The Mistake Martha Stewart Warns Us Not To Make When Chilling Pie Crust - Exclusive

Homemade pie crust is a sinch for pros like Martha Stewart. Not only does Stewart have large ovens to back large volumes of pie, but she even has a sheeter to help roll the crust out more quickly. But the master of homemade says you don't need these fancy devices to create a quick and delicious crust at home. In an exclusive interview, Stewart explained the method we should use when forming pie dough.

For a quick and easy pie dough, Stewart says to start with her simple pate brisee, which is made with just flour, water, butter, a hint of sugar, and salt. Her first tip is to "make it in a food processor." Some pie makers claim that you should not use a food processor, as it can break the butter into pieces that are too small. But Stewart points out that when using the appliance for pie crust, it should not run very long — just enough to cut in all the ingredients. "It takes about 13 seconds to make it," she says. Once the dough comes together, she recommends going against standard directions of making the dough a ball and instead, "Make it into a flat round."

Martha Stewart explains further that "the easiest thing to do is put it on a piece of plastic wrap, cover it, and roll it a little bit flat into a round with a rolling pin." From there, the dough gets chilled. Following these simple directions is slightly unconventional but leads to a pie dough that is easier to work with once it is time to roll it out. 

As though dough chills, the butter resolidifies and becomes rigid. (If too cold, it will start crumbling and if not cool enough, it could get sticky.) The basic idea of rolling an already flat round versus a compact ball makes it hard to imagine why literature commonly tells cooks to use a ball. Once the dough is chilled, simply roll it out from the flat round and transfer it to the baking dish. Not only is this a simple strategy, but it is effective and "very easy and very tasty."

For more information and to enter to win a custom Pure Leaf x Martha Stewart "Don't Do It Yourself" tea kit, visit pureleaf.com/ddiy.