Pastry Dough Question

[Dasota]

So I'm having Thanksgiving at my place with just my dad and I, adn we've got everything figured out for what we're making and such, but I want to make some sort of weird bastard version of apple pie dumplings/turnovers.

I've got canned apple pie filling and a couple cans of sweetened condensed milk that I'll be making into dolche de leche and poor over the top of these things.

What I've never done though is make a pastry dough before.

Anyone know a good recipe and/or tips & tricks?

[Food Lady]

I have one in a cookbook that uses an egg. It's not usual, but it makes tender, textured pastry. Will go look it up and edit. Hang on.

Credit: Marge Hanley, The Indianapolis News

Makes enough pastry for 2 (8-inch or 9-inch) deep dish double-crust pies

4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-2/3 cup lard
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup ice water, divided

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, mixing well. Using a pastry blender, cut in lard until mixture is crumbly and particles are about the size of small peas.

Stir together egg, vinegar, and 7 tablespoons water; mix well. Pour egg mixture all at once into flour mixture and stir with a fork until it begins to clump together. Add remaining 1 tablespoon water, if needed to make dough clump.

Using hands, gently pat dough into one large ball or four small balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill, at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

When dough is well chilled, roll out one-fourth of the dough (one small ball) on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. Gently place in a deep 8-inch or 9-inch pie pan; trim around the edge to fit.

Second ball can be rolled out for a solid top crust, or rolled out and cut into 1-inch-wide strips for a lattice top. Remaining pastry can be stored several days in the refrigerator or frozen for longer storage.

This is how the recipe appears in my book, thus the credit given. I don't eat lard, so I use refined coconut oil or margarine. I also freeze it instead of chilling if I'm in a hurry. It turns out fine.

[42_42_42]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.html

You can substitute Crisco for the lard in the recipe, if you don't eat lard.

[Food Lady]

I forgot to add my tips: never overwork the dough. You want to mix just until it barely comes together and aim to only roll out once. Ingredients should be as cold as possible. My grandmother rolled pie crust out between sheets of waxed paper, but I could never get the hang of that. In fact, rolling it out in one piece and transferring it to the plate is nearly impossible for me. I have seen bakers cut out small circles (as if making cookies) and shingle them in the pie plate. You can lay them over the top of the pie like that. Make sure you make or leave vents on top for the steam. And yes, shortening works. It's bad for you, but hey--once a year, you know?

[ArcticChicken]

Making pastry dough is hard. I've never mastered the trick, mostly because I don't make it that often, and when I do it's a special occasion, and I want it to come out right, so I buy premade.

[Ironclad Alibi]

If all else fails, premade pasty shells are usually available at the grocery store.

[Food Lady]

I would do that if they didn't have lard. Pie pastry can seem difficult, but if you think about it, you are just stirring together dry ingredients, briefly stirring in wet, and then rolling out. You don't have to roll and reroll with butter like you do for puff pastry. If you can do the wax paper thing, it makes turning it into the pan easier. You just lay it down and peel the waxed paper off. I think I would've been more successful with that if I had chilled the dough first.

[Dasota]

Unfortunately the reason I'm all for making my own dough is because I have the ingredients needed, (well, except for the vinegar) and I don't have the money to buy pre made dough, and I should be able to ask for some of the vinegar from my friends who live downstairs.

[CoffeeMonkey]

Super easy pastry that is tender, flaky, and so good.

Soften (I know it's weird, stay with me) 1 stick of butter and 1 block of cream cheese.
cream them together until just combined.
add about 2 cups of flour. mix it all together with your hand until it forms a dough. if it's super sticky, work in a little more flour.
form into a disc and refrigerate about 30 minutes, or shove in the freezer til it's cold to the touch.
Roll out to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, cut circles or squares. 3" will give you a nice little turnover, but bigger would probably be better for what you're doing.
Put a glob of filling in the center and brush half of the rim with water, milk, or egg wash.
Fold over the dough so the dry edge is to the wet edge. crimp with a fork to seal and dock the top. Egg wash the top and sprinkle with sugar if you like.
Bake at 400 til golden brown, 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your pies.

Tips: Don't over work the dough, but you don't have to be afraid of it. It's pretty forgiving. when you've done your first cutting, gently wad up the scraps and roll out again. the second rolling won't be as tender as the first, but it will still be fine. A third rolling generally isn't worth it. It takes less filling than you think. A small glob will do. Overfill them or they will explode. Don't forget to dock the pies, either with a fork or scissors or a paring knife. If there is no steam vent, they will explode. Enjoy.

[RayvenQ]

I forgot to add my tips: never overwork the dough. You want to mix just until it barely comes together and aim to only roll out once. Ingredients should be as cold as possible. My grandmother rolled pie crust out between sheets of waxed paper, but I could never get the hang of that. In fact, rolling it out in one piece and transferring it to the plate is nearly impossible for me. I have seen bakers cut out small circles (as if making cookies) and shingle them in the pie plate. You can lay them over the top of the pie like that. Make sure you make or leave vents on top for the steam. And yes, shortening works. It's bad for you, but hey--once a year, you know?

Additionally, you should try to keep your hands cold as well while making it.

[Kittish]

One trick I've seen mentioned several times is to replace up to about 3/4 of the water with vodka (probably any booze will work, but vodka generally doesn't have much flavor). This makes the dough more forgiving as the vodka doesn't interact with the flour the way water does, so you can work it more if you need to without it getting impossibly tough.

When you go to bake the pie, cover the edge with a strip of aluminum foil. This keeps the edge from getting too brown or scorching. Lightly brushing an egg wash over the top crust when the pie has 20 minutes or so left gives it a pretty, shiny finish.