Forming Pie and Tart Dough
Rolling and Crimping Techniques for Perfect Crust
Jul 15, 2008 Leslie Bilderback
Think about the way butter feels directly out of the fridge. It's hard and brittle. When it's been at room temperature for a while it becomes soft and sticky. The same will happen with buttery dough. Keeping the dough cold while you are working with it will make it much easier to roll out.
When the dough warms up, because of the room's temperature or over-handling, it becomes harder to roll. It sticks to the counter, the pin, your hands, and it becomes the source of much frustration. To combat the problem, work quickly, and keep the work surface well-floured. As soon as the dough shows signs of warming, throw it back in the fridge.
How to Roll Dough
The first rule of rolling out dough is to never work with more dough than you need. For one pie or tart shell from 8-10-inches in diameter, a baseball-sized piece of dough will suffice. Keep the rest of the dough refrigerated.
Knead the dough briefly to soften it into a flat disc. Set the dough on a floured surface and roll a rolling pin over the center of the dough in one direction. Turn the dough 90° and roll in the center again. Turn again, roll again, and repeat this pattern until the dough is the size and thickness desired (typically 1/4-inch thick). This method forces the dough to grow into a circular shape, and it alerts you right away if it starts sticking to the counter. If it sticks, spread flour under the dough as necessary.
Getting it into the Pan
Transfer the dough to pie pan by rolling it up onto the pin, or folding it in half. If you've worked quickly, the dough should still be cold and easy to handle. If not, use spatulas to transfer it to a cookie sheet, and chill it for 5-10 minutes.
Ease the dough into the pie shell and press it into place. Trim the edge 1/2-inch from the rim of the pan. Scissors make this job a snap.
Decorative Crimping
Roll the edge of the dough under itself all the way around, then pinch it tightly, until it is the thickness of a single layer of dough. To make the fluted edge, pinch with two fingers from the outer edge while simultaneously pressing in with one finger from the inner edge. The edge can also be pressed with a fork or spoon, or with a decorative fluting tool. (Crimping a double crust is done the same way, but the two crusts must be trimmed, folded and crimped together.) Place the lined pie shells in the refrigerator while rolling out remaining dough and preparing filling.
Once the dough is in the pan, and the pie is ready to bake, the fat is still there, and it can still melt. Keep it very cold before baking to be sure your decorative crimping keeps its shape. For best results, freeze the entire pie solid, then bake it directly from the freezer. If the fat is frozen, the protein in the dough will solidify before the fat has a chance to melt.
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