Page 43 - Pie Squared

dawdling. Get the equipment and ingredients ready and go. Once
the mixing begins, start to finish, the crust should be wrapped and in

the refrigerator in about 3 minutes.
Cut in the cold fats so the flour coats each bit. “Cutting in”
means combining the fat with the flour by blending flour and
butter bits together until the bits are coated in flour. When cold

liquid is added, the dampened flour becomes a shaggy mass,
cohesive, with bits of butter here and there.
I know this directive can be confusing. Where, precisely, is the
place where the dough has been worked enough but not too much? I

like it to just barely form a ball in the food processor. I do the rest of
the work of organizing the dough not with my warm hands, which are
likely to melt the fats further, but by using a bench scraper as a tool.
Here’s how:

Form an X with two pieces of plastic wrap, one atop the other,
and dust lightly with flour. Dump the dough onto the center point,
scraping the food processor bowl clean. Fold the plastic wrap over
the top and, with the bench scraper, push and prod the mass, aiming

for a rectangular block that is 4 by 6 inches. Use a rolling pin to
gently even the surface, right through the wrap, smoothing out any
air bubbles or cracks in the dough. Flip the block over and use the
rolling pin again to gently compact the block of dough. Make a few

tidying moves to square up the edges. There will be pieces of the fat
still visible and it will look like a block of dough, not a block of
crumbly flour.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours. During this time, any

bit of slight overworking will be forgiven, the flour will absorb the
liquid, and the butter and other fats will firm up. The cold fats, when
introduced into a hot oven, will steam and puff, giving the crust loft
and flake.

WEIGHTY MATTERS

Success in baking is a direct result of precision. There are no two
ways about it. Professional bakers know that weighing ingredients,
instead of using cup (volume) measures, ensures precision and