Tart and Pie Dough

The pastry determines the outcome of any tart: how it’s made, how it’s rolled out, and how long it’s cooked. The tart dough I make most often is good for both savory and sweet tarts and it makes good pie crust, too. Simply made with flour, butter, and water, the pastry is tender, flaky, and crisp. I avoided making tart dough for years; I found it difficult to make, and I was often disappointed with the results. Then a friend who is an excellent pastry chef explained patiently just how the flour, butter, and water work together, and after a little practice I began to get a feel for the feel of the dough, and the look of it, and my tarts got to be consistently good. As explained in the bread chapter, flour contains a mixture of proteins known as gluten. When mixed with water, these proteins are activated and begin to form a molecular network that makes dough elastic. The more a dough is stirred, or worked, the more the gluten is developed. Gluten is good for bread, which needs a strong supporting network in order to rise, but not so good for tarts: the more the dough is worked, the tougher the pastry will be. That’s why it’s important not to over-work tart dough or knead it. All-purpose flour is the best flour to use for this recipe; bread flour is too high in gluten and so-called pastry flour and cake flour are too low (which makes the pastry mealy). All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten to give the dough a flaky texture. This is where the butter comes in. Butter adds flavor and richness to the pastry and has important effects on texture as well. When butter is mixed in, it coats some of the flour, isolating the flour from the water—which slows down the activation of gluten, making the pastry more tender. When some of the butter is left in larger, uneven pieces and flattened by rolling, it will steam during baking, separating sheets of gluten from one another, and creating a flaky texture. The more butter, the more tender the dough. The more irregular the sizes of the pieces of butter, the flakier the pastry. When it’s mixed into the fl our, the butter should be quite cold—refrigerator temperature. If it gets too soft or melts, it makes the dough oily. Have all the ingredients ready before you start: butter chilled and cut into roughly 1/4-inch cubes, flour measured, water icy cold. Work the butter into the flour quickly, using your fingertips. If you have one of those tools called a pastry blender, so much the better. The important thing is to work quickly, lightly rubbing the butter and flour together with your fingertips, or chopping and mixing with the pastry blender, for about a minute. (You can use a stand mixer, too, fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix for about a minute at medium-low speed.) Now it’s time to add the water. The water’s function is to hydrate the flour, thus activating the gluten. You need enough water to make a cohesive dough that is neither crumbly nor sticky. A dry, crumbly dough is hard to roll out and mealy to eat; wet, sticky dough makes tough pastry. The properties of both flour and butter vary, so the amount of ice-cold water you need to add will also vary. Measure out the amount called for, but don’t pour it in all at once. Start by adding about three quarters of the amount. Stir and toss the dough with a fork as you dribble in the water. Avoid working the dough or squeezing it together. (If using a mixer, pour the water down the sides of the bowl while the machine is on low speed, mixing for 30 seconds or less.) Add water until the dough is just starting to clump together—if it forms a ball it’s too wet. Test it by squeezing together a small handful. If it holds together, there’s enough water; if the mass is dry and crumbly, it needs more. Add more water a few drops at a time, stirring lightly between additions. When the dough is the right consistency, gently bring it together into a sha...