Reduced-Butter Pie Pastry
Let's face it: it's tough to make a great pie pastry without butter. However, it is possible to make a very fine pastry with a little less butter. The trick is first lubricating the flour with a little oil before adding the butter. By doing this, you can make a delicious, easy-to-roll pastry with 5 tablespoons butter instead of the more typical 8 tablespoons. This pastry works great for any fruit pie and for quiches as well. With the latter, you'll want to eliminate the sugar. Source: EatingWell Magazine, Fall 2002
Ingredients
Directions
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Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse to mix. With the machine running, add oil in a thin stream; stop the machine when all the oil has been added. Scatter butter over the dry ingredients. Pulse 6 or 7 times, breaking the butter into small bits. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons water over the mixture. Pulse again until the pastry starts to resemble damp, clumpy sand; don't over-process. Press some of the pastry between your fingers: it should hold together easily. If it doesn't, add a little more water.
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Transfer the dough to your work surface and gather it together in a ball. Knead twice to distribute the butter. Place the dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 34-inch-thick disk; pinch the edge together if it cracks. Wrap in the plastic and refrigerate for 45 to 60 minutes before rolling.
Nutrition Facts
1 starch, 1 1/2 fat
