Pie dough

I'm always afraid of adding too much ice water to my flour to make pie dough so what happens is I don't add enough, so as I'm rolling the dough out this time I am adding a little water as I'm rolling then I'll let it set again. Do you think it will still work and be a delicious crust. The recipe is from M Stewart Escarole Tart

Nan
  • Posted by: Nan
  • October 19, 2015
  • 2983 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

boulangere October 19, 2015
This tutorial may help you with your question of when enough is enough concerning water.

https://thesolitarycook.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/perfect-flaky-pastry/
 
PieceOfLayerCake October 19, 2015
I find that the only way to "know" how much water should go into pie crust is to get to know it. If you add a touch more water than you need its certainly not the end of the world. I say, when in doubt, follow the recipe, pay attention, and determine what to do next time for an improvement. Anything is better than store-bought, though....so, I think you'll be fine.
 

Voted the Best Reply!

mrslarkin October 19, 2015
Hi Nan. I think it will still be a delicious tart. Pie dough gets easier with practice. But however it turns out, I'm sure it'll still be tasty!

I agree, adding ice water is one of the trickiest parts of pie dough. Here's how I do it, in case you are interested: I prefer to make pie dough in my stand mixer because, for me, the food processor motor sometimes heats up the butter (and shortening if I'm using it) even if it's a 30-second pulse. (Just my preference. Use whatever method feels most comfortable to you.) To my flour/fat mixture in the mixing bowl, I stir in the minimum amount of ice water called for, and then see if the clumps of dough hold together; squeeze them with your hand. If they don't hold together, it's not cohesive yet, and I slowly give the mixer a few more stirs while adding in drips of water (maybe a few teaspoons) until the clumps of dough hold together. Then I turn it all out onto my pastry board and gently gather everything together, separate it into however many pieces I need, form it into disks, wrap it in plastic, and chill it for at least an hour.

Good luck!!
 
Dessito October 19, 2015
I am sure adding a little water several times (if I understood your plan) will work, but looking at the specific recipe, you shouldn't have any problems even if you add the full amount at once. The ice water in this recipe is quite generous (I have seen pate brisee recipes with 2 tablespoons of water - ridiculous!) and you should be fine either way.

As far as letting it "set" again -- I assume you meant you'll chill it after mixing. That is a required step anyway, so sounds good.
 
Niknud October 19, 2015
You should check out the Cook's Illustrated Pie Crust recipe that uses vodka. Just google it and it should show up. Since vodka is something like half alcohol (which evaporates in the oven) you get the benefit of easier rolling out since it mimics extra water, but then most of the extra liquid just disappears in the cooking process.
 
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