Perfect Shortcrust Pastry & Pie Dough
 
An in-depth tutorial on how to make the perfect shortcrust pastry dough that is great for pies, tarts, quiches, turnovers, and more.
Ingredients
For the dough (makes enough for a single crusted pie or tart; double this recipe for a double crusted pie):
  • 1 3/5 cups (200g) cold flour
  • ¼ cup (50g) cold sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • scant ½ cup (100g) cold butter
  • ~4 tablespoons (60ml) ice-cold water
Method
Prepare the dough:
  1. I strongly suggest you keep the full tutorial handy while making the dough since this recipe is just a very general overview of the tutorial. Firstly, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add half of this mixture and half of the butter to a food processor and process until pea sized chunks of butter are visible. Dump this mixture into a new bowl. Process the other half of the flour mixture and butter until little flakes of butter are visible. Mix in with the already processed flour-butter mixture. Slowly pour in the cold water while "whisking" it in with your hand by lifting and pressing the dough rather than simply mixing or kneading it. You want to toss the dough around a little bit. Add only as much water as you need. When you press the dough it should come together. Press the dough into a round, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least half an hour, or up to a week (even longer if you freeze the dough). Let the dough warm up a little bit so it can be rolled out (let defrost in the fridge overnight if you froze it). Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface by rolling from the center outwards rather than back and forth. Once the dough is rolled out, place it in your pie or tart pan.
Continue if making a tart or single crusted pie:
  1. Cut off the extra dough but leave some dough around the edges to allow for shrinkage in the oven. Poke holes in bottom of the crust to prevent air bubbles forming while baking. Place the dough in the freezer for at least half an hour (or longer, if you wish). Remove the pan from the freezer and if blind-baking (baking without a filling) line with tin foil and place beans or rice on top to weigh the dough down so bubbles do not form during baking. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F, remove the tinfoil and beans, and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. If your filling needs to be baked, follow the instructions on your recipe.
Continue if making a double crusted pie:
  1. If you are baking a double crusted pie there is no need to freeze the dough. Place a single layer of dough in the pie plate, add the fruit, add the second layer of dough, crimp together, brush with an egg wash, and bake for at 350°F (baking time depends on the fruit you use, but around 30 minutes).
Recipe by IronWhisk at http://www.ironwhisk.com/2013/07/perfect-shortcrust-pastry-pie-dough/