Brown Family

Ingredients

Crust

• 2½ cups (297g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, or 2½ cups (283g) Pastry Flour Blend
• 1¼ teaspoons salt*
• ¼ cup (46g) vegetable shortening
• 10 tablespoons (142g) very cold unsalted butter
• 6 to 10 tablespoons (85g to 142g) ice water**

*Reduce salt to 1 teaspoon if you use salted butter.
**Use the lesser amount of water if you use Pastry Flour Blend.

Topping (optional)

• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 tablespoon coarse sparkling sugar

Instructions

1. Weigh your flour, or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
3. Add the shortening, working it in until the mixture is evenly crumbly, like coarse beach sand; you want everything thoroughly combined.
4. Cut the butter into small (about ½”) cubes.
5. Add the butter to the flour mixture and work it in roughly with your fingers, a pastry cutter, or a mixer. Don’t be too thorough; the mixture should be quite uneven, with big chunks of butter in among the smaller ones. Working the butter in completely makes a mealy crust rather than a flaky one.
6. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of water over the flour mixture, tossing gently to combine.
7. Add enough additional water to make a chunky, fairly cohesive mixture. It should hold together when you gather a bit and squeeze it in your hand. Beware of kneading the pastry too much or adding too much water — both will toughen the crust.
8. Gently shape the pastry into a cohesive mass. Or transfer the shaggy mixture to a piece of parchment paper, press it into a rough rectangle, and fold the dough into thirds. Spritz any dry areas with cold water, flatten and fold again, repeating until all errant bits are incorporated. Folding the dough this way creates more flaky layers.
9. Divide the dough in half. Gather each piece into a rough disk. Smooth the disks — a few cracks in the surface are OK. Smooth their edges by running the disks along a floured surface like a wheel.
10. Wrap the crusts in plastic or reusable wrap. Chill for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Or wrap in aluminum foil over the plastic and freeze for up to two months.
11. When ready to make pie, remove the crusts from the refrigerator or freezer, leaving them wrapped. Allow to thaw (if frozen) or warm a bit (if chilled longer than 30 minutes), until softened enough to roll but still cold to the touch.
12. Place the crust on a floured work surface. To make a standard 9” pie, roll one piece into a 12” to 13” round. Move the crust around occasionally to prevent sticking; add extra flour underneath as needed.
13. Lightly grease the pie pan with non-stick spray. Fold the crust in quarters and place it in the pan, or pick it up with a large spatula.
14. For a single-crust pie: Fold the edge under itself, gently squeezing it together. Crimp as desired. Make a tall crimp — the filling for a single-crust pie is usually fairly liquid and it’s good to have that tall “dam.”
15. For a double-crust pie: Trim the bottom crust to within ½” of the rim of the pan. Once you’ve added the filling, roll the top crust into a 12” circle and center it over the filling.
16. Bring the top crust down and over the edge of the bottom crust, pressing the two together to make a ridge of dough around the inside rim of the pan. Using the tines of a fork, gently press the crust down onto the pan’s rim all the way around — or make a taller finger crimp. At this point, return the pie to the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to chill the fat, which increases flakiness.
17. Just before baking, brush the crust with milk or water and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar, cinnamon-sugar, or granulated sugar if desired. Make a series of cuts in the top crust to allow steam to escape — three or four simple parallel cuts are fine, or do something more decorative.

Notes

• Butter vs. shortening: Shortening has a higher melting point and helps the crust hold its shape. The butter adds flavor and flakiness. Together they give you the best of both.
• Don’t overwork: The number one enemy of a flaky crust is overworking the dough. Stop as soon as it holds together.