Pie Crust
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Sift the flour and salt together.
Rub in the Cottolene until well combined.
Add enough ice water to hold the mixture together, handling it as little as possible.
Shape and portion
Roll the dough out for you.
Use one-third of this quantity for one pie.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the crust once moistened and set by baking.
- Cottolene
- Coats the flour particles so the crust stays tender and flaky rather than tough.
- Ice water
- Moistens the flour just enough to bind the dough while keeping the fat firm.
The step that matters
Adding the ice water. Too much water or overworking the dough develops gluten, which makes the crust tough and chewy. Add just enough cold water to hold the dough together, and handle it as little as possible so the fat stays in distinct pieces that create flakiness.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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