Alton's Pie Crust

Keith

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie crust

Ingredients

• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) butter, chilled
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) lard, chilled
• 6 ounces (approximately 1 cup) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 cup ice water, in spritz bottle
• Approximately 32 ounces of dried beans or pie weights, for blind baking.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Place 2 metal pie pans in the refrigerator to chill.

1. Place butter and lard in the freezer for 15 minutes. When ready to use, remove and cut both into small pieces.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt by pulsing 3 to 4 times. Add butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until texture looks mealy. Add lard and pulse another 3 to 4 times. Remove the food processor lid and spritz the surface of the mixture thoroughly with water. Replace lid and pulse 5 times. Add more water and pulse again until mixture holds together when squeezed. Place mixture in a large zip-top bag, squeeze together until it forms a ball, and then press into a rounded disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Remove dough from the refrigerator. Cut along 2 sides of the plastic bag, open the bag to expose dough, and sprinkle both sides with flour. Cover again with plastic and roll out with a rolling pin to a 10 to 11-inch circle. Open plastic again and sprinkle top of dough with flour. Remove pie pans from the refrigerator and set the first pan on top of dough. Turn everything upside down and peel plastic from the bottom of the dough. Place the second pan upside down on top of dough and flip again. Remove the first pan from atop the dough. Trim edges if necessary, leaving an edge for meringue to adhere to. Poke holes in dough and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
4. Place a large piece of parchment paper on top of dough and fill with dry beans. Press beans into edges of dough and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove parchment and beans and continue baking until golden in color, approximately 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let cool completely before filling.

Alton Brown, 2003, Good Eats - Episode: I Pie