Four and Twenty Blackbirds All-Butter Pie Crust

By Mother_Daniel

This recipe makes a delicious and flakey pie crust. The little bit of cider vinegar helps make the crust flakey. You can make this dough the day before, and just roll it out when you are ready to make your pie.

Ingredients

• Makes Dough for one single-crust 9- to 10-inch pie or tart
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, 1 stick
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ice

Preparation

Step 1

Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.

Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.

With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).

Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or small bowl.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.

Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.

Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine.

Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.

If making the double-crust version, divide the dough in half before shaping each portion into flat discs.

Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

For a pie that is filled and baked with the filling, follow the baking temperatures and times with your pie recipe.

To make a baked, unfilled crust, like for a fresh strawberry pie, preheat oven to 325°F and bake the unfilled crust for about 20 minutes or until just browned.