kitchen-aid pie dough

make: kitchen-aid pie dough

listen: pie-list playlist

Easy + efficient method for flaky, impress-your-friends crust

Making pie is ~intimate~. It requires your thoughtful attention, your full-body, and your intuition. You have to be a good listener to make good pie, because pie talks. It tells you if it’s a bit parched or needs to rest just a touch longer. It’s different every single time and I like that.

If you’re not feeling up to having an existential experience with a piece of pastry, don’t fret. I’ve been in communion with pie dough for years and I have found a method that works consistently best for me without excessive effort. It’s a tad controversial, though– I like to use none other than my trusty KitchenAid.

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Purists will tell you to do it by hand, which I find can lead to overworked dough that doesn’t roll out well. Pastry chefs will tell you to use a food processor, but that method goes too fast for me and I can’t feel the dough properly. Using the stand mixer allows for control while maintaining peak cold butter flakiness.

No matter how you make your dough, I’ve included a playlist to help you get out of your head and into your baking feels. (And yes, I included OutKast’s “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” just for that line about being sweeter than a plate of yams with extra syrup.)

For a full video tutorial, check out my IGTV link here.

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 1 top and bottom pie crust or two bottoms

2 cups unbleached white flour

Dash of kosher salt

1 cup extra-cold butter (the higher quality the better,) cubed

1 egg (optional, for color)

1/4 cup equal mix of cold water and apple cider vinegar

*Optional: add 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar for a sweeter crust

METHOD:

Measure flour and salt into the bowl of the stand mixer and mix briefly to incorporate.

Add in butter cubes and mix on low for 2-3 minutes, until a cornmeal like texture with no big chunks forms.

Add in egg, continuing to mix on low for 30 seconds. Mixture should look shaggy and begin to clump.

Add no more than 1 tablespoon of water and vinegar mixture. A dough ball should form. *If the dough is still a bit dry, add more wet mixture–be careful not to over-moisten.

Form dough into a flattened ball. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut into two equal parts. (I ain’t never seen two pie equal pie parts, one of them is always a bit wonky.) ((This is a topical meme joke and not very funny, carry on.))

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

** Pie dough is finicky! Temperature, weather, and altitude can change how your dough feels. Use your best judgment when it comes to moisture and take it slowly.