Sweet Dough For Pies

One crust pie; about 10
-ounces

To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a
medium mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut butter into 1 tablespoon
pieces and add to dry ingredients. Toss once or twice to coat pieces of
butter. Then using your hands or a pastry blender, break the butter into
tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients. Occasionally
reach down to the bottom of the bowl and mix all the ingredients evenly
together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the
mixture resembles a coarse ground corn meal and no large pieces of butter
remain visible. Beat the egg(s) in a small bowl and pour over the flour and
butter mixture. Stir in with a fork until the dough begins to hold
together, but still appears somewhat dry. Scatter a teaspoon of flour on
the work surface and scrape the dough out onto it. Press and knead the
dough quickly 3 or 4 times, until it is smooth and uniform. To mix the
dough in the food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder
in work bowl fitted with metal blade. Pulse 3 times at 1second intervals to
mix. Cut butter into 1tablespoon pieces and add to work bowl. Process,
pulsing repeatedly at 1second intervals, until the mixture is fine and
powdery, resembles a coarse ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter
remain visible, about 15 pulses in all. Add the egg(s) to the work bowl and
pulse ten times or so, until the dough forms a ball. Scatter a teaspoon of
flour on the work surface and scrape the dough out onto it. Press and knead
the dough quickly 3 or 4 times, until it is smooth and uniform. Press the
dough into a disk (two equal disks for the larger amount of dough).
Sandwich the disk(s) of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press
it into a 6 inch circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are
ready to use it, at least 1 hour. Storage: Keep the dough in the
refrigerator up to two days, or freeze it doublewrapped in plastic. Because
the dough is thin, it will defrost quickly at room temperature when you
intend to use it. Variations: SPICE CRUST: Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
and 1/4 teaspoon each freshly grated nutmeg and ground cloves to the dry
ingredients before mixing in the butter. Double the quantities for the 2
crust recipe. COCOA DOUGH: Add 2 tablespoons sifted non alkalized cocoa
powder to the dry ingredients before mixing in the butter. Double the
quantities for the 2 crust recipe. If the dough seems dry after adding
egg(s), add a teaspoon or two of water, no more.

Yields
1 Servings