Perfect Pie or Quiche Dough

Seems like more than a few people claim that pie dough is difficult or impossible to perfect. Now that the holiday stress of pie-making is over, perhaps we can take a fresh look. Now that you don't have anybody to impress, expect perhaps your taste buds, things will seem less daunting?

Sometimes, no matter what you do, the pie dough will not turn out as desired. It's happened to me. Usually I eat it anyway. Never let a pie go to waste.

I use my dough recipe to make sweets like pies and tarts, but I also use it for quiches, Cornish pasties, and sausage rolls. None of this is low fat, mind you. I usually pull them out for special occasions, potlucks, and the like. Sometimes because it's a Tuesday, and I need pie. We all have our moments.



Make sure your butter is fresh from the fridge. Set up everything first before taking it out of the fridge. If you are cooking on a particularly hot day, you can stick the Cuisinart bowl, blade, and ice water in the fridge for half an hour for maximum chill.

In a food processor, like a Cuisinart, blade attachment.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 sticks chilled butter
1/2 cup ice water
pinch of salt

Pulse flour and butter in food processor until butter disappears. While processor is on, slowly drizzle water in until dough forms one large ball. Remove from processor and chill dough for at least 30 minutes. This recipe will yield one top and one bottom, or two bottoms, depending on the type of pie you are making. Get your mind out of the gutter.

There many different modification that this dough can take.

-You can substitute shortening for half the butter. Some feel this yields a flakier crust.
- If you are cooking with tart fruit, 1/4 cup sugar can be added to the dough.
- you can sub 1/2 cup of the flour of buckwheat, whole wheat, or some other type of flour. I would not do more than 1/2 cup, though.