Flaky Pie Pastry
In our opinion, the rich flavor of butter and the flake-making quality of vegetable shortening produce a pie pastry that is both versatile and delicious. The butter and shortening should be very cold. This will help them to form layers in the crust that contribute to the overall flakiness. If you are making a savory pie, omit the sugar.
- 1⅓ cups (5½ oz/160 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbs. sugar (optional)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 5 Tbs. (2½ oz/70 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¾-inch (2-cm) pieces
- 3 Tbs. 1½ oz/43 g) cold vegetable shortening, cut into ¾-inch (2-cm) pieces
- 4 Tbs. water
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse 2 or 3 times to mix. Add the butter and shortening pieces and pulse 8 to 10 times until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs. Add the ice water a little at a time and pulse 10 to 12 times until the dough begins to come together in a mass but does not form a ball.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and shape into a 6-inch (15-cm) disk. Wrap the disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour or up to overnight. Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking by Cathy Burgett