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American Pie Dough for Free-Form Tarts

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Yield

For 1 double crust 9-inch pie

American Pie Dough for Free-Form Tarts

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6.25 ounces/177 grams), plus extra for dusting dough½ teaspoon table salt 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into ¼-inch pieces3–4 tablespoons ice water

Before You Begin

For a rustic free-form tart, we don’t mind if the pastry isn’t as flaky, so we use butter alone, with no shortening. This dough is also a bit sweeter than our standard recipe.

Instructions

  1. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with a little of the flour. Cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.
  2. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoons more ice water if it will not come together. Flatten into 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before rolling.
American Pie Dough for Free-Form Tarts

American Pie Dough for Free-Form Tarts

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

For 1 double crust 9-inch pie

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6.25 ounces/177 grams), plus extra for dusting dough
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into ¼-inch pieces
3–4 tablespoons ice water

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6.25 ounces/177 grams), plus extra for dusting dough
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into ¼-inch pieces
3–4 tablespoons ice water

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6.25 ounces/177 grams), plus extra for dusting dough
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into ¼-inch pieces
3–4 tablespoons ice water

Before You Begin

For a rustic free-form tart, we don’t mind if the pastry isn’t as flaky, so we use butter alone, with no shortening. This dough is also a bit sweeter than our standard recipe.

Instructions

  1. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with a little of the flour. Cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.
  2. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoons more ice water if it will not come together. Flatten into 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before rolling.

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