Flaky Yogurt Pie Crust
Every so often, I have a hankering for a tender flaky pie crust. It can be for quiche, for a galette, or a real deal pie situation, but whatever the use the scraps are always rerolled and cut into shapes for pie crust cookies! If I’m lucky, I have a disc of sourdough pie crust in the freezer and it makes the whole process a breeze! When I’m lacking in the frozen pie crust department, I sometimes feel just daunted enough to give up on my task before I’ve even begun. This pie crust has solved that problem for me! It does need to chill in the fridge for an hour or so before rolling, otherwise it sticks to the counter, a situation we all fear, but besides that its so simple. If you have a food processor, the whole thing takes less than 5 minutes and man, it feels good. If not, have no fear, it’s just as simple without!
Makes enough for one single crust pie
1 cup flour
½ cup, butter cubed or grated
¼ cup greek yogurt
pinch of salt
Directions:
You can make this dough two ways. If you have a food processor you can use that, if not, hands work perfectly well! If you’re using a food processor, put the flour and salt in the bowl then add the cubed butter on top. Pulse until the butter is just mixed enough to make the flour look sandy. Put the greek yogurt in and pulse again, just until a dough forms. You may need to add another little spoonful of yogurt, but go slow. You can’t take it out again!
When it’s just forming a dough, pat it into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. If you’re using your hands, just rub the butter and flour together with your fingers then use a fork to add the salt and yogurt in. You may need to knead it 5-10 times in the bowl for it to hold together. Pop it in the fridge for at least an hour, but I like to make it the day before to make my life easier! When it’s baking time, preheat your oven to 375. Flour a surface and roll your pie crust out to ¼ inch thickness. It should fit a 9 inch pie plate perfectly with a bit to trim off the sides. My trick to transferring the crust to the pan is to fold it in half and then half again so it looks like a piece of pizza. Put the point of the triangle in the center of the pie plate and unfold. Gently press it down to the edges and trim around the top. Give it a little crimp to keep it in place. Put some parchment down on the dough and pour in some dried beans. This will keep it from puffing or slouching when you prebake the crust! Bake it for about 20 minutes and then you can remove the parchment and beans and add the filling to continue baking. If you want to make pie crust cookies, roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness and cut out shapes. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (I always keep a jar in my pantry at this time of year!). Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes until puffed and golden.
