Name: Herb Single-Crust Pie Dough
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Ingredients: 10 tablespoons unsalted butter , chilled, divided; 1¼ cups all-purpose flour , divided; 1 tablespoon sugar; ½ teaspoon table salt; ¼ cup ice water , divided; 1½ tablespoons minced fresh sage or thyme

Why This Recipe Works

How did we do it? First we used the food processor to coat two-thirds of the flour with butter, creating a water-resistant paste-like mixture. Next we broke that dough into pieces, coated the pieces with the remaining flour, and tossed in grated butter. By doing this, the water we folded in was absorbed only by the dry flour that coated the butter-flour chunks. Since gluten can develop only when flour is hydrated, this waterproofing method resulted in a crust that was supertender but had enough structure to support flakes. After a 2-hour chill, the dough was completely hydrated and easy to roll out. Be sure to weigh the flour. If your recipe requires rolling your dough piece(s) to a rectangle after chilling, form the dough into a 5-inch square instead of a disk.

Before You Begin

This dough will be moister than most pie doughs, but it will absorb a lot of excess moisture as it chills. Roll out the dough on a well-floured counter.

Instructions

Grate 2 tablespoons butter on large holes of box grater and place in freezer. Cut remaining 8 tablespoons butter into ½-inch cubes.

Pulse ¾ cup flour, sugar, herbs, and salt in food processor until combined, 2 pulses. Add cubed butter and process until homogeneous paste forms, about 30 seconds. Using your hands, carefully break paste into 2-inch chunks and redistribute evenly around processor blade. Add remaining ½ cup flour and pulse until mixture is broken into pieces no larger than 1 inch (most pieces will be much smaller), 4 to 5 pulses. Transfer mixture to bowl. Add grated butter and toss until butter pieces are separated and coated with flour.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Toss with rubber spatula until mixture is evenly moistened. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons ice water over mixture and toss to combine. Press dough with spatula until dough sticks together. Transfer dough to sheet of plastic wrap. Draw edges of plastic over dough and press firmly on sides and top to form compact, fissure-free mass. Wrap in plastic and form into 5-inch disk. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling. (Wrapped dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)