Text 1304, 130 rader
Skriven 2008-01-24 22:22:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DAVE SACERDOTE
Ärende: Re: Pie crust
=====================
-=> Quoting Dave Sacerdote to Jim Weller <=-

 DS> Jim -

 DS> I'm experimenting with pie crust recipes, trying to find something,
 DS> I dunno, "better" than what I've been using.  Would you mind posting
 DS> one or two of your favorites?  Butter, lard, shortening, or pate
 DS> brisee, doesn't matter - just something you've had some success with.


It's more the technique than the recipe.

Use a softer (low protein) pastry or biscuit flour or a mix of
all-purpose and cake flour. You can use up to 25% whole wheat flour
if you like. You can also use 15/16 cup of all-purpose flour plus 1
tb corn starch per cup of flour.

Use a mixture of both butter (for flavour) and lard (for flakiness),
not margarine or shortening. Use 1/3 (or ever so slightly more fat)
as flour.

Keep the fats well chilled.

Process as briefly as possible, until the dough just holds together.
The dough should not be smooth or elastic looking. The less it is
handled, the flakier and more tender it will be. Use a pastry
blender. Work as quickly as you and stop when the mixture resembles
coarse crumbs. A pastry blender is faster and easier than the two
knife technique.

Use as little water as possible. A teaspoon of vinegar helps as
acids break down gluten. Use ice water. Toss the wet flour with a
fork to toss the mixture and incorporate the liquid into the dough,
then form a ball quickly with your hands.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.

Flour the board and rolling pin (lightly) before rolling.

Roll pastry lightly, using as little additional flour as possible.
Roll from the center of the dough outward in a few long strokes, not
back and forth in a choppy motion which overworks the dough.

Lift the dough frequently to make sure it doesn't stick. As you
roll, turn the dough - an eighth of a turn each time will be fine.

A cold surface helps; chilled marble is ideal.

Transfer the dough to the pan either by folding the dough in
quarters, centering it in the pan, and unfolding it, or by rolling
it up around your rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan.

Make sure the rolled out dough is bigger than the pan. You can trim
later. Don't pull or stretch the dough; what you stretch will shrink
later. Gently work the dough into the pan, lifting it to get a
smooth fit against the bottom and up the sides.

Rest and chill the crust again before filling or baking.

Don't risk soggy pies.  Brush the crust with the beaten white of an
egg, then sprinkle lightly with flour before adding the filling.

Brush the top crust lightly with milk before putting the pie in the
oven to brown.

Having said that Julia Child's recipe works for me:


MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Butter Dough for Pastries and Pie Crusts--Pate Brisee
 Categories: Pastry, Pies
      Yield: 1 Servings
 
  1 1/2 c  All-purpose flour,
           Preferable unbleached
           (scooped and leveled)
    1/2 c  Plain bleached cake flour
      1 ts Salt (or, for dessert tarts,
    1/4 ts Salt and 2 Tb sugar)
      6 oz Chilled unsalted butter,
           Quartered lengthwise and
           Diced
    1/4 c  Chilled lard
    1/2 c  Ice water, plus droplets
           More, if needed
 
  Special Equipment Suggested:  A food processor fitted with a steel
  blade.
  
  Blending flour and butter.  Have all the ingredients measured out
  and ready to use.  Put the flour, salt (or salt and sugar,) and
  diced butter in the container of the processor and pulse (on-off
  half-second clicks) 5 or 6 times to break up the butter roughly. Add
  the shortening, turn on the machine, and immediately pour in the
  1/2 cup of ice water, then pulse 2 or 3 times.  Remove the cover
  and feel the dough--it should look like a bunch of small lumps,
  and will just hold together in a mass when you press a handful
  together.  (It's important not to overmix; it should not mass on
  the blade of the machine.) If too dry, pulse in droplets more
  water. From now on work rapidly to keep the dough cold and
  manageable.
  
  Final Blending. Turn the dough out onto your work surface; press
  it into a rough mass.  For the final blending rapidly and roughly,
  with the heel (not the palm) of your hand, push egg-size clumps of
  dough out in front of you in a 6-inch smear.
  
  Resting and Chilling.  Form the dough into a cake (about 6 inches
  in diameter.)  The dough should be fairly smooth and pliable. Wrap
  in plastic wrap, or slide it into a plastic bag and refrigerate.
  Freshly made dough should chill 2 hours at least, allowing the
  flour particles to absorb the liquid, as well as firm the butter
  and relax the gluten. (The dough will keep two days in the
  refrigerator before the flour will start turning grayish.  It may
  be frozen for several months.)
  
  THE WAY TO COOK by Julia Child
 
MMMMM


Cheers

YK Jim


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