Magpie Dough For Flaky Piecrust Recipes

MAGPIE DOUGH FOR FLAKY PIECRUST RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse the machine 3 times to blend. Scatter the frozen butter cubes over the flour mixture. Pulse the machine 5 to 7 times, holding each pulse for 5 full seconds, to cut all of the butter into pea-size pieces. Scatter the pieces of frozen shortening over the flour-and-butter mixture. Pulse the machine 4 more 1-second pulses to blend the shortening with the flour. The mixture will resemble coarse cornmeal, but will be a bit more floury and riddled with pale butter bits (no pure-white shortening should be visible).
• Turn the mixture out into a large mixing bowl, and make a small well in the center.
• If you find a few butter clumps that are closer to marble size than pea size (about 1/4 inch in diameter), carefully pick them out and give them a quick smoosh with your fingers. Pour the cold water into the well. Use a curved bowl scraper to lightly scoop the flour mixture up and over the water, covering the water to help get the absorption started. Continue mixing by scraping the flour up from the sides and bottom of the bowl into the center, rotating the bowl as you mix, and occasionally pausing to clean off the scraper with your finger or the side of the bowl, until the mixture begins to gather into clumps but is still very crumbly. (If you are working in very dry conditions and the ingredients remain very floury and refuse to clump together at this stage, add another tablespoon of ice-cold water.)
• Lightly gather the clumps with your fingers and use your palm to fold over and press the dough a few times (don't knead!-just give the dough a few quick squishes), until it just begins to come together into a single large mass. It will be a raggedy wad, moist but not damp, that barely holds together; this is exactly as it should be-all it needs is a good night's rest in the fridge.
• For single- and double-crust pies, mini pies, potpies, or hand pies: Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, gently shape each portion into a flat disk 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick, and wrap each tightly with plastic wrap. For quiche, leave the dough in one piece, flatten it into a single large disk 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
• No ifs, ands, or buts, the dough must have its beauty sleep. That means 8 hours in the refrigerator at the very least. Extra rest is just fine; feel free to let the wrapped dough sit in the fridge for up to 3 days before rolling. (The dough may discolor slightly. No worries. This is merely oxidization and will not affect the flavor or appearance of your finished piecrust.)

FLAKY PIE DOUGH

Steps:

• To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, salt and baking powder in a medium sized mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut butter into 1tablespoon pieces and add to dry ingredients. Toss once or twice to coat pieces of butter. Then using your hands or a pastry blender, break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients. Keep the mixture uniform by occasionally reaching down to the bottom of the bowl and mixing all the ingredients evenly together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarseground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible.
• Sprinkle the minimum amount of water over the butter and flour mixture and stir gently with a fork the dough should begin holding together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time for the smaller quantity of dough, a tablespoon at a time for the larger quantity, until the dough holds together easily.
• To mix the dough in the food processor, combine flour, salt and baking powder in work bowl fitted with metal blade. Pulse 3 times at 1second intervals to mix. Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and add to work bowl. Process, pulsing repeatedly at 1second intervals, until the mixture is fine and powdery, resembles a coarseground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible about 15 pulses in all.
• Scatter the minimum amount of water on the butter and flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times the dough should begin holding together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time for the smaller quantity of dough,one tablespoon at a time for the larger quantity, until the dough holds together easily.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a disk (two equal disks for the larger amount of dough). Sandwich the disk(s) of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 6inch circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are ready to use it, at least 1 hour.

PEACH LATTICE PIE WITH BOURBON CARAMEL

Steps:

• To make the Bourbon Caramel Sauce:
• Pour the sugar into a medium high-sided saucepan, tilting the pan to distribute the sugar evenly across the bottom of the pan. Set the pan over medium-high heat. Use a rubber spatula to occasionally push the sugar from the outer edge of the pan toward the center. The sugar will clump up slightly, but just keep pushing it around a bit; it will eventually smooth out. When the sugar is dissolved and darkened to the color of a copper penny (about 5 to 7 minutes), add the butter and whisk until incorporated. Be careful: the mixture will bubble up when you add the butter and might even seem like it's about to overflow the pan; just keep whisking and it will quickly settle back down.
• Take the pan off the heat and carefully add the cream in two stages, whisking until smooth and incorporated. Add the salt, vanilla, and bourbon, whisking to combine.
• Pour the caramel through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and cool completely to room temperature, about 2 hours, before using or transferring to an airtight container to store in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before using.
• To make the Peach Lattice Pie:
• Roll out one disc of Magpie Dough for Flaky Piecrust into a 13-inch circle with an even thickness of 1/4 inch. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie pan and trim overhang to 1 inch all the way around. Cover the bottom crust with plastic wrap and put the pan in the refrigerator while you roll the dough to the top shell.
• Roll out the second disk of pie dough to a 13-inch circle with an even thickness of 1/4 inch. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and using a pizza wheel, pastry cutter, or large knife, along with a ruler, cut dough into ten 1-inch-wide strips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you work on the filling for the pie.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, toss the peaches with the brown sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Let sit 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, ground tapioca, cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the peaches and toss to combine. The mixture may look dry at first; let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the sugar and lemon juice to draw more of the juices out of the fruit, then give it another good tossing to mix well and moisten all of the sugar and tapioca granules.
• Retrieve the prepared crust from the refrigerator and set the pan on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the filling into the bottom shell. Use your index finger to scrape some of the syrupy fruit juices off the sides of the mixing bowl and generously moisten the top edge of the shell.
• Lay remaining dough strips on top of the pie in a lattice pattern, then roll and crimp the edges.
• Whisk the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Lightly brush the lattice with the egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the pie 25 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet, lower the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C), and bake 30 minutes more, or until the juices bubble up through the lattice. Tent the top with foil if the crust starts to over-brown.
• Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the pie cool and set uncovered, at room temperature, overnight (or up to 3 days) before slicing and serving. Serve with bourbon caramel sauce.