

Now, I can make it with my eyes closed, and the recipe never fails. I took notes of what worked best for me and tweaked my recipe until I got it down to a science. If I’d mastered finicky things such as macarons and éclairs, surely I could make simple, humble pie dough, right? I went back to my reference books and truly applied myself to the task. A tragedy, right?Ī few years ago, I decided I’d tackle the task once and for all. So, for the longest time, I didn’t make pies at all. I would’ve gladly resorted to buying pre-made pie dough, except I couldn’t find 100% butter pastry where I live. No matter how many recipes I tested, (which all repeated the same advice over and over again-don’t cut out the butter too small, don’t overwork the dough, let it rest), it seemed like I couldn’t master the task. Part of it was inexperience: I’d never properly learned to make shortcrust pastry, so I didn’t know what to look for. Everything about the process annoyed me: my attempted crusts would be too dry or too wet, they would crack badly when I rolled them out or upon baking, or they would turn out dry or tasteless-never flaky and delightfully buttery-no matter the amount of butter I used.
Pastry blender full#
Full disclosure is at the bottom of the article.įor years, I was wary of making pie crusts from scratch. Sweet, savory, and whole-wheat variations included! This foolproof recipe allows you to make flaky shortcrust pastry in seconds by using a food processor.
