusts to do the blind taste test.
UPDATE! The pie was amazingly delicious if I do say so myself. My family loved it. The crust had a different texture than the first recipe I tried. It seems the sugar and butter make a difference in its texture. It wasn't quite as flakey, but it was melt in your mouth buttery. My next challenge will be to tackle doing a lattice topped cherry pie!
William-Sonoma's Basic Pie Dough
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 3 Tbs. very cold water
Directions:
To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.
To make the dough in a stand mixer, fit the mixer with the flat beater, and stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.
Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. (Although many dough recipes call for chilling the dough at this point, this dough should be rolled out immediately for the best results.) Lightly flour the work surface, then flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Makes enough dough for one 9-inch single-crust pie or one 10-inch galette.
Apple Pie Filling and Crumble Top Recipes
Filling: 6 green apples 2 Gala apple 1/2 cup flour 2/3 cup sugar 1 1/2tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp ginger splash of lemon juice (toss with apples during peeling to keep them from browning) Mix dry ingredients then toss with the peeled and sliced apples. | Topping: 1 cup flour 1/4 cup butter 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup brown sugar Use a fork to mix together until combined and crumbly. |