Recipe

Make Dough

1. Sift the flour into a mound on a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and place in the well along with the sugar, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.
2. Working quickly to ensure the ingredients do not become too warm, rub everything together using your fingertips. (See tricks and tips on page 54.) Starting from the center and working outwards, gradually incorporate all the flour into the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Rub the mixture between the palms of your hands to break it down into fine crumbs. When the mixture resembles sand, heap it back into a mound and make a well in the middle, then add the egg and two additional yolks to the well.
4. Using your fingertips, combine all the ingredients then shape the dough (pastry) into a ball, work quickly and do not handle the dough more than necessary.
5. Gently flatten the ball of dough slightly, then wrap it in plastic wrap (cling film). Leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
6. If you often use pie dough, you can multiply the ingredients to make more dough and divide it into individual portions. Wrap each portion individually, and place in a freezer bag for freezing.

How To Use

When it is time to use the pie dough, roll it out to ⅛ inch/3 mm thick on a lightly floured surface, then carefully lift the rolled-out dough and transfer it to a prepared pan (tin). Press down firmly on the base and sides and trim away any excess dough with a small sharp knife. Bake as instructed in your recipe.

Variations

A Classic Pie Dough (Shortcrust Pastry) can be varied in many ways, for example, by changing the ratio of butter to flour used, the type and quantity of sugar, or replacing some of the flour with ground nuts.

Sweet pie dough is prepared by mixing 9 oz./2 cups/250 g type “00” flour or all-purpose (plain) flour with 3½ oz./7 tbsp/100 g unsalted butter, 3 oz./⅓ cup/80 g confectioners’ (icing) sugar, 2 eggs and a pinch of salt.

Chocolate pie dough is made with 9 oz./2 cups/250 g type “00” flour or all-purpose (plain) flour, 5 oz./½ cup plus 2 tbsp/140 g unsalted butter, ¾ oz./2 tbsp/ 20 g sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 oz./⅓ cup/80 g superfine (caster) sugar, 1 egg and 1 additional yolk.

Pie dough with nut flour (ground nuts) is made by mixing 9 oz./2 cups/250 g type “00” flour or all-purpose (plain) flour with 3½ oz./1 cup/100 g nut flour (such as ground almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, or walnuts), 3½ oz./1 cup/100 g confectioners’ (icing) sugar, 5 oz./½ cup plus 2 tbsp/140 g unsalted butter, 1 egg and a pinch of salt.

Make Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4 and grease the tart pan (tin) with a little butter.
2. To make the pie filling, melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the breadcrumbs and sauté them over medium heat until they start to brown. Add the cinnamon to the pan, stir, and set aside to cool.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pie dough (pastry) to ⅛ inch/3 mm thick. Carefully lift the rolled-out pie dough and use it to line the prepared tart pan. Press down firmly on the base and sides, then prick the base of the dough with a fork. Using a sharp knife, trim away any excess dough that is overhanging the sides of the tart pan to neaten. Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs over the base.
4. Finely chop the walnuts in the food processor, then combine with the lemon zest and 2 oz./⅓ cup/50 g of the sugar. Peel the apples, use the corer to remove the core, then slice them thinly. Place a layer of apple slices over the breadcrumbs in the pastry shell (case) and sprinkle with a little of the walnut mixture. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients have been used.
5. Roll out the remaining pie dough and any scraps to ⅛ inch/3 mm thick. Using the pastry wheel, cut into strips about 1 inch/3 cm wide. Weave the pastry strips into a lattice pattern over the top of the apples, leaving even spaces between each strip. Trim the pastry lattice and then stick the ends of the strips onto the pastry shell edges, pressing down with a finger, and cut away any excess.
6. To make an egg wash, mix the egg yolk with a few drops of cold water. Using a pastry brush, glaze the pastry with the egg wash and then sprinkle over the remaining sugar. Place the pie in the lower part of the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. Let cool for 15 minutes in the tart pan, then remove from the pan, and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving.