No-Fail Pie Pastry Starts with the Right Ingredients
The foundation of a perfect pie pastry lies in its ingredients even in this No Fail Pie Pastry recipe. Choose high-quality butter for rich flavor and flakiness. Use cold sour cream to add tenderness and a slight tang. Flour should be all-purpose for a good balance of structure and softness. A pinch of salt enhances flavor, ensuring a well-rounded taste. Work quickly and keep everything chilled to achieve best results.
Pie Pastry Requires Proper Technique
The method you use to combine ingredients matters. Cut butter into the flour until pea-sized crumbs form for an even texture. Stir in cold sour cream gently until the dough comes together. Avoid kneading, as this develops gluten and toughens the pastry. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour before rolling. Keeping the dough cold ensures a flaky, tender crust.
The Right Rolling Method
Rolling dough evenly prevents cracks and shrinkage. Lightly flour your surface and rolling pin to avoid sticking. Roll from the center outward, rotating the dough as you go. Use a gentle touch to maintain the layers of butter. If cracks appear, patch them with small dough pieces. Transfer the dough to the pie plate carefully, letting it fall into place without stretching. The sour cream helps create a pliable texture that rolls out smoothly.
No-Fail Pie Pastry is All About Baking Smart
Proper baking ensures a crisp, golden crust. Chill the shaped dough before baking to prevent shrinking. If blind baking, use pie weights to keep the crust flat. Bake at a high temperature for the first few minutes, then lower it to finish cooking. Let the pie cool before slicing to set the filling. With these steps, you’ll achieve a flawless, flaky pie pastry every time.
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Ingredients
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter, cubed into 1” pieces
- ½ cup sour cream, full fat
Instructions
- Place the flour and butter in a food processor.
- Whiz on and off until coarse crumbs form.
- Add sour cream.
- Whiz just until dough starts to form a ball.
- Pour dough ball onto a clean work surface and form into a disk.
- Dust the disk with a little flour.
- Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to a day.
- If dough has been in the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, at room temperature, to become more workable before you roll it out.
- To roll out your dough, sprinkle a clean, work surface with a little flour.
- Roll out to 1/8 inch even thickness.
- Roll the pastry onto your rolling pin, then unroll it onto the pie plate.
- Gently push the pastry into the pie plate with your finger tips.
- Crimp the edge and trim with a sharp knife.
- Your crust is ready to be filled.
Notes
THE LOVE: If you find the dough is sticky as you’re rolling it out, lift it up and sprinkle a little flour underneath. Not too much, you don’t want to toughen the pastry. Also, it's best to bake your pie in a pyrex plate so that you can see if the bottom is nicely browned.
