All Butter Pie Crust (Sweet)
My All Butter Pie Crust is the basis for all sorts of dessert and pie creations. The dough is simply brought together and can be laid into all manner of moulds and tins, then baked to create perfect, flaky butter pastry. The baked pastry bases can take all forms and are perfect to hold custards, creams and jams without leaks.
Pie crust is relatively easy to create if you follow a few simple rules.
- Don’t overwork the dough. This can develop gluten and make the pastry tough and more liable to shrink and crack.
- Work with everything as cold as possible. Chill the butter, eggs and milk before use.
- Allow the pastry to rest and chill between stages: after creating the dough and then again after rolling the dough.
PIE CRUST INGREDIENTS
- PLAIN FLOUR: Use your favorite brand of plain flour or all purpose flour. No raising agent is required.
- BUTTER: Full fat butter.
- ICING SUGAR: Powdered sugar or icing sugar is used to sweeten the pastry.
- EGG YOKES: 2 large organic free range egg yokes are best. The yokes aid binding and adds richness to the pastry.
- MILK: Used to aid binding if the flour, butter and egg yokes have been incorporated and the dough is still on the dry side.
RECIPE
Pie Crust (Sweet)
Flaky short pie crust, perfect for desserts, pies and tarts.
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 pie tin
- baking beans
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g cold butter cubed
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 egg yokes large
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Using a food processor, pulse the flour, butter, icing sugar and eggs until balling together. If it's a little dry, add a tbsp of milk at a time until it starts to bind.
- Remove and bring together with your hands. Round and flatten then wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 min. to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to Gas 6
- Roll out the pastry bigger than the pie casing and using the rolling pin for support, roll over the pastry into the casing. Fork the base to prevent the pastry rising.
- Allow the pastry to firm up again in the fridge. Chill for 30 min. after working.
- Cover the pastry with grease proof paper and fill with baking beans.
- Place into the middle of the oven and bake for 20-25 min.
- Remove the beans and grease-proof paper and cook for a further 5-10min until golden.
- Switch off the oven and allow to cool in the residual heat.
Notes
Don’t over work the dough as this can develop the gluten and make the pastry tough.