Pâte Brisée

Name: Pâte Brisée
Yield: Makes enough for two 9- or 10-inch single-crust pies or one 9- or 10-inch double-crust pie
Ingredients: 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt; 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces; 7 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

January 26, 2012

There are a handful of dishes that serve as true measures of any good cook: a great omelet, a comforting and well-balanced soup, a perfectly crisp and golden roast chicken, and a tender, flaky pie crust. Perhaps because of the risk of overworking, and turning out something that tears in two or tastes more leaden than light, many home cooks shy away from homemade dough, opting instead for unfold-as-you-go boxed crusts. But making perfect pie dough from scratch should be part of any home cook’s basic skills. And the best dough for homemade pies is pâte brisée. Like pasta dough, pâte brisée is a simple paste containing flour and water, but in this case butter is a key component and plays an integral role in creating the flaky texture. Getting the right proportion of butter to flour is crucial, as is using very cold ingredients and a light hand.

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