Skip to main content

Pastry Dough

3.8

(4)

Active time: 10 minutes Start to finish: 1 1/4 hours

Cooks' note:

· Dough can be chilled up to 1 day.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 1/4 hours

  • Yield

    Makes enough for 1 double-crust 9-inch pie

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Special Equipment

a pastry or bench scraper

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.

    Step 2

    Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)

    Step 3

    Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and press into 2 balls, then flatten each into a 5-inch disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Read More
Crisp, buttery shell. Soft, flaky center. Cry!
A few clever changes take classic Rice Krispies Treats to soaring new heights.
Canned pumpkin, you shouldn’t have!
Fall dreams are made of this. Who are we to disagree?
Known as okayu, this Japanese comfort food will warm you from the inside out.
This isn’t competing with a brownie. It’s in a class of its own.
The Thanksgiving staple makes for a stellar weeknight dinner.
Canned purée delivers rich body and deep flavor, without the nonna-level cook time.