224

B U TTE R

q F L A K Y

PASTRY DOUGH,

T WO WAY S
. . . .

After more than two decades of making quite good

flaky pie dough by all the usual methods Id read aboutwith

a pastry cutter, then a food processor, and a stand mixera
few years ago I accidentally discovered an ideal unplugged
method for making great pie crust.
My family and I were staying with friends at a beach house
rental one summer week and the kitchen was bare bones in
terms of utensils. Wanting to make a peach pie one night,
I rummaged around and found a banged-up disposable pie
tin. There was no rolling pin, so I used a wine bottle. And to
cut the butter into the flour to make pastry, I decided to try
using a cheap flat graterthe kind with the big holes. The
cold butter was a snap to grate into the flour. I was astonished
at how buttery, tender, and flaky the crust baked up. Since
then, Ive duplicated the grating method many times, making
a few tweaks to the recipelike using some pastry flour and
higher-fat butter (82 to 84 percent), and a smidgen of sugar.
Because I enjoy the sensuous pleasure of making things by
hand more than the speed of getting it done, this has become
my go-to piecrust technique. That said, if I need to make a
big batch of pie dough, I use a food processor to cut in the
butter and do the rest of the mixing by hand so I can feel for
the right amount of moisture. It works well too. I offer both
methods here.

B AKE D

225

MAKES ENOUGH FOR ONE DEEP-DISH

DOUBLE-CRUST 9-INCH PIE
. . . .

1 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup pastry flour
1 tablespoon sugar
teaspoon salt
7 ounces (1 sticks) high butterfat (82% or more)
cold unsalted butter
6 to 8 tablespoons cold water

. For the unplugged version, place a medium mixing bowl

and a large-hole flat grater (or box grater) in the freezer
for at least 15 minutes to chill thoroughly.
2. Stir together the flours, sugar, and salt in the chilled mixing bowl. Remove 1 stick of butter from the fridge and
firmly grate half of it into the flour mixture, using the
wrapper to hold the stick of butter. (Work expeditiously,
so the butter stays cold.) Lightly toss the grated bits with
the flour mixture and continue grating the rest of the stick.
Scrape any butter on the grater into the flour. Toss again
and grate in the remaining stick of butter. (Alternately,
if using a food processor, combine the flours, sugar, and
salt and pulse briefly to mix. Cut the butter into tablespoon-size chunks and add to flour mixture. Pulse briefly
just until the butter is the size of tiny peas. Transfer to a
medium bowl and proceed with the recipe as is.)
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B U TTE R

. Briefly toss the butter and flour to distribute evenly, then

scoop up a handful of the coarse mixture and quickly rub
it between your fingers, allowing the flour butter mixture
to fall back into the bowl as you do so. The goal is to
lightly coat the flour with the butter yet keep the little nibs
of butter intact. Repeat this about six times.
4. Sprinkle in the water gradually while tossing the mixture
lightly with a fork to evenly distribute the water. Mix very
gently with your hands and begin to gather the dough.
(The mixture should feel cool and damp, not moist or
sticky.) Divide the dough in half to make two flat rounds,
roughly 4 inches wide. Wrap and chill the dough for at
least an hour or up to 12 hours. (If chilled for more than
2 hours, allow the dough to rest at room temperature about
20 minutes to soften slightly so its easier to roll out.)
3