Fraisage | Pie Dough
Place 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon fine salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Place ¼ cup ice water and 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup or a small bowl and stir to combine.
Cut 1 stick cold unsalted butter into 1-inch cubes. Add to the flour mixture and toss to gently coat them. Use a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut the butter into the flour. You should have various-sized pieces of butter, ranging from sandy patches to pea-sized chunks, with some larger bits as well.
Drizzle in about half of the ice water mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems dry, add a little more ice water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. The dough will still look a bit shaggy at this point. If you grab a small piece of dough and press it slightly with your hand, it should mostly hold together.
Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and gather it together into a tight mound. Using the heel of your hand, smear the dough a little at a time, pushing it away from you and working your way down the mass of dough to create flat layers of flour and butter.
Gather the dough back together with a bench scraper, layering the clumps of dough on top of one another. Repeat the process once or twice more; the dough should still have some big pieces of butter visible. Shape the dough into a disk and flatten it. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.fraisage
Foolproof Pie Dough (French Trick)
Ten years ago I took a cooking class at Antoine’s Cafe in San Clemente, California during which the French instructor, Caroline Cazaumayou, wowed the audience with a tea towel.
After pulsing a few ingredients together in the food processor, she dumped the crumbly dough into the center of a tea towel. She then pulled up the corners of the towel and twisted it into a beggar’s purse. When she opened it up, the audience gasped: the crumbles had united to form a perfect round of dough.
This tea towel trick achieves two things:
- A tender crust, because the crumbly dough ensures it has not been over worked.
- A perfectly round shape, the ideal starting point for many a pie and/or tart.
This video demonstrates the process:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vLpIaqQGGyI%3Ffeature%3Doembed
A few things to keep in mind:
- To start the pie-dough making process, cut your butter into smallish slices or cubes, place them in a bowl, and stick them in the fridge. Fill a large liquid measuring cup with ice and water. Set aside.
- If you want to make several batches of dough, rather than multiply the recipe and load up your food processor, make separate batches consecutively. No need to clean the processor in between batches.
- When I make the dough and plan on using it shortly thereafter, I prefer rolling it out immediately, fitting it into the pie plate, then chilling the dough-fitted pie plate in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- When you are rolling out your dough, try to keep tools and ingredients cold — my aunt uses a marble rolling pin that she keeps in the freezer. (I never remember to freeze my rolling pins, but it’s something to keep in mind.)
This video shows how to roll out pie dough and make a simple fluted edge:
How to Make Foolproof Pie Dough: A Step-by-Step Guide
Measure your ingredients.
First pulse the flour, sugar and salt together.
Add the butter and pulse 10 times (about).
The butter should be the size of peas (about).
Add ice water.
Pulse again about 10 to 15 times or until the dough is still crumbly, but holds together when pinched.
Divide dough between two clean tea towels.
Gather towel into a beggar’s purse, and squeeze to form a round.
Transfer one to the freezer for a future use.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining round into a circle about 12- to 13-inches in diameter.
Foolproof Pie Dough Recipe
This is the pie dough I use for everything: galettes, tarts, etc.
Dough can be made up to three days in advance and stored in the fridge or made weeks in advance and stored in the freezer. To thaw, place dough in the fridge overnight before baking.
To make a double batch: do not load your food processor with double quantities. Make the dough in separate batches — no need to wash the food processor in between batches.
INGREDIENTS
- 2½ cups (320g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 tablespoons (227g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (142g) ice water
INSTRUCTIONS
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt together. Add the chilled, cubed butter. Pulse at 1-second intervals until butter is the size of peas — should be about 10 quick pulses. Add the ice water and pulse again about 10 times until the mixture is crumbly but holds together when pinched. (To make without a food processor: In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar and salt together. Add the butter to the flour mixture, and using the back of a fork or a pastry cutter, incorporate it until it is in small pieces. Add ice water and continue to stir with fork until mixture it crumbly but holds together when pinched.)
- Lay two clean tea towels on a work surface. Dump half of the crumbly dough mixture into the center of each. Grab the four corners of the towel together and twist to create a beggar’s purse, pressing the dough into a round. Use your hands to pack and flatten the round. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper, place in ziplock or other airtight bag/vessel, and stash in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for months.
