Everyone agrees that the foundation of a great pie is a tender, flaky crust. Although it’s a task that eludes or intimidates many home cooks, you can achieve a foolproof, crowd-pleasing crust for every pie you make by following a few simple rules:
- Refrigerate all ingredients—even the flour—before making the dough. Butter and all liquids should be ice cold.
- Use a pastry blender or two knives, instead of a food processor, to cut in the butter.
- Once the butter is cut in, blend in liquid just until the dough begins to stick together; overworking toughens the pastry.
- To keep dough tender, handle it as little as possible. Try chilling dough for 30 minutes to make rolling faster and easier.
- To prevent a soggy crust, refrigerate the crust for 15 minutes before filling, or set the pie pan on a metal cookie sheet during baking.
—L.T.
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