Butter And Shortening Pastry Recipes

PERFECT PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

BUTTER AND SHORTENING PASTRY

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt and sugar in a food processor fitted with steel blade.
• Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture. Toss to coat butter with a little of the flour.
• Cut butter into the flour mixture with 5 one second pulses.
• Add shortening, a tablespoon at a time and cut into mixture with about 4 one second pulses.
• The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Turn out into a mixing bowl.
• Sprinkle 6 T of ice water over flour mixture.
• Using the blade of a rubber spatula, press down on the dough, using a folding motion, until the dough sticks together.
• Add up to 2 more T of ice water if the dough will not come together. DO NOT over-knead the dough.
• Divide dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 4 inch wide disk.
• Dust disks lightly with flour. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days before rolling out.

BUTTER-AND-SHORTENING PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the shortening and butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, pour the water through the feed tube and process until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, adding no more water than necessary. Divide the dough into 2 balls, flatten them into thick disks and place them between waxed-paper sheets. Refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out.

PART-BUTTER/PART-SHORTENING EASY PIE DOUGH

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt, butter and shortening until the mixture resembles cornmeal but there are still pea-sized chunks of fat.
• In a small bowl, stir together the ice water and lemon juice. Slowly add the liquid to the flour mixture, pulsing, until the dough just comes together. Squeeze a small piece of dough between your thumb and index finger to make sure it holds its shape.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Gently turn over each piece of dough a few times so that any dry bits are incorporated. Form each piece into a loose disk, cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

CLASSIC BUTTER PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed., Shape dough into a disk for a single-crust pie; for a double-crust pie, divide dough in 2 with 1 piece slightly larger than the other. Shape into 2 disks. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. , For a single-crust pie: Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Fill or bake according to recipe directions., For a double-crust pie: Add filling to pie. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Bake according to recipe directions.