Grandma's Country Pie Dough

This is a slightly sweet, tried and true dessert crust. It perfectly compliments pie fillings from Apple to Pecan to name but a few . This recipe will make two 9”-10” crust or one 9”-10” double-crust.

Ready

• ½ lb (2 sticks) cold butter
• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ⅓ cup ice water
• ½ tsp white wine vinegar
• Extra flour for dusting

Set

• Mixer with paddle
• Sifter
• Measuring cup
• Plastic wrap
• Pie plate

Go

1. Cut butter into ½ inch cubes. I cut the stick lengthwise in half, then rotate and cut in half again, maintaining stick shape. I then cut crosswise at ½ inch increments. Place in freezer to chill for about 15 minutes.
2. Sift together flour and sugar into bowl of mixer.
3. Add butter and salt. Mix with paddle until butter is reduced to about the size of peas (approx. 2 minutes).
4. Stop the mixer and with your hands flatten pieces of butter by pinching.
5. Mix vinegar and water in measuring cup.
6. With the mixer on low speed add vinegar mixture all at once.
7. Mix until the dough just comes together (approx. 15 seconds). The dough will be tacky.
8. Gather and remove dough from bowl onto plastic wrap. Cut in half and flatten each into a 1” thick disk shape and cover with wrap.
9. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
10. Remove one disk from refrigerator and remove plastic wrap and place on lightly floured surface.
11. Lightly dust rolling pin and roll dough to desired size, about ¼” thickness*, and about 2” – 3” larger than pie plate. Turn frequently to prevent sticking to surface and applying a little flour underneath when necessary.
12. Take edge of dough and roll back onto rolling pin to drape and lift to carry dough to pie plate.
13. Unroll onto plate and gently press dough into shape of pie plate. Cut edge about ½” around pie plate. Chill for 15 minutes to help dough keep shape.
14. If you are making double crusted pie, remove second disk from refrigerator and roll out to size 2”-3” larger than pie plate. Otherwise, make an additional pie crust, rolling out as you did the first.
15. Remove first crust from refrigerator, add filling and place second crust to cover. Press edges together and flute. Cut small vents into top crust.
16. Bake according to recipe.

What you should know

• I find it sometimes easier to roll the dough between floured sheets of parchment. plastic, or wax paper. This will make rolling to smaller thickness easy. It also makes placing the dough into pie pan easier. By sliding the dough onto rolling pin removing the top sheet and lift into position. Unroll sheet (exposed side down) from pin into pie plate and remove the second sheet.

This dough is made with butter as a shortening, so the secret is to keep the dough cold and not let it get too warm.

For those who are curious, A single crust pie is one that only has a bottom crust. A double crust pie is one that has a “lid” or lattice.