Piecrust

Piecrust: Submitted by: Kimmo Vallema | Date Added: 20 Dec 2020 Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (155 g) whole-wheat pastry flour (or wheat flour), plus more for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick, or 112 g) well-chilled butter

2 to 4 tablespoons (28 to 60 ml) well-chilled milk (cow’s milk works best)

Cooking Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and sugar.

Add the cold butter to a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Gently pour in the flour mixture and pulse until it forms moist crumbs, scraping down the sides, as necessary. Don’t worry if you can still see bits of butter—they help with the flakiness. (You can also use a pastry cutter or two knives: Dice the chilled butter into pieces, or grate the butter using a cheese grater, and cut them into the flour until the mixture forms moist crumbs.)

Return the flour mixture to the large bowl. Pour the milk into the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing with a fork, until it begins to hold together. Knead the mixture with your hands just until it achieves a smooth, elastic consistency—do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.

Lay out a large piece of waxed paper and sprinkle it with flour. Place the dough in the center, flour a rolling pin (to help prevent sticking), and roll the dough into a circle to fit a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate, about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick.

Invert the pie plate over the crust and gently lift the waxed paper with the crust, holding it close to the pie plate. Flip the pie plate upright again and gently peel the waxed paper away from the curst, fitting it into the plate. Press the dough lightly and evenly into the plate and flute the edges by pinching the crust between your thumb and two fingers all around the upper rim. If it tears, just seal the edges back together with your fingers.

Fill with the filling of your choice and bake according to recipe directions, or prebake the crust before filling: Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C, or gas mark 8), poke a fork into the bottom of the crust three or four times to prevent air bubbles from forming, and bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.